Posts by Tim Stephens (Page 11)
Weekly Lord’s Supper
Defending Sunday Worship? Imagine having to defend the practice of gathering together for worship (in song, Scripture reading, and preaching). How would you explain these practices to someone else? What if you also had to give good reasons for gathering together on Sunday to do these things? Would you look at church history? Your own church’s tradition? Would you use only the Bible? You would think that this should be a trivial task since the church has been meeting on…
August 2016 – See the Destined Day Arise
Lyrics: Venantius Fortunatus (c.530-600), tr. Richard Mant (1837), Public Domain; Alt. words, chorus lyrics, and music: Matt Merker, © 2014 See the destined day arise! See a willing sacrifice! Jesus, to redeem our loss, hangs upon the shameful cross; Jesus, who but You could bear wrath so great and justice fair? Every pang and bitter throe, finishing your life of woe? Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Lamb of God for sinners slain! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Jesus Christ, we praise your name! Who but Christ…
Must Have Books
The pastors who wrote the Westminster Confession stated, “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them.” Certainly the gospel is clearly propounded…
The Marks of a Healthy Church
The Marks of a Healthy Church These marks are based on Mark Dever’s book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church and the website 9marks.org 1. Expositional Preaching An expositional sermon takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon, and applies it to life today. [churchpack_box color=”blue”]Expositional preaching is important because God’s Word is what convicts, converts, builds up, and sanctifies God’s people (Heb 4:12; 1 Pet 1:23; 1 Thess 2:13; John…
Becoming a Member at Fairview
The process for joining as a member involves three steps: (1) taking the new members class; (2) filling out the membership application; and (3) sitting down with two of the elders for an interview. The entire process usually takes at least six months from when a person beings attending to becoming a member. New Members Class A class for prospective members is typically held multiple times a year. You can contact the church to see when the next class is…
July 2016 – For the Sake of His Name
Words by Chris Anderson; Music by Greg Habegger. ©2010 churchworksmedia.com. http://churchworksmedia.com/for-the-sake-of-his-name VERSE 1 Go to the world for the sake of His name; To every nation His glory proclaim. Pray that the Spirit wise Will open darkened eyes, Granting new life to display Jesus’ fame. CHORUS In Jesus’ power, preach Christ to the lost; For Jesus’ glory, count all else but loss. Gather from every place Trophies of sov’reign grace. Lest life be wasted, exalt Jesus’ cross. VERSE 2 Love…
Preparing Children for Worship
Children are welcomed and encouraged to be part of the family of faith at Fairview. Parents know the challenges this brings and so this article provides some practical tips for you to prepare your children for Sunday. The following are some suggested activities to prepare your children to get the most from the weekly gathering where we worship God together. The Week Before Review any notes or comments your children made from the Sunday prior. Discuss what was learned as…
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
Introduction The Bible portrays God as having and exercising sovereign control over all things, even the free acts of men, yet man is held morally responsible for their sinfulness. If God determines human actions, how are humans held morally responsible for them? How can he place blame when no one can alter his plan made from eternity past? Must people simply accept the biblical claim that God is absolutely sovereign and man is morally culpable, even if it cannot be…
Preparing a Testimony
A testimony is an account of God’s work in your life. Everybody who has been born again and who is becoming like Christ has a unique, interesting, and powerful testimony, regardless of whether or not it appears spectacular. If you’re preparing to share your testimony you want to convey how you came to trust Christ and follow him. Your testimony should answer three questions: (1) What is the gospel? (2) How did you come to believe it? (3) How has…
For Whom Did Christ Die?
Introduction The extent, or better, the intent of the atonement is “one of the most controversial teachings in Reformed soteriology.”[note]R. A Blacketer, “Definite Atonement in Historical Perspective,” in The Glory of the Atonement: Biblical, Historical & Practical Perspectives: Essays in Honor of Roger Nicole, ed. Charles E. Hill and Frank A. James (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 304.[/note] There are numerous textual and logical arguments used and abused by proponents who enter the debate. Heated discussions go back and…
Children’s Catechism
The following is The Baptist Catechism for Children (based on “The Catechism for Boys and Girls” by Carey Publications). Baptists originally called it Spurgeon’s Catechism because of his adaptation of the Shorter Westminster Catechism for use. The words and language have been further modernized and adapted for use by young children. Catechism is merely an anglicized version of the Greek word, katekeo, which simply means, “to instruct”. The word has come to be known as a style of instruction that…
Doctrines of Grace
In this series of posts, we’ll look at some of the terms used to try and capture what we believe and value. Words have meaning, but divorced from context they could be misunderstood. Understanding how words are defined and used is essential. On our Statement of Faith page it mentions that we hold to the “doctrines of grace.” So what does that mean? The doctrines of grace which is sometimes referred to as “reformed” theology lies at the heart of…