Volume 42 Issue No. 22 21 May 2017 Grace Bible-Presbyterian Church 5 Jalan Haji Salam, Singapore 468745 URL: www.gracebpc.org.sg/home Tel: 6442-2440 Fax: 6876-0346 email: admin@gracebpc.org.sg Grace to you and Peace from God Our Mission: Passion for Christ, Heart for the Lost (Phil. 1 : 21; Matt. 28 : 18 20) ORDER OF WORSHIP Pre-Worship Hymns 190, Oh the Mercy of God Sis Joanna Hor & Sis Loretta Wong Prelude Silent Meditation Call to Worship Dn John Chen Opening Hymn 7 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing *Gloria Patri Hymn Oh, the Mercy of God Responsive Reading Proverbs 7:13-27 Offerings ** Doxology Scripture Reading Ephesians 1:1-14 Hymn 134 And Can It Be Pastoral Prayer Message WHAT GREATER BLESSINGS DO WE SEEK? BRO LIM CHIEN CHONG Closing Hymn Benediction Threefold Amen Welcome & Announcements In Christ Alone * Gloria Patri ** Doxology Glory be to the Father and to the Son Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; and to the Holy Ghost, As it was in the Praise Him, all creatures here below; beginning, is now and ever shall be, Praise Him above, ye heav nly host; world without end. Amen, Amen Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION Scripture Alone In time, the message of the Reformers became encapsulated in five slogans known as the solas of the Reformat i o n : s o l a S c r i p t u r a ( Scripture alone ), solus Christus ( Christ alone ), sola gratia ( grace alone ), sola fide ( faith alone ), and soli Deo gloria ( the glory of God alone ). The first of these, sola Scriptura, was the defining benchmark of the movement. There are only three possible forms of spiritual authority. First, there is the authority of the Lord and His written revelation. Second, there is the authority of the church and its leaders. Third, there is the authority of human reason. When the Reformers cried Scripture alone, they were expressing their commitment to the authority of God as expressed through the Bible. James Montgomery Boice states their core belief: The Bible alone is our ultimate authority not the pope, not the church, not the traditions of the church or church councils, still less personal intimations or subjective feelings, but Scripture only (James Montgomery Boice, Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? Recovering the Doctrines That Shook the World [Wheaton: Crossway, 2001], 32). The Reformation was essentially a crisis over which authority should have primacy. Rome claimed the church s authority lay with Scripture and tradition, Scripture and the pope, Scripture and church councils. But the Reformers believed that the authority belonged to Scripture alone.
Schaff writes: While the Humanists went back to the ancient classics and revived the spirit of Greek and Roman paganism, the Reformers went back to the sacred Scriptures in the original languages and revived the spirit of apostolic Christianity. They were fired by an enthusiasm for the gospel, such as had never been known since the days of Paul. Christ rose from the tomb of human traditions and preached again His words of life and power. The Bible, heretofore a book of priests only, was now translated anew and better than ever into the vernacular tongues of Europe, and made a book of the people. Every Christian man could henceforth go to the fountain-head of inspiration, and sit at the feet of the Divine Teacher, without priestly permission a n d i n t e r v e n - tion (Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. VII, 17). On the 500th year of the Protestant Reformation, which will take place in October 2017, the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestants will come together to heal the schism caused by the 16th Century Reformation Movement. We will have to stay clear of such ecumenical endeavours. Below is a photo of the Reformer, Martin Luther burning the Papal Bull which led to his excommunication in 1520 Steven Lawson (Ligonier Ministry)
Prayer Page Men Ought Always To Pray and Not To Faint (Luke 18: 1) Praise and Prayer Items in Brief Pulpit Ministry 28 May 2017. Pray for the Lord s anointing on the Lord s messenger - Pastor. Chairman - Dn James Chen. Pray for our instrumentalists: Sis Cheryl Chiu & Dn Jeremy Hor. Pray for the Lord s blessings upon the pulpit ministry. Usher Ministry 28 May 2017. Pray for Bro Augustine Tham, Sis Elsie Chan and Bro Lee Kee Min. Pray for their safety in the Lord s work. Filadelfia - Shelter Home and Kindergarten: Do continue to pray for the grooming of a pastor for the church in due time. Pray for Bro Johnry, a possible candidate. Catherine Ng: Thank God for taking care of our sister in the recent earthquake. Thank God for enabling her to settle in the new apartment. Continue to pray for good health and protection. Wendy Leow: The Lord has given her opportunity to visit the outskirts recently. She had the opportunity to share God s Word with the people. Pray for the salvation of souls. Boon Jin: Much work to be done. Pray for wisdom in follow-up and teaching. Thank God for people who have been coming to help out in this work. Pray for Pastor as he prepares to preach on Gen. 20 OLD SINS. Children's Ministry: Drop-in session on Sat, 27 May from 10.00 am to 11.00 am. Pray for Sis Hannah Yeo & Sis Jee Eng in their preparations and for all who are involved; Good News Club on Wed, 31 May and Thu, 1 Jun. Pray for distribution of invites on Wed, 24 May. Church Camp: Praise the Lord for the people joining in this year s camp. Pray for a fruitful time of learning and growing together in our Christian relationships. Pray for the speaker, Rev Oh Boon Leong as he prepares the messages. Pray for the safety of all campers and for good health. BOE: Pray for the Board of Elders as they meet and discuss about the ministry. Pray for wisdom to make the right discussion. Succession planning: Pray for the Lord s leading as we wait upon Him to bring us His servant to take on the pastoral ministry in Grace church. Book of Ephesians: As the Bible class embarks on this new series of studies, pray for the teachers in their preparation and students to apply the lessons to their lives and work.
BIBLE CLASS OPEN SUNDAY, t h i s m o r n i n g a t 11.30am. Do come and join us to discover the background, introduction to and overview of the book of Ephesians. Pray for the plans: The Bible Class ministry is finishing the Philippians series and will be embarking on a new series of studies in the book of Ephesians. This series is planned in conjunction with the monthly sermons on the book of Ephesians preached by Bro. Chien Chong and Eld Victor. Our prayer and goal continues to be to study a book in the Bible together in a group & help one another connect the rich gospel truth to life applications. You will be studying the Bible together with people who are at about the same stage in life and there is certainly much we can learn from the Scriptures and one another. Please approach Eld Victor, Dn John or Bro. Chien Chong if you have any queries
What greater blessings do we seek? Ephesians 1:1-14 1. God blessed us with all spiritual blessings (1:3-14) a. We are set for adoption by the Father (v.4-5) b. We are saved by the redemption of the Son (v.7-11) c. We are sealed for inheritance with the Spirit (v.13-14) 2. God blessed us according to His perfect will (1:5, 9, 11) 3. We bless God by praising His glory (1:3, 6, 12, 14) Questions for consideration: Are we praising God as much as we should? How have we been thinking about how much God has already blessed us in Christ? Lim Chien Chong 21 May 2017
Devotion for Kids How did the cavemen build their caves? I Peter 2:4 Did cavemen have to chip away rocks and dirt until they had a hole big enough to live in? Not at all. The only thing the cavemen had to do before they moved into a cave was to find one. So how did the caves get there in the first place? The rain made them! There is a soft rock called limestone that is full of tiny holes. Rainwater dribbled through those holes for thousands of years and washed away the rock in between the holes. Finally there was just one big hole, and the hole was full of water. After the water drained out, the cavemen moved in. So what? Having a house already made of stone was convenient for the cavemen. Rocks are hard and sturdy, and that is why the Bible says: Come to Christ, who is the living Foundation of Rock upon which God builds. 1 Peter 2:4 You can always count on the promises of Jesus. If you make your relationship with Jesus the most important thing in your life, God will build you strong and sturdy. ~ Nancy S. Hill
CHURCH ACTIVITIES WED Prayer Meeting 8.00 p.m. SAT Adult Fellowship 5.30 p.m. (Last Saturday of every month) SUN Worship Service 9.30 a.m. Junior Worship 9.30 a.m. Bible Class 11.30 a.m. LAST WEEK S COLLECTIONS Offerings $ 2,446.70 Tithes $ 5,730.00 Building Fund $ 100.00 APPOINTMENTS Prayer Meeting Wednesday Attendance on 17 May: 14 Dn Jeremy Hor takes devotion on 24 May. Worship Service Next Sunday: Speaker: Rev Tan Eng Boo Chairman: Dn James Chen Pianist: Sis Cheryl Chiu Organist: Dn Jeremy Hor Ushers This Week Next Week P A This Week Next Week : Dr Tan Teck Shi/Bro Allan Lim Sis Evonne Tee : Bro Augustine Tham/Sis Elsie Chan Bro Lee Kee Min : Sis Janice Lee/Sis Carol Lee : Sis Janice Lee/Sis Carol Lee Junior Worship (7 10 years old) This Week : Sis Chen Ching Huey Next Week : Sis Goh Jee Eng Pre-primary Worship ( 3-6 Years Old) This Week : Sis Hannah Yeo Next Week : Sis Tabitha Tan Flowers and Refreshment This Week : Sis Yu Sin, Geok Kee & Wendy Ng Next Week : M/M Chan Beng Hock Refreshment Duty This Week : M/M Ivan Tan & Jocelyn Next Week : Dr/M Tan Teck Shi & Moi Kim NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Kindly turn off your mobile phones or put them on silent mode! The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him. Prayer Band meets today, 21 May at 11.10 am in Love Room. Bible Class Open Sunday, this morning at 11.30am. Do come & join us to discover the background, introduction to & overview of the book of Ephesians. Board of Elders (BOE) meeting today Sun 21 May 1.30 pm in church. Staff on Leave - Sis Lim Kheng Yan from 24 to 29 May 17. Drop-in Session #3 on Sat 27 May. Contact Sis Hannah Yeo for details. Adult Fellowship on Sat 27 May, 5.30 pm in church. Pastor John Wong Yew Keong will be speaking on Standing with our Missionaries. Session meeting on Sat 3 Jun at 4.00 pm in church. Floral & refreshment contribution for Jun 4 still available. Sis Catherine Ng will be back for a month in July. Pastor: Rev. Tan Eng Boo : 9784-2761 (Hp) email: revteb@rocketmail.com Elder: Seah Soon Huat : 9835-2178 (Hp) email: seahiren@singnet.com.sg Elder: Victor Goh : 9682 2281 (Hp) email: victorgohys@gmail.com