3.8.09 PM • Our Church
March 8, 2009
Our Church, Your Ministry
(Heb 10.24-25; Eph 4.11-13, 16; 1 Cor 16.2; Jn 13.34-35)
Our message this afternoon focused on ‘every-member ministry’, but in the context of the covenant love that should characterize the local body of believers. This something we really try to emphasize in our church, with the goal of building a spiritual body among people of different ages, social/economic/ethnic backgrounds. We try to foster love for one another in our church, and we are sometimes successful!
Read the notes while you listen.
The Pilgrim’s Progress Page
March 8, 2009
We concluded our study of Pilgrim’s Progress with a testimony session where our people spoke about the themes, people, and places in Pilgrim’s Progress that meant the most to them. It was an encouraging time, but we had a recording malfunction and only got a bit of the session recorded. As a result we decided not to keep it.
Instead, we offer this post as a summary and link resource for all our Pilgrim’s Progress sessions.
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Introduction
- Pilgrim’s Progress: The Slough of Despond
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Worldly Wiseman
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Interpreter’s House
- Pilgrim’s Progress: The House Beautiful
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Two Dark Valleys
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Faithful and Talkative
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Vanity Fair
- Pilgrim’s Progress: By-ends and Hopeful
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Doubting Castle and the Delectable Mountains
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Wayward Travelers
- Pilgrim’s Progress: The Enchanted Grounds
- Pilgrim’s Progress: Ignorance Ignores Christian
- Pilgrim’s Progress: The Celestial City
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Christiana Follows Christian
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Mercy goes with Christiana
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): The Interpreter’s House
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Great Heart Guides Christiana
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): At the House Beautiful
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Trials in the Valley of Humiliation
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Gaius Welcomes the Pilgrims
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): The Delectable Mountains
- Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Entering the Celestial City
3.8.09 AM • Romans
March 8, 2009
As a Man Thinks (Rm 3.18)
depraved in every thought & impulse
Our message this morning focused on the simple text, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” This text is Paul’s final proof of man’s depravity, summing up all the rest. We can demonstrate this reality quite simply by taking examples from Scripture of people who had direct contact with God himself, yet acted fearlessly against God’s will. It is incredible that people with such experiences could do so, but their experience demonstrates the depth of depravity all men share. May God keep us a fearing people, ready to serve Him alone, not exalting our mind over his.
Read the notes while you listen.
Creation Science Seminar – Saturday, March 7, 10 AM & 11:30 AM
March 3, 2009
We’d like to announce a special meeting for this coming Saturday at Grace Baptist Church of Victoria. Dr. Emil Silvestru of Creation Ministries International will be with us for two sessions.
Creation vs. Evolution is a long-standing debate. Some may think the debate is settled in favour of evolution, but the truth is that many credible scientists hold that the Bible’s teaching of a six-day creation is at least compatible with scientific evidence.
Our speaker for this event is one thoroughly trained as a geologist who became a Christian and subsequently a believer in the literal creation record of the Bible following his conversion. His story is quite interesting and worth at least your giving him a hearing. Here is his ‘bio’ from the CMI website:
Dr Silvestru earned his Ph.D in geology at the ‘Babes-Bolyai’ University in Cluj, Romania (where he has worked as an associate professor), in karst sedimentology including caves. (Karst is a term which initially referred to barren regions of mostly limestone and dolomite, noted for spectacular and distinctive landforms, and with substantial underground drainage features — caves, underground rivers, etc. It has come to refer more to the entire geosystem, above and below ground.)
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A world authority on the geology of caves, he has published 41 scientific papers (see here), written one book (The Cave Book—see here) and co-authored two books. He was, until recently, the head scientist at the world’s first Speleological Institute (speleology = the study of caves) in Cluj. Since 1997 he has been a full-time researcher and speaker with CMI.
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His areas of expertise include: Sedimentology of clastic deposits, stratigraphy of limestone terranes, general geology, karst genesis and functioning, cave climate and glaciology, show-cave assessment & designing, ore prospecting and exploration (surface and mining).
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After becoming a Christian he quickly realized that the ‘millions of years’ interpretation, so common in geology, was not compatible with Genesis. ‘Once I became a Christian,’ Emil says, ‘I knew I had to “tune up” my scientific knowledge with the Scriptures.’
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‘Although philosophically and ethically I accepted a literal Genesis from my conversion, at first I was unable to match it with my “technical” side.’
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E-mail discussions with qualified creationist geologists, creationist books, Creation magazine and especially the Journal of Creation (formerly TJ) helped him realise what he calls two ‘essential things’:
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Given exceptional conditions (e.g. the Genesis Flood) geological processes that take an extremely long time today can be unimaginably accelerated.
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The Genesis Flood was global, not regional.
‘These factors were immensely important in my conversion and my Christian life. I am now convinced of six-day, literal, recent, Genesis creation. That doesn’t mean that there are not still some unanswered problems, but researching such issues is what being a scientist is all about.’
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He has over 30 years experience in climbing and spelunking, educating many young spelunkers and mountain climbing devotees as well as participating in mountain and cave rescue operations.
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In January 2002 he immigrated to Canada from Romania with his wife and two daughters. In addition to doing research and writing for CMI, he now also on staff at CMI Canada as a Seminar Lecturer, and has written a number of articles for the Journal of Creation, Creation magazine and this website, and produced several DVDs.
Dr. Silvestru’s first topic will be Genesis, the Gospel, and the Creation/Evolution Issue (10 AM). The second topic will be The Darwin Delusion (11:30 AM). We strongly encourage you to attend and bring your questions!
We are located at 2731 Matson Rd, at the end of the Ruth King School playing fields. Please see our map page for further directions.
~ Pastor Don
3.1.09 PM • Communion
March 1, 2009
He is Clean (Lev 14)
Our series in Leviticus takes us to the regulations for restoring a healed leper to the congregation. The ritual teaches us that access to God is available only under God’s terms, not man’s. It also makes a visual parable for us of the new birth, as the cleansed leper is covered by the blood of the sacrifice and sanctified by the oil of consecration.
Read the notes while you listen.
3.1.09 Study • Pilgrim’s Progress
March 1, 2009
Pilgrim’s Progress (2): Entering the Celestial City
Our study of Pilgrim’s Progress comes to a close this week. We follow the pilgrims through the last period of danger, the Enchanted Grounds, then watch their sojourn in Beulah Land. It is from here that pilgrims are called to the Celestial City and we see numbers of them called on to glory as Bunyan’s allegory closes. Next week we will have a testimony time for our folks to talk back to me about what the Lord taught them in this series.
Click here to go to the audio file.
Here is our last study guide and the study guide with answers.
3.1.09 AM • Romans
March 1, 2009
As a Man Does (Rm 3.15-17)
depravity displayed by conduct
Our text is essentially a quotation from Isa 59.7-8, part of Paul’s proof of the proposition that all men are sinners in need of righteousness from God. These verses point to the violence and wickedness that are seen everywhere in the world. The violence of some men proves the depravity of all men because though all men are not as violent as they could be, all men are cut from the same cloth, all are of the same nature. Again our passage proves the need of all men for righteousness from God.
Read the notes while you listen.
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