A Congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

THE LORD’S DAY August 9, 2020

“‘For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God…”

1 Thessalonians 2:14

Morning Worship: 10:00 am Evening Worship: 5:00 pm

www.reformation-opc.org www.opc.org

WELCOME

Welcome to Reformation Presbyterian Church. We are a congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Our name Reformation refers to the great revival of true Christianity that began 500 years ago, spread to the world through the preaching of the Bible, and continues to this day. We are Orthodox because we believe, proclaim, and seek to live according to God’s Word as summarized in the historic creeds and confessions of the true Church of Jesus Christ. We are Presbyterian because we confess that Jesus Christ is the only Head and King of His church and exercises all authority in His Church today through the ministry of ordained men, called elders, or presbyters. We are a Church because we exist as a community of believers and their children, called by the grace of God out of every nation and race of humanity and set apart by baptism to live together in holiness and love. May the Lord richly bless you today as you worship Him with us through Jesus Christ. If you have questions about Christ, the Gospel, or church membership, please speak with Pastor Ivey after the service.

PREPARING FOR WORSHIP

God delights in the reverent and joyful worship of His people. Because only God can tell us how to worship Him, we believe He must be worshipped according to the pattern revealed in His Word, the Bible. God has promised to draw near to us when we worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We believe that in worship we enter in the holy presence of God and that we ought to approach God with holy reverence and prayerful, joyful, anticipation. Therefore, when the pianist begins playing, please prepare for worship by finding a seat, muting all electronic devices, and quietly waiting for the service to begin.

CHILDREN IN WORSHIP

We welcome children of all ages into worship. God promises in the Bible to be a God to us and our children, and to be especially present to bless all of His people in public worship on the Lord’s Day. We also know there will be times when you need to take your children out of the main worship area. If your children are unable to sit quietly without disturbing other worshipers, we have a “training room” with video and sound available. Our “training room” is a room with a spiritual purpose—to assist parents in teaching their children to be worshipers of God. For that reason, please be mindful of others when you are in the “training room.” Remember the purpose of the room and make every effort to maintain an atmosphere of quiet reverence during worship services.

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

The covenant sign of baptism will be administered during our worship service this evening. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Covenant, instituted by Jesus Christ, which signifies and seals our engrafting into Christ, admission into the visible church, and participation in the benefits of the covenant of grace. Baptism is an activity of the sovereign God in history. It is God, not man, at work in baptism. The sacrament of baptism ought to remind every Christian that the Triune God has placed His name upon him or her, and that every believer has a spiritual duty to respond to what God has done in sincere repentance and faith (Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 167).

Announcements & Matters for Prayer § If you are visiting with us, we welcome you into our worship and fellowship!

We hope you will join us again this evening as we seek to spend the whole Christian Sabbath in the public and private worship of God, fellowship with the people of God, and works of service and love in the name of God. We gather again for evening worship at 5:00 pm.

§ Pastor Doe will be leading worship and preaching this Lord’s Day during

morning worship. Pastor Ivey will be preaching at our daughter church, Peninsula Reformed Presbyterian Church, in Yorktown. Please pray for PRPC—its growth in numbers, worship, and witness, and in particular, for the Pastoral Search Committee as they wait on the Lord to provide a church planter to feed and shepherd His flock.

§ Devin Gaye plans to begin distance education classes at Greenville

Presbyterian Theological Seminary in the fall. GPTS offers a tuition waiver program which allows students that are members of participating churches to receive a four-year seminary education tuition free. A special fund has been established to help raise the support Devin needs to qualify for this program. Please pray for Devin and consider whether you might be able to contribute toward Devin’s support for the 2020-2021 academic year. Gifts to the fund should be made out to “GPTS Student Fund” and put in the offering or mailed to our treasurer:

Mrs. Mary Cath 115 Carlisle Way Norfolk, VA 23505

§ Doug and Julie Hoven will be presenting their covenant child, Zebedee Hoven for baptism today during evening worship. Pastor Ivey will take this opportunity to preach on “The Biblical Basis for Covenant Baptism” from Acts 2:36-39. Please pray for the Hovens as they take the baptismal vows required of parents in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

§ Timothy and MargaretLee Marion will be received as members of RPC today during evening worship. The Marions come to us from Heritage Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. Please pray for them as they prepare to reaffirm their vows and be received into our fellowship.

§ Give thanks to the Lord for the return of Nate Baker’s carrier group today!

Our brother has been deployed for 7 months, and is looking forward to a time of rest, fellowship with the saints, and his wedding in October to Kathryn Vliestra.

Please remember that Delta Hotels requires the use of face coverings in the building. While the elders of RPC have not required the use of face coverings in

worship, we do strongly urge you to keep in mind the hotel’s policy and to make every effort to comply with the rules, particularly when in the public areas of the building.

“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of [masks]” (Rom. 14:20)

MORNING WORSHIP August 9, 2020 – 10:00 am

Welcome & Announcements………………………………………….

Silent Prayer……………………………………………………………

Greeting & Response…………………………………………………. “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

§ Call to Worship…………………………………...…… Psalm 106:1-3

§ Prayer of Adoration & Invocation* ………………….…...…………

§ Psalm of Praise* ….....… “Bless the LORD, My Soul” (#103 A, vv. 1-3)

§ Reading of God’s Law………………………............. Psalm 106:28-43

Prayer of Confession ………………...……………….....Bulletin Insert

Assurance of Pardon ……………...…………….…....... Psalm 103:6-14

Confession of Faith ……. The Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 27 (p. 865)

Giving of Tithes and Offerings …………………...…………………..

Pastoral Prayer & Lord’s Prayer …………………………...………… “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us out debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

§ Hymn of Preparation* ..................... “Am I a Soldier of the Cross” (#539)

§ Scripture Readings …………... Psalm 106:6-27; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16

Ministry of the Word……….………………........... Pastor Stephen Doe

“Suffering for Christ”

§ Psalm of Response* …..“Bless the LORD, My Soul” (#103 A, vv. 6-14)

§ Benediction…………………………………………………………..

§ Doxology……………...……………………........… “Doxology” (#567)

§ Please stand, if you are able.

* The congregation responds with a corporate “Amen.”

CORPORATE CONFESSION OF SIN Grant, Almighty God, that since by Your word You kindly invite us to Yourself, we may not turn deaf ears to You, but anticipate Your rod and scourges; and that when, for the stupidity and thoughtlessness by which we have become intoxicated, You add those punishments by which You sharply urge us to repent, — O grant, that we may not continue wholly intractable, but at length turn our hearts to Your service and submit ourselves to the yoke of Your word, and that we may be so instructed by the punishments, which You have inflicted on us and still inflict, that we may truly and from the heart turn to You, and offer ourselves to You as a sacrifice, that You may govern us according to Your will, and so rule all our affections by Your Spirit, that we may through the whole of our life strive to glorify Your name in Christ Jesus, Your Son, our Lord. Amen. Prayer of John Calvin, Commentary on Amos

The Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension

Home Missions Today

This is Al Triacarico reporting the August 5, 2020, edition of Home Missions Today. God is using your prayers to develop the ministries of Orthodox Presbyterian mission works across North America. WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA — Ethan and Catherine Bolyard Heritage OPC is grateful for the Lord’s provision and protection. Pastor Ethan Bolyard shares that they recently lost their rental space, but two churches in the area, including the local PCA congregation, have graciously allowed Heritage to use their sanctuaries. This arrangement is only temporary, and so they continue to look for other options until their new building is ready for use. Please pray for wisdom and zeal as they seek to complete renovations on that building sometime this fall. Pray, too, for discernment as Heritage begins the process toward becoming a particularized congregation. They recently opened nominations for elder and deacon, with hopes that the Lord will raise up men full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit to serve. Praise for the Lord’s recent protection during hurricane Isaias. Pray for those adversely affected by the hurricane, especially small business owners, including a local farmer in their congregation whose barn was damaged and who lost a number of animals. Finally, Pastor Bolyard asks you to pray “that the upheaval of our times would draw us closer together as a community of faith, bearing one another’s burdens and stirring up one another to love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as we see the Day approaching.”

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA — Matthew and Lois Cotta Pastor Matthew Cotta writes, “The denomination can give thanks with Pasadena Presbyterian Church that, despite all that is going on, we are experiencing no strife or disunity as is plaguing other congregations. This is truly of the Lord. You can also give thanks that while gathering for indoor public worship has been banned by the principalities and powers here in California, we have been able to gather publicly outdoors for worship. God has blessed California, after all, with a very hospitable climate. It has actually been quite refreshing worshipping outdoors of late. We’ve been worshipping in the backyard of my house (which is providentially quite large for the area and features a nice, shaded

car port). We’ve even had visitors come to worship with us. We are also launching an online ESL outreach through meetup.com using platforms like GoToMeeting and Zoom, and we ask for prayers that the Lord would cause it to bear fruit.” MERRILLVILLE, INDIANA — Ryan and Rochelle Cavanaugh Mission Church joins the grateful chorus of many churches excited to be meeting in person for worship. Pastor Ryan Cavanaugh shares the praise that in addition to meeting together for two months, they’ve also had regular visitors who are now ready to take steps towards membership. Praise God! The new semester at Mid-America Reformed Seminary is starting and so Mission has also recently seen some new student visitors. They are planning to do three Christianity Explored home gatherings in different communities in the region in the next twelve months. Please pray for wisdom as they plan these outreaches as well as our powerful Lord to move people to come. Please pray for creativity as they consider outreach in the “new normal.” Continue to pray for unity as Mission grows as a church body. Last, ask the Lord to raise up officers among his people at Mission.

DAYTON, OHIO — Brad and Cinnamon Peppo Pastor Brad Peppo writes, “First Street Reformed has been able to meet for in-person worship for the past few months; attendance has not yet returned to pre-COVID numbers, but new folks have been visiting, and several others have begun participating in worship via livestream. The group thanks God for the year of service provided by the family of a ruling elder from their mother church and rejoices in the election of a new ruling elder to take his place at the end of this month. Signs are encouraging for the previous Bible study to be able to resume at one local college campus; the group is praying that studies might resume at two other campuses second semester. A mask mandate has delayed the work’s plans to launch an English as a Second Language program in September, but a new relationship with a local Turkish community is beginning to blossom in promising ways. Intern Tyler Detrick has been a great blessing to the group!”

Look for the next edition of Home Missions Today on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. To receive an email copy of Home Missions Today, send your request to

HomeMissionsToday@opc.org.