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Patience and Herbert the Snail

If you have been waiting for Pastor Tom to use an illustration from the 1977 album Music Machine: The Fruit of the Spirit, alas he hasn’t yet.  But for those of you who grew up listening to this, here is a plug for patience by Herbert the Snail:

Have patience, have patience
Don’t be in such a hurry
When you get impatient, you only start to worry
Remember, remember that God is patient, too
And think of all the times when others have to wait for you

OK, now for the study questions for Sunday’s sermon on patience:

  1. Read Romans 2.  Is God patient with us?  To what should this lead?  Why?
  2. Read Ephesians 4.  To what other qualities is patience linked?  Why do we need these?
  3. Read Proverbs 15 and 16.  With what is patience compared?  Why?
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Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

Sunday’s sermon was about peace – specifically peace as a fruit of the Spirit.  Pastor Tom has prepared some study questions to review the main themes of the sermon.  He has actually been preparing these kinds of questions for several years and including them with the Sermon Outline and Family Catechism Study (a.k.a. “the tan sheet”).  We’ll try to post some of these questions to the blog if people find that helpful.  Feel free to respond in the comments section.

  1. Read Galatians 5 and review your sermon notes.  Why is peace with God so important?
  2. Read Psalm 3 and 4.  These were probably a single psalm at one time.  What was David going through?  Where does he find peace?
  3. Read Isaiah 26.  What is necessary to be at peace?

If you missed Sunday’s sermon you can listen to it here:

[mejsaudio src=”http://pasadena-ep.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/tom_2012-07-15_Fruit_of_the_Spirit_Peace.mp3″]

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Yard Sale Photos

After a rainy start, our first annual community yard sale turned out to be a great success.  We had several folks from the neighborhood join us – either as buyers or sellers.  Thanks for coming!

We were also able to raise some money for the deacons fund by selling used books and clothing.

Leftover goods were donated to Restorations and Salvations Thrift Store which is associated with an excellent recovery ministry called The Way Homes.

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Fruit of the Spirit

A few weeks ago, Pastor Tom started a series on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  In his first sermon, he read from Galatians 5:16-25 to provide some context for the series.  Then he provided a brief introduction to the topic of “the fruit of the Spirit”, including an excellent quote from Jay Adams’ Christian Counselor’s Commentary on Galatians:

Now, in contrast, Paul sets forth (again, non-exhaustively) the “fruit of the Spirit.” By “fruit” he means the result of the work of the Holy Spirit within. While we may take credit for the works of the flesh, we may not take credit for the fruit of the Spirit for which He must be praised. That doesn’t mean that there is no work on your … part in cultivating and harvesting this fruit. Indeed, elsewhere, Paul speaks of the “pursuit” of such fruit (I Timothy 6:11). It is a joint venture in which the Spirit pro­vides both the desire and the ability for you to do as He pleases (Cf. Phil­ippians 2:13). Neither extreme of the swing of the pendulum is biblical. The Christian does not produce righteousness by his own, unaided efforts. Nor does the Spirit produce it for him, instead of him, Together, as the Spirit gives wisdom, encouragement and power, the fruit grows. Christian responsibility thus is not impaired.

Regarding love as a fruit of the Spirit, Pastor Tom looked first at our culture’s confusion about what love is, then love’s inner work and outward expression. Finally, he pointed us to the gospel:

Do you see how he gave us the Spirit as a gift to bring this fruit out of us?

So, in those times when you have pushed back against the Spirit and have evidenced the fruit of the flesh return to your Savior.  Flee to the one who died for you.  Embrace his sacrifice.  Seek to love him as he has loved you, and then purpose in your heart to cooperate with the Spirit and live in love, both in its inner aspect and its outer expression.

Pray for this.

You can listen to the message here:

[mejsaudio src=”http://pasadena-ep.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/tom_2012-06-17_Love.mp3″]

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Yard Sale Saturday

Pasadena EP Church will be hosting our first annual neighborhood yard sale tomorrow at 8 am.  We’ve invited the community to join us – selling their stuff, shopping, or just enjoying some of the free refreshments!  Come on out and get to know some of the neighbors.  The sale will start at 8 am and conclude at 12 pm.

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Whose Righteousness

Before planting Pasadena EP Church in October 2001, Pastor Tom Wenger ministered at Severna Park EP Church and Aisquith Presbyterian Church.  Here is a throwback from his early days at Aisquith (click on the sermon title to listen).  An excellent presentation of the gospel!

Whose Righteousness
Matthew 23:15-36
Preached June 27, 1976

Recognize that voice?

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Yard Sale

This is just a reminder that we will be having our first annual neighborhood yard sale on July 14 at 8 am.  We’ve invited the community to join us – selling their stuff, shopping, or just enjoying some of the free refreshments!  Come on out and get to know some of the neighbors.  The sale will start at 8 am and conclude at 12 pm.  Please contact us at 410-255-0003 or yardsale@pasadena-ep.org if you have any questions.

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PCA General Assembly 2012

Each year, teaching and ruling elders from the Presbyterian Church in America gather for the General Assembly.  This year, Pastor Tom Wenger attended on behalf of Pasadena EP Church.  Jason Helopoulos from Providence Presbyterian Church in Michigan has posted a helpful summary of the actions of the 2012 PCA General Assembly.  He lists five major issues/actions of the Assembly:

  1. Theistic Evolution: The General Assembly chose not to make an in thesi statement regarding theistic evolution. Both in the Overtures Committee and on the floor of the Assembly no one advocated for the theistic evolutionary view. However, there were many who argued that the Assembly needed no such statement because the Westminster Standards were sufficient in speaking to this matter.
  2. Paedocommunion: The Assembly has in consecutive years spoken pretty strongly against paedocommunion. The Assembly voted down a motion to bring the Pacific Northwest Presbytery before the Standing Judicial Commission regarding its “persisting in the error of granting an exception which is out of accord, ‘that is hostile to the system or striking at the vitals of religion.’” However, the Assembly then proceeded to say that Pacific Northwest Presbytery’s response to the General Assembly regarding its ordination of men with such an exception was its self unacceptable. It appears that the Assembly was not comfortable charging a Presbytery, but was equally uncomfortable with the Pacific Northwest Presbytery ordaining men with such an exception and allowing the teaching of this practice.
  3. Intinction: The closest vote of the week came during the debate regarding intinction. The Overtures Committee came forward with both a majority and minority report. The majority report proposed to answer in the negative an overture which would have forbidden intinction in the PCA. The minority report was substituted for the majority report and passed by only 14 votes (348-334). The minority report was then approved by the Assembly. It is the first step towards inserting language in our Book of Church Order which would exclude intinction in the distributing of the Lord’s Table. This must now be approved by 2/3 of the Presbyteries and next year’s Assembly.
  4. National Association of Evangelicals: An overture was sent to the Assembly requesting that the PCA leave the NAE. The Assembly decided to stay in the NAE for the time being, but asked that there be a report next year regarding the activities of the NAE. As was stated on the floor, this will be a time of “patient observation.”
  5. Insider Movement: The first half of the study committee regarding the Insider Movement was presented to the Assembly and was overwhelmingly adopted. The chairman of the committee rightly stated that Bible translation is “first and foremost a theological issue, not a contextual issue.”

The PCA has more information about the General Assembly on their website.