Women’s Ministry


Nearly twenty years ago when my husband and I found our church it was in a remote Midwest country area. The chapel’s architecture was traditional, lovely and peaceful.  We quickly learned the believers were of strong reformed and Calvinistic traditions. This church was closely knit, loved the Lord Jesus and one another deeply. We were quickly woven into the fabric of this little family, as we were blessed each Lord’s Day with old and classic hymns (no instruments), an hour long sermon, followed with a pot luck meal, while concluding the day with an evening service.  We formerly came together for Wednesday extended prayer service followed by Friday Bible study, as we also eagerly sought to serve one another, especially during times of suffering; all of which kept the body unified.  My husband and I wouldn’t have traded these beginning years for anything; we were blessed in profound and sustaining ways.  It was during those early years that I learned to appreciate the Doctrines of Grace, church history as well as many aspects of reformed Christianity. However, having been raised in a strict Roman Catholic family I had many deeply embedded traditions and beliefs which I needed to examine.  Because my mother encouraged us children to read the Bible (which is rare for a Roman Catholic) and study church history, I had some vestiges of truth to separate from the Romish traditions. As a new believer, I determined to sort out, what theological and historical elements were truths. I believe because I had to wrestle with such a complex thing, it enabled me to later (years later) discern an even more complicated matter as a maturing Christian. Undoubtedly through God’s sovereign care and blessing He has richly blessed Christians with the work and writings of the church fathers and Reformers.  In fact, I strongly believe the study of church history is a needed rudimentary foundation for all Christians to enrich their understanding of the Christian faith.  However, I do believe one must be cautious and discerning while reading any extra-biblical source, as these great men (like all men) are flawed and have presuppositions and traditions.  The church fathers and Reformers can be a true blessing if read with a solid and complete understanding of Scripture.  I advise caution because this is the area in which years later that I discovered I had acquired a “tradition” which needed to be examined. It was in God’s perfect timing, my attention was brought to a “tradition” I had acquired during my early years as a Reformed Christian.  I believed I had vigilantly guarded myself from error, yet through God’s amazing providence, my...

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Election of Israel by God

Election of Israel by God


Posted By on Dec 5, 2018

What I find most fascinating is that God has elected people who can be traced back to the descendants of Noah, (Gen. 10-11). From the Hebrew lineage God elected Abraham to receive salvation by grace through faith. (Gen. 15:6, cf Eph:2:8). Then in God’s perfect preordained timing He made Abraham the father of the nation of Israel. “No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Gen. 17:5). One immutable act of God was to uniquely and permanently elect the nation of Israel as His covenant nation.  “… you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (Ex. 19:5, 6, c.f. Deut. 7:6-7). The Divine Creator of the vast and measureless universe is the same God who elects people for His divine purpose and glory. What is election?  “The decree of election is the free and sovereign choice of God, made in eternity past, to set his love on certain individuals, and, on the basis of nothing in themselves but solely because of the good pleasure of his will, to choose them to be saved from sin and damnation and to inherit the blessings of eternal life through the mediatorial work of Christ.”  (A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth, Biblical Doctrine, MacArthur and Mayhue, 2017, pg. 493). The word “elect” in the Hebrew language is “bahar” or “bachar” pronounced “baw-kar”.   It is found nearly 170 times.  In this context, it is God’s divine examination, a deliberate choice, well thought out, with exhaustive scrutiny from beginning to end, of deep theological consideration. (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris, Archer, Waltke). In short it is God’s omniscient and sovereign choice of a person or nation, for His purpose and glory.  In fact the world “elect” is found in Deuteronomy 30 times alone as Scripture delineates God’s divine election of Israel. There is no other nation which God has elected; Israel has been set aside, to become a distinct people. “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples” (Deut. 7:6-7). Out of all people, God set His unending love on Israel. After years of Egyptian slavery, through God’s miraculous intervention He brought the children of Israel out to receive...

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Fellowship and Suffering

Fellowship and Suffering


Posted By on Oct 7, 2018

It was one of the deepest, richest, and most wonderful days I had ever shared with my friend, and yet all we did was share our hearts with one another.  One beautiful summer morning my best friend came to pick me up so that we could enjoy brunch at a local restaurant.  We were eager to try their famous cinnamon rolls.  Yet, from the moment I got into her car, until the moment she dropped me off, seven hours later our conversation was nonstop.  It was an unusually focused and concentrated time, as if we had not been together for a very long time, and yet we had monthly craft time dates–making cards. At one point during our conversation, she surprised me as she began to discuss the millennial kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It wasn’t the topic which surprised me, as we always enjoyed our frequent theological discussions, rather her sheer delight on this topic.  Knowing my sister’s suffering, I listened closely as her focus and hope was Christ.  With a child like eagerness, she excitedly detailed wonders of Jesus earthly kingdom.  In fact, I will never forget her expression, as an angelic glow completely washed over her face, seemingly filled with a heavenly peace and joy.  Though she was oblivious, I could not stop gazing at her, as she vivaciously described what she looked forward to.  What joy our fellowship brought to us as we enjoyed the inexplicable “oneness” we have in Christ. Sadly, that was the last day I would see my sister in Christ, as God called her home, only a few short months after our extraordinary brunch date.  The horror, grief and shock felt almost debilitating for my inability to grasp the idea that my dearly and deeply loved friend was gone brought tremendous sorrow.  As I tried to go about each day, my friend was everywhere I turned, meaning that her influence and blessings were woven into the very fabric of my life.  Even now as I turn to craft time, I see her “fingerprint” as she was instrumental in getting me started making cards.  As time passed, I began to realize that I was not yet rejoicing as I believed I ought, knowing my beloved sister was in the very presence of our Lord Jesus.  Recognizing that grieving loved ones takes a long time, I knew I needed to balance my perspective.  So, I sought perspective in the Bible and found the most amazing hope, which I would like to share what I discovered with my sister’s in Christ. The first point I would like to make is the fellowship we...

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The Significance of Scripture

The Significance of Scripture


Posted By on Sep 14, 2018

“… The Scripture cannot be broken” (Jn. 10:35)   While away on a recent trip I was able to visit with a friend.  While sitting on a rushing river bank, we had a lengthy discussion of many things.  She seemed particularly distracted and as I pressed her, she confessed that she was concerned about her pastor.  She voiced concerns regarding her pastors’ exposition from the Old Testament, mainly she was worried about the potential danger of excluding the Gospel message.  Ironically, I have Jewish friends who hold to the Old Testament alone.  In this article, I wish to share a few things which helped my friend and which I hope is helpful to my sisters in Christ.  But in order to keep this brief, I will only touch on a few things in a very cursory manner, as this subject is complex, immense and the most relevant of all subjects. Therefore, please look to the theological resources at the end of this article. The first issue I believe is imperative to address is that both the Old and New Testament is inspired by God.  “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  We tend to forget the supernatural nature of Scripture, that it is “God-breathed”.  As a “people of the book” we know that God divinely superintended the accurate recording of His divinely breathed truth by His divinely chosen human instruments.  All Scripture, meaning the words originally revealed and recorded, is God’s infallible and inerrant Word. God moved men to utter and write Scripture, this known as the doctrine of Inspiration, as they were allowed their own unique personality to come through, God controlled word for word what He wanted. “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2 Pet. 1:19-21). From the first author, Moses who wrote Genesis and every book unto to the very last, Revelation which was written by the Apostle John is the inerrant, infallible Word of God. There is no more revelation other than the words within the Bible and yet the Holy Spirit within each Christian, aids the meaning and understanding of Scriptures.  The Scriptures are the recorded history of God’s self revelation to His creation.  They are Word revelation and Event revelation, as the men who recorded Scripture recorded actual historical events.  Between the...

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