Missions of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America

Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Covenant PRC Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Website

83 Clarence Street,

Ballymena BT42 3NR, Northern Ireland

Services: 11:00 A.M. & 6:00 P.M.

RevAStewart

Pastor: Rev. Angus Stewart

7 Lislunnan Rd.

Kells, Ballymena, Co. Antrim

Northern Ireland BT42 3NR

Phone: (from U.S.A.) 011 (44) 28 25 891 851

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British Reformed Fellowship Conference This Week

Gartmore House ScotlandThe British Reformed Fellowship has its conference in Scotland this week (Saturday to Saturday, July 26 - August 2).  Prof David Engelsma and Prof. Herman Hanko (both emeritus professsors of the PRC Seminary) are the speakers, giving three speeches each on the topic “Be Ye Holy, The Reformed Doctrine of Sanctification.” 

The venue is the beautiful and historic Gartmore House in Gartmore, Stirling and a variety of attendees are once again present.

The conference is sponsored by our sister church in Northern Ireland, the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church of Ballymena.

For pictures of the conference so far, visit this site of Mr.John Van Baren. He will continue uploading them to this site, so check in on it daily.

You may also enjoy the video he took of the conference farewell psalm-sing from the Scottish Psalter.

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July Newsletter from Covenant PRC, N.Ireland

Our sister church in Northern Ireland, Covenant PRC, Ballymena, has just published her latest newsletter. In the July 2014  Rev.Angus Stewart reports on the latest activities in and outside the congregation, along with the upcoming BRF Conference.

Be sure to read this newsletter to be better informed of what our "sister" and her pastor are doing and have planned. This newsletter is also attached here in pdf form (see below).

CPRCNI-Newsletter-July-2014 Page 1
CPRCNI-Newsletter-July-2014 Page 2

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May and June "Covenant Reformed News", Plus BRF Conference News!

Covenant PRC, our sister church in Ballymena, N.Ireland has recently published its May and June issues of its "Covenant Reformed News". These issues contain significant articles relating to Pergamos, the church in Asia Minor refered to in Revelation 2, and to the relation between the old and new covenants. The writers are once again Rev.Angus Stewart, pastor of Covenant PRC, and emeritus Professor H.Hanko.

You are encouraged to make these part of your regular reading, so that you may grow spiritually in the truths of God's Word and the Reformed faith.

The articles are posted separately on our website and are listed here along with the link to it:

May 2014 Issue (Vol.15, #1)

"Pergamos: A Church Dwelling Where Satan's Throne Is (1)" - Rev.A.Stewart

"The Old Covenant Broken and the New One Made" - Prof.H.Hanko

June 2014 Issue (Vol.15, #2)

"Pergamos: A Church Dwelling Where Satan's Throne Is (2)" - Rev.A.Stewart

"The Old Covenant Broken" - Prof.H.Hanko

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In addition, the "CR News" provides the latest information on the upcoming British Reformed Fellowship Family Conference to be held in Scotland this summer. If you are still considering going, it is not too late!

Gartmore House-Scotland-2014 BRFConf

British Reformed Fellowship Family Holiday Conference

Gartmore House
Gartmore, Stirling, Scotland
Saturday, 26 July - Saturday, 2 August, 2014

Conference Theme: “Be Ye Holy: The Reformed Doctrine of Sanctification”

Conference Speakers
Prof. David Engelsma
Emeritus Professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament, Protestant Reformed Seminary, Michigan, USA
Prof. Herman Hanko
Emeritus Professor of Church History and New Testament, Protestant Reformed Seminary, Michigan, USA

Conference Addresses
1. The Divine Work of Sanctification (Prof. Engelsma)
2. Sanctification and Justification: Relation and Differences (Prof. Hanko)
3. The Role of the Law in Sanctification (Prof. Engelsma)
4. The Imperfection of Sanctification in This Life (Prof. Hanko)
5. The Threat of Antinomianism (Prof. Engelsma)
6. The Victorious Christian Life (Prof. Hanko)
Special Lecture - To Be Determined 

www.britishreformedfellowship.org.uk
http://brfconference.weebly.com


BRF Conference Update, Including Free Coach!

Since the BRF Conference booking forms were produced, we have had an excellent number of bookings so that Gartmore House (mansion) is now full.
There are still places left in the Craigmore Centre (dormitory) and a new section called the Mews has been opened up to accommodate overflow from the mansion.
The cost for the Mews includes full board and bed linen. These rooms are not en-suite and are part way in quality between the mansion and the dormitory.


Mews (per person)
• Single: £330
• Adult Shared: £280
• Children Shared Mews: £210 (age 12-16), £140 (5-11), £70 (1-4), Free (under 1)

Craigmore Centre (Dormitory)
•    Adult Shared Dormitory: £230
•    Children Shared Dormitory: £175 (age 12-16), £115 (5-11), £55 (1-4), FREE (under 1)

The Covenant Protestant Reformed Church (CPRC) is laying on a FREE 53-seater coach to and from the conference (including ferry fees through Stena in Belfast)!
It will depart from the church car park (83 Clarence Street off the Cullybackey Road, Ballymena, BT43 5DR) on the morning of Saturday, 26 July and return on
the evening of Saturday, 2 August, DV. There are still a few places left, so you are best to book ASAP.

For more information, contact

Mrs. Mary Stewart
7 Lislunnan Road
Kells, Ballymena
Co. Antrim
BT42 3NR
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(028) 25 891851

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May 2014 Newsletter from Covenant PRC, N.Ireland

Our sister church in Northern Ireland, Covenant PRC, Ballymena, has just published her latest newsletter. This one covers the recent visit of Rev.Angus Stewart to the EPC in Australia and the CERC in Singapore, the visit of Rev.A. den Hartog to the CPRC of Ballymena while he was gone, as well as the latest activities in and outside the congregation, along with the upcoming BRF Conference.

Be sure to read this newsletter to be better aware of what our "sister" and her pastor are doing and have planned. This newsletter is also attached here in pdf form (see below).

May-2014 Page 1May-2014 Page 2

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"Covenant Reformed News" - March 2014 Issue

The Covenant PRC of Ballymena, N.Ireland has just released the third issue of their "Covenant Reformed News" for 2014. This issue also contains two articles, one by Rev.Angus Stewart and one by Prof.Herman Hanko (emeritus professor of the PR Seminary). Both articles are included below, and you may find them separately on the website at the links provided. In addition, you may find the pdf version attached here (go the bottom of this news item to find the link for that).

Both of these articles address timely and important subjects - the priesthood of Christ and the Biblical doctrine of the covenant. You will want to make these items part of your reading.

CR News head

March 2014  •  Volume XIV, Issue 23


Many things are asserted of Melchizedek in the subordinate clauses of Hebrews 7:1-3. But this is the main statement of that long sentence: “For this Melchisedec ... made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually” (1, 3). To put it simply, Melchizedek is a type of Jesus Christ in that God “made [him] like unto the Son of God.” Melchizedek is a type of Jesus Christ not with regard to His divine and human natures, nor His prophetic office (Moses is the great type of Christ as prophet, according to Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Melchizedek is a type of Christ in His priestly office, for he was “made like unto the Son of God; [and] abideth a priest continually.”

This turns the argument of the Jews against Christ’s priesthood on its head. First, Christ has the office of priest according to the Torah or the five books of Moses (Gen. 14:18-20) and the Psalms (Ps. 110:4), so His priesthood is in accordance with Old Testament prophecy and typology. Second, Christ’s priesthood is more ancient than the Aaronitic priesthood, for the latter came about 400 years later. Third, Christ’s priesthood is a much better priesthood in so many ways, as Hebrews 7 makes clear.

We are not impressed with the fidelity of the Jewish priesthood (cf. Mal. 2:8-9). Just think of the biblical record of their sins! Aaron made the golden calf (Ex. 32). His two oldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered strange fire and were consumed by the Lord (Lev. 10). Eli failed to discipline his two sons effectively (I Sam. 2-3). These two priests, Hophni and Phinehas, fornicated at the tabernacle, oppressed the people and stole from God’s offerings (I Sam. 2-3). Time and time again, the priests were idolatrous, especially in the days of King Ahaz and King Manasseh, and opposed God’s true prophets. Finally, Caiaphas, the high priest, with the chief priests, condemned Jesus Christ and saw to it that He was crucified. Then they persecuted the apostolic church.

The Jews did not faithfully adhere to their priesthood. Instead, they often joined in with the sins of the priests and loved “to have it so” (Jer. 5:31). From Jeroboam onwards, the ten northern tribes rejected the Aaronitic priesthood (I Kings 12:26-33). Even Judah did not always pay tithes to the priests and Levites (Neh. 13:10-11; Mal. 3:7-9). During the wilderness wanderings, the Israelites frequently complained against Moses and Aaron, their first high priest. On one notorious occasion, they claimed that the sons of Levi took “too much upon” themselves (Num. 16:7). Numbers 16-17 records how God put down their wicked rebellion against the house of Aaron.

When the Messiah came, Israel crucified Him, claiming instead that they were faithful to the priests in the line of Aaron according to Jehovah’s law! Thus they rejected Christ’s superior Melchizedekian priesthood and the only sacrifice for sin!    Rev. Stewart



A reader asks, “What are the implications of Jeremiah 31:34 for the church today? Concerning the new covenant it says, ‘And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ Does it teach, as I have heard, that under the new covenant the church is to be a purer institution than it was under the old covenant, made up only of those who ‘know the Lord,’ i.e., truly born again believers?”

No, the text in Jeremiah 31:34 does not teach that the New Testament church is a purer church than the church of the old dispensation. One need only read Hebrews 11 and one cannot help but marvel at the strength of the faith of Old Testament saints, whose faith so often surpasses ours.

By the way, the entire passage in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12 and partly in Hebrews 10:16-17. Somewhat similar language is also found in Ezekiel 16:60-62.

The text teaches a profound truth concerning God’s gracious covenant with His people. We must remember that the passing away of the old covenant and the establishment of the new covenant took place with the work of our Lord Jesus Christ when He suffered and died and rose again from the dead. The climax of His work was the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost. And, if I may insert a parenthetical point here, Pentecost was not the first New Testament revival. It had nothing to do with revivals. Nor was it the second blessing, as Pentecostals claim. It was far more wonderful than that. It was the gift of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the ascended Lord to the church!

In a certain sense of the word, the Old Testament saints did not possess the Spirit. I know that my statement evokes a gasp from many, but it is nevertheless true. Consider, for example, what Jesus Himself said in John 7:39. On the great day of the feast, Jesus cried out in the temple, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (37). John explains what Jesus meant in verse 39: “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.”

You have probably noticed that in my quotation of John 7:39, I omitted the word “given.” But this is necessary. In our AV, the word is in italics, which means that it does not appear in the original, but was added by the translators. The translators often did this, for Greek and English are two quite different languages. And most of the time, the English additions are helpful. But here the word “given” ought not to appear in the text, so the clause should read: “For the Holy Ghost was not yet.” In other words, He did not exist.

It is striking that John should say this under infallible inspiration, and we certainly know from all Scripture that the Holy Ghost is eternal, along with the Father and the Son. Furthermore, we know that the Holy Spirit was present in the Old Testament, for David prayed, “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11). (The AV does not capitalize “Holy Spirit” in this verse, although it should have.) Further, the Holy Spirit was given to those who were anointed as prophets, priests and kings.

What then does John mean in John 7:39?

The answer is that John is referring to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the exalted Christ, for John himself adds that there was as yet no Holy Spirit, because “Jesus was not yet glorified.” This truth is the reason why Peter tells us in his great Pentecostal sermon, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

What a difference the presence of the Spirit made in the church! Peter himself, along with the other disciples, did not understand Christ’s work. They asked at the time of His ascension, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). But immediately after the Spirit was poured out on the 120 members of the church, Peter could preach a sermon in which he showed that he understood all the work of Christ. He understood the cross, the resurrection and the ascension. He even understood the passages in the Old Testament that spoke of Christ and His work. It was all quite amazing and it was due to nothing but the presence of the Spirit in the church. This points us to the difference between the old and the new covenants. The difference between the old and the new covenants is the very great difference made in the church by the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost.

The first and most important difference was that, while in the old dispensation the offices of prophet, priest and king were limited to special men whom God designated by the pouring on of oil, in the new dispensation all the people of God are anointed. Oil was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to Saul, David, Nathan, Isaiah, Malachi, Jehoiada, Aaron, Elijah, etc. These men were designated as prophets, priests or kings. The prophets brought the Word of God to Israel; the priests made sacrifices for the people; the kings ruled over the nation.

The people of God who did not hold an office could not perform the work of the office. They could not know the will of God, but had to go to a prophet (I Sam. 9:6-10; II Sam. 7:1-17; II Kings 22:12-20). The people could not obtain forgiveness of sins by themselves, but had to go to a priest, leading a cow or a sheep. The people could not rule themselves—as the period of the judges proved—but had to have a king, and the moral state of the nation was determined largely by the moral condition of the king.

But in the new dispensation when the Spirit is poured out, He is not poured out on specially chosen men, but on all believers. By His powerful presence, He brings Christ to us, who is our only prophet, priest and king. He, by His Spirit, makes all believers prophets, priests and kings. We need not go to a prophet anymore, for we all know the Lord. We have the Scriptures and we can know God by the Spirit through them. The Roman Catholic Church denied this truth: they refused to let the people have the Word of God. They reserved the right to interpret the Scriptures to the clergy. It was Luther who restored the office of believers to the saints, in Jehovah’s mercy.

We have the Spirit of Christ and we are now all, by God’s grace, priests. We can come to God through Jesus Christ our mediator and intercessor. We need not come with a cow in tow for Christ made the perfect sacrifice that opened the way into the holy of holies (Heb. 9:24). We need not a Roman Catholic priest to whom we must make confession. We have our great high priest in heaven, and we are all priests in Him. We are all priests who bring the sacrifice of praise, obedience and thanksgiving (Rom. 12:1-2; I Pet. 2:9).

We need no king to rule over us—other than Christ Himself, whose slaves we are. We rule over our lives through the power of the Spirit and we do so by the Word of God which is our guide. And, by the way, this truth is the basis for Christian liberty.

The Heidelberg Catechism puts it beautifully when it claims that we bear the name of Christ when we are called Christians. “But why art thou called a Christian? Because I am a member of Christ by faith, and thus am partaker of His anointing; that so I may confess His name, and present myself a living sacrifice of thankfulness to Him; and also that with a free and good conscience I may fight against sin and Satan in this life, and afterwards reign with Him eternally over all creatures” (Q. & A. 32).

But there is more. The text also says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:34). This too is a blessing of the new covenant. The meaning is not that the Old Testament people of God did not know the forgiveness of sins, for the Psalms testify to the opposite (e.g., Ps. 32). But Christ had not come as yet to make the sacrifice for sin, and so their knowledge of the forgiveness of their sin was less complete and less clear than after Christ’s sacrifice was made.

Hebrews 10:1-18 teaches this very plainly. (We keep going back to Hebrews for it is the great book of the Bible that tells us how much better the new covenant is than the old.) The author tells us that sacrifices had to be made continually because the people continued to have conscience of sins. But Christ’s sacrifice is perfect and there is no more conscience of sin because our exalted Lord gives us the Spirit and assures us that the debt of our transgressions has been paid at the cross so that our consciences are purged in the blood of Christ. That too is part of the new covenant.
We will return to this great subject in the next issue of the News.    Prof. Hanko


NOW BROADCASTING LIVE! The CPRC is now video streaming both its Sunday  worship services live and free on the internet.
Just go to www.cprf.co.uk/live.html each Lord’s Day at 11 AM and 6 PM (GMT) and join us on-line!


Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena, BT43 5DR • Lord’s Day services at 11 am & 6 pm
Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live broadcast: www.cprf.co.uk/live
Pastor: Angus Stewart, 7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland, BT42 3NR • (028) 25 891851 
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.www.youtube.com/cprcniwww.facebook.com/CovenantPRC

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March Newsletter from Covenant PRC, N.Ireland

Our sister church in Northern Ireland, Covenant PRC, Ballymena, has just published her latest newsletter. This one covers the recent visit of the men from the Contact Committee of the PRC, the latest activities in and outside the congregation, and the upcoming BRF Conference.

Be sure to read this newsletter to be better aware of what our "sister" is doing and has planned. This newsletter is also attached here in pdf form (see below). 

March-2014 Page 1March-2014 Page 2

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