March 12, 2017
This is a weekly blog post with one purpose: to help those coming to Park’s Sunday gathering engage with the teaching and liturgy in a more meaningful way. We use this space to share in advance our Sunday’s liturgy: the scripture we’ll be studying, the songs we’ll be singing, and the prayers we’ll be praying together. We also share a handful of thoughts each week to help you use these things to prepare for the service.
We’re in week 25 of The Book of Acts: You Will Be My Witnesses. Here are a couple things you can do to prepare for this week’s service:
1. Read through our text, Acts 15:1–35.
In our text this week, a heated debate has arisen about the tension between man’s performance of the law and the saving grace of Jesus. After the law-fulfilling work of Jesus on their behalf, do Gentile (non-Jewish) converts to Christianity still need to be circumcised to be saved by the God of the Jews? This all points to a bigger question—besides receiving the free gift of salvation through faith, what must I practically do to be saved? Although a perennial “performance culture” would persuade us otherwise, it’s unspeakably good news that God saves us by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
2. Read, pray and sing through the service.
CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 145:1–7
Oh! Great Is Our God (The Sing Team)
Grace Alone (Dustin Kensrue)
CONFESSION OF SIN: From The Worship Sourcebook
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against You
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole heart;
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways,
to the glory of Your Name.
Amen.
Yet Even Now (Joel Limpic)
Rock of Ages (Augustus Toplady, Charlie Hall)
ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Ephesians 2:4–9
SERMON & COMMUNION
His Mercy Is More (Matt Boswell, Matt Papa)
No Longer Slaves (Jonathan & Melissa Helser)
BENEDICTION & SENDING