All-Church Picnic August 14

Woman’s Bible Study on Proverbs

Proverbs 2:10-12, 16-17 “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things… To deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God.”
Proverbs 3:33 “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just.”
Proverbs 5:18-21 “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.”
Proverbs 6:23-35 “For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent. People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; he may have to give up all the substance of his house. Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. For jealousy is a husband’s fury; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.”
Proverbs 7:4-27 “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin, that they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words. For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night. And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious, her feet would not stay at home. At times she was outside, at times in the open square, lurking at every corner. So she caught him and kissed him; with an impudent face she said to him: ‘I have peace offerings with me; today I have paid my vows. So I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have found you. I have spread my bed with tapestry, colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home on the appointed day.’ With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; for she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.”
Proverbs 12:4 “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.”
Proverbs 14:1 “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.”
Proverbs 14:11 “The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish.”
Proverbs 18:22 “The poor man uses entreaties, but the rich answers roughly.”
Proverbs 19:13 “A foolish son is the ruin of his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.”
Proverbs 19:14 “Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”
Proverbs 23:31, 33 “Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly…Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things.”
Proverbs 26:21 “As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.”
Proverbs 27:15-16 “A continual dripping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike; whoever restrains her restrains the wind, and grasps oil with his right hand.”
Proverbs 30:18-23 “The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water—and the fire never says, ‘Enough!’ The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.
“There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin.
“This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, ‘I have done no wickedness.’
“For three things the earth is perturbed, yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.”
Proverbs 31:10-31
“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.”
All Church Activities are Cancelled for Sunday January 24 2016
Due to the weather conditions and expected cleanup on Sunday, we are cancelling all Church activities. There will be no Sunday School, public Worship, Kids Club, Youth Group and Adult Sunday Evening Study.
See you next week!
Missions Awareness Night January 23, 2016 – CANCELLED
This event is cancelled due to snow and will be rescheduled to a later date.
Youth Group and Parents are invited for an evening of missions. There will be a meal of beans and rice, a short devotional and fellowship as we discuss what part RESOLVE plays in missions. Included is a discussion our upcoming Mission Intensive this summer.
Time: 5PM-8PM
Location: Walsh Home
10 Year Celebration Video
Grace & Peace celebrated 10 years as a church on 11/14/2014. The following video was viewed at this celebration. For Full screen, watch on youtube directly. Enjoy.
Presbyterian History: Charles Finney vs WCF

Our adult Sunday School class reviewed the theology of Charles Finney. As an ordained Presbyterian pastor, you would not say that Finney was very well grounded in Presbyterian Theology. At one point he admits mostly ignorance of what the Westminster Confession of Faith (the Presbyterian Church’s confession) teaches:
I had not examined it—that is, the large work, containing the Catechisms and Presbyterian Confession. This had made no part of my study. I replied that I received it for substance of doctrine, so far as I understood it. But I spoke in a way that plainly implied, I think, that I did not pretend to know much about it.The Memoirs of Charles Finney: The Complete Restored Text (Grand Rapids: Academie, 1989), 53-54]
For a great review of Finney’s theology, see Phillip R. Johnson’s article.
Here are a couple of Finney’s views compared to Westminster Confession (WCF) :
On Christ atoning work:
Finney:
…it was not true that Christ suffered just what those for whom he died deserved to suffer. That no such thing as that was taught in the Bible; and no such thing was true. But on the contrary, that Christ died simply to remove an insurmountable obstacle out of the way of God’s forgiving sinners; so as to render it possible for him to proclaim a universal Amnesty, inviting all men to repent, to believe in Christ and to proclaim a universal Amnesty, inviting all men to repent, to believe in Christ, and to accept salvation… I maintained that Christ in his Atonement merely did that which was necessary as a condition of the forgiveness of sin; and not that which cancelled sin, in the sense of literally paying the indebtedness of sinners.
Westminster:
WCF VII.5. The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for those whom the Father has given unto Him.
On Regeneration
Finney:
Now, in speaking about this change, it is perfectly proper to say that the Spirit turned him just as you would say a man who had persuaded another to change his mind on the subject of politics, that he had converted him, and won him over. It is also proper to say that the truth converted him; as in a situation when the political opinions of someone were changed by a certain argument, we would say, that the argument won him over. So also, we can credit a change of heart to a preacher, or to the person who had presented the motives that encouraged him to change his heart; just as we would say about a lawyer who had prevailed in his argument with a jury; that he has won his case and converted the jury. We can also honestly credit that change of heart to the individual himself whose heart is changed. We would say that the sinner has changed his mind. He has changed his heart. He has switched sides, and he has repented. Now it is strictly true, and it is true in the most absolute and highest sense, that the act is his own act, and the turning is his own turning. Even though, God, by the truth, has induced the sinner to turn, still, it is strictly true that the sinner has turned and has done it himself.
Thus, you see the sense in which conversion, or regeneration, is the work of God, and the sense in which it is the sinner’s own work. The Spirit of God, by the truth, influences the sinner to change, and in this sense, truth is the efficient cause of the change. But the sinner actually changes his heart, and is therefore it is the sinner, in the most proper sense, who is the author of the change. There are some people who, when they read their Bibles, focus their attention on those passages that ascribe the work of conversion to the Spirit of God, and seem to overlook all those passages that ascribe regeneration to man, and speak of it as the sinner’s own act.
Westminster
WCF IX.3:Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.
WCF IX.4: When God converts a sinner and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and, by his grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that, by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.
WCF X 1-2
1. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ: enlightening their minds, spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.
2. This effectual call is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it.
Here are the audio files for the Sunday School classes posted so far.
Youth Visit Pottstown Salvation Army

The Grace & Peace youth brought a whole bin of socks to the Pottstown Salvation Army on Sunday evening.
Celebrate with Us
Celebrate our 10th year as a church! Grace & Peace is celebrating 10 years as an official church in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Our celebration is on November 14th at Shady Maple Banquet Hall in East Earl, PA.
Please RSVP by October 26, 2014!
To sign up, fill out this form. The form and check can be returned to Karin Rhoads.
A video will be shown at this event to describe our church and the growth that has taken place over over that past 10 years. The following is a trailer for the video to be shown at the event on November 14th.
Roots in the Reformation
This is a summary of week 1 of our Sunday school class on American Presbyterian history Audio from this class can be found here.
In last weeks class we focused on the 15th century reformation beginning when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the church door in Wittenberg. We talked about Ulrich Zwingly’s work and the effort to unite Lutheran and Reformed teaching. Of course this failed due to Zwingly and Luther’s differences on the Lord’s Supper. We briefly mentioned the other major Protestant movements on the European continent with the antibaptists, including the Mennonites and others. Finally, we discussed the anglican church which features its own unique brand of protestant Christianity.
Soon after the reformation got started, we see that John Calvin is asked to serve in Geneva to help the new protestant city. Calvin is initially hesitant but after being banished from Geneva and returning a second time he settles in for the remainder of his life and begins to document the historic reformed doctrines of theology and ecclesiology. His work become the foundation for both the European reformed churches and the Presbyterian church in England, Scotland, Ireland and ultimately America.
Next week we will fast forward through the 16th century to learn about the early American settlers and their new church.
And remember, all audio for this class can be found here.
Presbyterian History In America-A Sunday School Class

Why study Presbyterian history? We all know the axiom that “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” but that is not why we plan to study Presbyterian history this fall. While we do not desire to repeat mistakes from the past, for Christians there are many more benefits to studying church history.
We will begin a study of Presbyterian history in America beginning this on Sept 7, 2014 beginning at 9:15AM (our normal Sunday School time).
It is sad how little people know of history in general but certainly about Church history specifically. I have run into folks with no idea of the difference between the Roman Church, the Protestant Church or the Eastern Church, let alone the differences between various denominations. Whether worshipping in denominations or independent churches, many lack a sense of connectedness to the historical church as if the modern church was just dropped in place with no connection to the past.
The purpose of this study is several fold:
- To understand the roots of our own denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and its place in the universal (i.e. catholic) church.
- To strengthen our knowledge of the Scriptures as understood by Presbyterians (and other Christians) since the Reformation and back to the early church.
- To develop a deeper knowledge of the body of Christ and Jesus Christ who reigns supreme over his church and to understand how the Holy Spirit continues has worked in the church through the ages (despite human sin).
- To learn what the Church’s role in American history may teach 21st century Christians.
- To learn about the lives and traditions of Christians who have come before us.
The purpose of this study is not to create pride in ourselves our our denomination (the history of our church and its divisions does not lend itself to boastfulness) as our only hope is found in Jesus Christ. I expect of have some fun and work through this history together.
Here is a rough outline of the first half of this study.
Please Note: This outline is expected to be improved/changed as we move through this study
Outline of Presbyterian Church History in America
Introduction and Background
- Discussion about various backgrounds represented in our own congregation
- Review of key events in the 16th Century leading up to settlement in America.
- Reformation/Reformers
- Calvin’s establishing Protestant/reformed Church. Polity, Offices, Songs, Lord’s Supper.
Early Colonial Period
- From Knox to America
- Early Settlers and Francis Makemie
- A brand new Church in the new world
- The adoption of Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms
Young Church and Revival
- Difference between the Northern Puritans and the Scotch Irish in the Atlantic states
- The immigration of Scotch Irish and its influence on the Church
- Revival, Log College and the Tennants
- New Light/Old Light Division
The Church and Revolution
- The college of New Jersey
- Witherspoon, Presbyterians and the American Revolution
- The First General Assembly Meets
To Be Continued…
Youth Service Ian’s Boots
In their most recent service project, several members of the Grace & Peace youth group spent their summer vacation working at Ian’s Boots, an organization that provides shoes to those in need. The youth group has served several times at this ministry and it was good to get back to start off the Summer season on June 24.
The youth tagged, sorted and scanned shoes into the computer system to prepare the shoes for future shipment.
The purpose of Ian’s Boots is to spread the faith by providing shoes and winter boots to those in need. For more information see the Ian’s boots website.