O Almighty and everlasting God, Who didst give to thine Apostle
Bartholomew grace truly to believe and preach thy word; Grant, we
beseech thee, unto thy Church, to love that Word which he believed,
and both to preach and receive the same; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.

From the writings of Anglican divine Jeremy Taylor, in his book HOLY LIVING, we find

"A Prayer to be said before the hearing or reading of the Word of God."

"O holy and eternal Jesus, who hast begotten us by Thy word, renewed us by Thy Spirit, fed us by Thy sacraments, and by the daily ministry of Thy word, still go on to build us up to the life eternal. Let Thy most Holy Spirit be present with me and rest upon me in the reading or hearing of Thy sacred word, that I may do it humbly, reverently, without prejudice, with a mind ready and desirous to learn and to obey; that I may be readily furnished and instructed to every good work, and may practise all Thy holy laws and commandments, to the glory of Thy holy Name, O holy and eternal Jesus. Amen."

 

THOUGHTS FOR THE UNBELIEVER
By
The (late) Reverend James Montgomery Boice, Th.D.

1. If there is no God, then I am a law unto myself and can do as I please. But of course, life then has no more meaning than I can give to it, and there is nothing beyond. If there is a God, then I am made like Him and owe Him a corresponding allegiance and worship. My problem begins with the realization that I have not done that and must therefore be the object of His great displeasure.

2. If there is a God, that God has either revealed Himself or He has not. If He has not, I am back in the same place as if there was no God, for all practical purposes. On the other hand, if God has revealed Himself (as we have every right to expect He would do), then it is my duty to seek out that revelation and make my way to Him. My problem is compounded by that duty because I have not sought Him. On the contrary, I have run from Him and have tried every means to banish His presence and influence from my life.

3. Jesus may be just another religious teacher. If so, His teachings can be used or not, as they prove helpful or unhelpful. But if He is more than a religious teacher, if He is God come in human flesh, as He claimed, then His teachings demand more than just a casual perusal. They demand belief and obedience. I am in trouble here because I have not believed in Him or obeyed Him.

4. If Jesus is not God, then His death and His teachings about its meaning are unimportant, though they were obviously important to Him. But if he is God, then His death is of the utmost importance. He taught – and He must be believed if he is God – that no one will ever be saved who does not believe that he died in the his place to satisfy the just wrath of God against the sinner. That means that if I have not believed in Jesus as my Savior, I am doomed to suffer for my own sins when I eventually appear before God to give an accounting of all I have done or failed to do.

5. If there is a heaven and a hell, it is only common sense and enlightened self-interest for me to do everything I can do to gain the former and avoid the latter.

 

You are Invited! We would be delighted to have you worship with us at Waverley Church in Santa Ana, California.  Please check our service times and driving directions.  We are easy to find.
SUNDAY SERVICE SCHEDULE The Sunday Service begins at 9:30 AM, followed by a time of fellowship, and then Sunday School at 11:00 AM for adults and children.
	"If there were any word of God beside the Scripture, we could never be certain of God's word; and if we be uncertain of God's word, the devil might bring in among us a new word, a new doctrine, a new faith, a new church, a new god, yea himself to be a god. If the Church and the Christian faith did not stay itself upon the Word of God certain, as upon a sure and strong foundation, no man could know whether he had a right faith, and whether he were in the true Church of Christ, or in the synagogue of Satan."  -- Archbishop Thomas Cranmer