· Whitley County, Indiana
How does our Lord Christ intend for us to respond to this current situation? In his first-ever online message, Pastor Nate Harlan reminds us that such situations direct us to place our hope in Christ. Watch the online service on YouTube.
Listen above or download the audio file here.
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
Below is the link to Trinity’s YouTube channel. There’s no content on it as of yet, but you may use this link to join the livestream service this Lord’s Day at 10:45 a.m.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzH_Uin2pJDQQoaxEJM7S_A
Singing will be included within the service. Jon Swerens, Jason and Eli Fest, and Jon Townsend recorded hymns today at church. These songs will be incorporated into the livestream service. The lyrics will be included in the videos. Lord willing, it will work well.
We are preparing an order of service and will post it here when it is complete.
Scripture Reading of Praise: Psalm 119:169-176
Prayer of Invocation
Hymn: “This is My Father’s World”
Passage of Confession: Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Personal Silent Prayer of Confession
Corporate Prayer of Confession:
Our most holy and merciful Father, be gracious to us according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin. For we know our transgressions and our sin is ever before us. Against You Lord, and You alone, we have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. Forgive us for the sake of Your Son and our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Passage of Pardon: Ephesians 2:4-7: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Hymn: “I to the Hills Will Lift Mine Eyes” (Ps. 121)
Nicene Creed: Christian, what do you believe?
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 3:17-19
New Testament Reading: Roman 8:18-25
Sermon: 1 John 3:2-3 “The Hope that Purifies”
Hymn: “Immortal, Invisible”
Commissioning
Gloria Patri
Benediction
Dear saints,
John and I have decided to postpone services at Trinity until April 5th. Rest assured that we have made this decision in faith, not fear, after much prayer and discussion with the deacons. The Presiding Ministers of our denomination have also collectively advised all churches to abide by the recommendations of their local governments.
As many of you know, our state government has recommended that gatherings of 50 or more be avoided for the time being. We believe that this is prudent counsel in light of the circumstances, and so we will abide by it for the next two weeks. At that time we will reassess the situation and respond accordingly.
For the next two Lord’s Days, we will be live-streaming an abbreviated service at our normal worship time of 10:45 a.m. We are still working out the details of all that will be entailed in the service, and will keep you posted.
If you have any shepherding needs that arise during this time, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have any questions or concerns, please send them our way. We love you all, and are praying for the Lord’s protection over our congregation and communities. Ask the Lord to lead many to repentance during this sobering time, as the entire world is confronted with God’s just judgment against sin. Continue to confess your own sins to God and each other, in all humility.
We eagerly await the opportunity to worship and commune with you all again, by God’s grace. May this time apart help us to better appreciate what a great blessing our Lord has given us in corporate worship. Until the Lord gathers us together again, hold fast to Christ, and do not be afraid. Believe God’s promise:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39
Amen.
With love,
Nate and John
Dear saints,
In light of the current situation regarding the corona virus (COVID-19), the elders have decided to cancel Trinity’s service for Sunday, March 15. Other trustworthy churches have taken similar measures, and we believe it’s wise to follow their examples. This is simply a preventative measure, and nothing more. Our hope is to resume our service next week, Lord willing.
However, we are also working through plans as to how we may continue to provide you with teaching via the internet, if the situation grows worse in the short-term. Of course, this would only be a temporary measure.
We love you all, and will miss seeing you tomorrow.
Warmly,
Nate and John
God judges the wicked. As the apostle Peter describes three instances of God’s wrath in the Old Testament, we are reminded that we all deserve the same end. In this sermon, Pastor Nate Harlan tells us we must flee to Christ to escape God’s wrath.
Listen above or download the audio file here.
Photo by Cullan Smith on Unsplash
Pastor Nate Harlan and the family study at Trinity Evangelical Church continue their look at the theology of Eastern Orthodoxy, comparing it to Reformational Protestantism.
Listen above or download the audio file here.
One of the strongest warnings in the New Testement is the Apostle Peter’s about false prophets. Pastor Nate Harlan says Christians must recognize the three ways false teachers lie so they can protect themselves.
Listen above or download the audio file here.
Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash
Pastor Nate Harlan and the family study at Trinity Evangelical Church take some time to consider Eastern Orthodoxy, comparing it to Reformational Protestantism.
Listen above or download the audio file here.
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Our natural inclination is to not believe the Word of God. But the Apostle Paul wants us to remember that unless God speaks to us, we live in absolute darkness. Pastor Nate Harlan continues through 2 Peter.
Listen above or download the audio file here.
Pastor Nate Harlan dives into a recap of some of what we’ve learned about Roman Catholicism and its “theandric” view of the church, contrasting that with the Reformed Protestant view. Resources cited include books by Greg Allison, Leonardo De Chirico, and Henri de Lubac.
Listen above or download the audio file here.