WHAT TO EXPECT
We are a God-Focused, Christ-Centered, Bible-Based, Confessionally Reformed Church.
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Welcome
The joy and comfort of every believer comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, which means, Good News, is the message of salvation that God Himself brought to mankind through the Bible, and is briefly explained here.
The Problem: Our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, and all the generations of their children have inherited this sinful nature. We are born in sin, in other words, and are subject to God’s righteous indignation and eternal condemnation. There is nothing we can do to change that. As a matter of fact, even the best of what we do has sin in it, and, as a result, the more we try to do good things to impress God and to win His favour the more we incite His anger against us.
The Solution: What God Himself has done, however, was to send into the world His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to do two things that we could not do for ourselves: (1) He came as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) to accomplish successfully what the first Adam failed to achieve, namely, a perfect, unblemished righteousness (though He was tempted in all points even as we are, yet He was without sin, Hebrews 4:15); and (2) having fulfilled this righteousness, He then laid down His own life to pay the penalty for the sins of all who would come to believe in Him so that they might be forgiven and granted eternal life (God made Him who had no sin to bear the sins of His people, and did so that they might be declared righteous in Him, 2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Application: This Son of God was Jesus of Nazareth, fully God and fully man, and no one has peace with God the Father apart from having faith in His Son Jesus (John 14:6). Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto the Father through Him (Hebrews 7:25), and He has promised to do so (John 6:37-40). If you are an unbeliever, someone without such faith, you must repent of your sins, call upon the Lord, and commit all that you are and have to Him. He will pardon you, as He has promised, and will by no means cast you out.
The Benefits: The only comfort of the Christian, so great a comfort and he seeks no other, is this: “That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yes, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him” (Heidelberg Catechism).
On Sunday
What can you expect on Sunday
At the FRC of Langley, we strive to worship God with every aspect of our lives as we serve one another and engage our community. We invite you to worship our Savior with us and learn how God calls us to live for His glory in this world!
Everyone is welcome to come and hear what God says to us through His word. God calls the whole world to praise Him in Psalm 96, “Sing to the LORD all the earth, proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”
If you’re a visitor or guest, we realize that coming to a church for the first time can be intimidating. Feel free to contact us beforehand if you have any questions. We want to welcome you and if you plan to visit on Sunday, here are some practical things you will want to know:
Before the Service
When you enter the doors of our church for one of our Sunday worship services, you will be welcomed by one of our greeters. There you may find a place to hang your coats, use the restrooms, socialize before the service, or proceed directly into the sanctuary. Ushers at the entrance of the sanctuary can help you find a seat if needed.
A printed bulletin is available in the narthex as you enter which provides information for the Sunday services. Bibles and songbooks (Psalters) are provided in each bench.
Our church is wheelchair accessible with designated parking. The church building is equipped with hearing assistance broadcast. If you have any questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Child Care
You are welcome to take your children into the worship services with you, or if you prefer, childcare is offered during each worship service for younger children. The volunteers present will be able to help you and your child(ren).
After the Service
Following the morning service refreshments are provided and we welcome you to join us for fellowship and conversation in the narthex.
At 11:25 am, the Sunday School Program begins in the Sanctuary with singing and opening in prayer before the children divide into their classes for further Bible instruction.
Additional Weekday Services
In addition to the two services on Sunday, we also hold weekday worship services on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s morning, Good Friday, Ascension Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. You are welcome to join.
Worship
Worshipping the Triune God
Worship is all about the glory of the Triune God. It is ascribing the glory due to God’s holy name in every aspect of our lives, and especially in the weekly corporate gathering of His people. Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness”. For this reason, we long to display and praise God for His worthiness in our worship.
We do this by coming to worship with Moses’ prayer on our lips, “Lord, show me Your glory,” and expecting God to answer that prayer by giving us clear views of His glory, holiness, beauty, and grace, as it is climatically revealed in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:1-6; Heb 1:1-3). When the Spirit opens our eyes to see God for who He is, then sinners are drawn to embrace Christ and God’s people are strengthened for service and gospel witness. Therefore, the heartbeat and focus of our worship is “to God be the glory!”
Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth
In John 4:23, Jesus promised that the Father is gathering worshipers to worship Him in Spirit and truth. Later in John’s gospel, Jesus tells us that His Spirit-inspired Word is truth (Jn 17:17). Therefore, we aim to have the truth of God’s word permeate every aspect of our worship service.
In order to accomplish this, we sing the Word (the Psalms), read the Word, preach the Word, and pray the Word. In this way, Jesus Christ, who is at the center of the Word, stays at the center of our worship.
Singing praises to worship God is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart (Eph 5:18). The music in worship is never designed merely to stir up emotions or to influence the Spirit. Rather, Christian singing is a response to the Word of God, and the natural outflow of hearts that are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 2:11 instructs us to “worship the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” We aim to have both elements of faith-filled awe and adoration present in our worship.
Worshipping according to God’s word
We seek to glorify God by worshipping according to His instruction which He has given in Scripture. We want to worship God in the way that He wants to be worshiped. This means that we submit our preferences and ideas to God’s authoritative Word.
We practice what is known as the regulative principle of worship, that we do not worship God in any other way than He has commanded, and that we worship God in only those ways which He has specifically prescribed for His people in His Word (Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 12:31, 32). It is worship that is reverent (Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2; Hebrews 12:28, 29), Christ-centered (John 5:22, 23; 1 Corinthians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:5, 6; Colossians 1:13-18), and it is worship which is simple and sincere (John 4:23,24).
As such, our worship services include only the elements which the Bible has mandated. This includes prayer (1 Tim 2:1), preaching (2 Tim 4:2), singing (Eph 5:19), scripture reading (1 Tim 4:13), gift offering (1 Cor 16:1-2), administration of sacraments (Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 11:17-34), God’s blessings (Num 6:1-4; 1 Cor 1:3) and the benediction (2 Cor 14:13).
Worshipping in Covenantal Communion with God
Worship is covenantal communion between God and His people. In every worship service, a back-and-forth communication happens between God and His covenant community.
This conviction is reflected in the flow of our worship services, which is as follows:
1) Votum: The votum (Latin for “commitment”) is a confession of our dependence on God and is taken from Psalm 124: 8: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
2) Salutation: The word “salutation” means “greeting”. The minister greets the covenant congregation on behalf of the triune God while raising his right hand and uses the words of the apostle Paul as he greeted his readers in several of his epistles (Rom 1: 8; 1 Cor 1: 23, 2 Cor 1: 2, Gal 1: 2, Eph 1: 2, Phil 1: 2, Col 1: 2b, 1 Thess 1: 2b, 2 Thess 1: 2, 1 Tim 1: 2, 2 Tim 1: 2, Titus 1; 4, Philemon 3). This is God’s response to the votum. God greets the congregation with peace showing that because of Jesus Christ, He meets us with grace and peace.
3) Song of Praise: The congregation sings a psalm of praise to God in response to hearing God’s greeting.
4) Reading of God’s Law: (or recitation of the Apostle’s Creed in the afternoon). The Ten Commandments are read to remind us of God’s holy perfection contrasted to how far short we come of being able to love and obey God as we should. This is intended to point us to Christ who alone kept the law of God perfectly. It reminds us that we are saved only by faith in Christ, and serves to promote a life of gratitude, teaching us how to live to the glory of God for His salvation.
5) Song of Confession or Thanksgiving: The congregation sings a song in response to hearing the law, either of confession, or asking for grace and forgiveness, or of thanksgiving.
6) Pastoral Prayer: The congregational prayer is a specific kind of prayer where the minister prays on behalf of the congregation and brings the various needs of the church and the kingdom before the Lord.
7) Freewill Offering: The offering is an important part of the worship service where we give back to God what He has richly provided us. It communicates our thankfulness to God, and our trust in God to provide our daily needs. Collections are taken for the operating costs of the local church, and also for broader needs in the Kingdom of God through charities in the local community or around the world. Paul instructs believers on tithing in 2 Cor 8 and 9.
8) Song of Expectation: Another song is sung before the reading and explanation of God’s word. This song prepares us for hearing the message.
9) Scripture Reading: The minister will read the passages of Scripture that will be expounded on in the sermon.
10) Sermon: The sermon is the most important part of the worship service. In the sermon, the minister authoritatively expounds the Word of God. It is primarily by means of preaching that God saves sinners and builds up His people in the faith (Rom 10: 14-17; I Cor 1: 18, 21; I Thess 2: 13). We should be very attentive when the Word of God is being preached. We should listen meditatively and prayerfully.
11) Prayer of Thanksgiving: In this closing prayer, we thank the Lord for the message which we have heard and ask Him to apply it to our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit so that it may bear fruit to His glory.
12) Song of Praise: At the end of the service, we sing a closing Psalter. This Psalter is normally an expression of praise to God.
13) Benediction: The benediction is a pronouncement of blessing. In the benediction, God, through the mouth of the minister, pronounces His blessing on the congregation. This practice dates back to the Old Testament where it was pronounced by the priests. After the morning service, the benediction is normally taken from Num 6: 24-26 (the “Aaronic” benediction). After the evening service, the benediction is normally taken from 2 Cor 13: 14 (the “Pauline” or “Apostolic” benediction).
14) Song of Doxology: The doxology is a short song of praise to God. As such, it is an appropriate way to end the worship service.
We follow this order of worship out of a desire to keep order in God’s house (1 Cor 14:40), and because it helps us maintain the scriptural priorities of God-focused, Word-shaped, Word-saturated, covenantal worship.
We pray that you would taste and see that God is good as you gather in worship with us!
Preaching
Importance
Preaching is an important part of God’s worship and takes up the largest portion of our services. God has appointed the foolishness of preaching to be the power of God which saves sinners and the means for the Holy Spirit to work faith (1 Cor 1:18; Rom 10:17). Therefore, preaching is serious business. We don’t aim to entertain people in our preaching, but to expound Scripture so that we come face to face with the living God (2 Cor 4:1-6).
J.I. Packer writes, “To the Reformers, the crucial question was not simply whether God justifies believers without works of law. It was the broader question, whether sinners are wholly helpless in their sin, and whether God is to be thought of as saving them by free, unconditional, invincible grace, not only justifying them for Christ's sake when they come to faith, but also raising them from the death of sin by His quickening Spirit in order to bring them to faith. Here was the crucial issue: whether God is the author, not merely of justification, but also of faith; whether, in the last analysis, Christianity is a religion of utter reliance on God for salvation and all things necessary to it, or of self-reliance and self-effort.” (Historical and Theological Introduction to Luther's The Bondage of the Will)
For this reason we aim to preach Bible-based sermons in a God-focused, Christ-exalting manner, trusting that the Spirit will use His Word to renew minds and transform lives.
Our aim is to reach the whole person in our preaching. We want you to grow in your knowledge of God, your love for Him, and your zeal to serve Him in a life of gratitude.
Bible-Based
Our preaching is Bible-based. We gladly obey God’s command for us to “preach the Word!” (2 Tim 4:2). We believe that the power of preaching, lies not in the preacher, but in the Bible itself. Therefore, every sermon is unpacking what God has revealed in Scripture. You will notice that we frequently preach through books of the Bible to help us understand the Scriptures better.
We also regularly preach on the basic doctrines of the Bible following the structure of the Heidelberg Catechism. This ensures that we cover all the basic truths of the Bible that are necessary for salvation and for growth in the Christian’s walk of faith.
God-Focused
All of our sermons aim to be God-focused. In Isaiah 40:9, God calls His people to lift up their voices and proclaim to others, “Behold, Your God!” The reason for this is that God is our greatest Good, our only Hope, and the Fountain of Life. He is the Center of the universe, and apart from Him, nothing makes sense (Acts 17:28). Therefore, rather than spending our time focusing on felt needs or speculative theories, all of our sermons aim to display the beauty and glory of God. Seeing God in His Word gives us the perspective we need to endure the difficulties of this life (James 1:2-18) and the faith that enables us to walk in godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:7).
There is nothing more practical, life-changing and necessary than knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ (John 17:3). Therefore, we long to see more of God’s mercy, grace, patience, steadfast love, faithfulness, holiness, righteousness (Exodus 34:6-7) and other aspects of His character in the preaching.
Christ-Centered
Since our preaching is God-focused, it also is Christ-centered. The Bible tells us that God’s glory shines brightest in the face of Jesus Christ, and that He is the perfect representation of the Father (2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:1-3). Therefore, if we want to make much of God, we must preach much about Christ. Furthermore, Jesus is the only Mediator who can reconcile guilty sinners to the Father (1 Timothy 1:15), and He is the only way back to God (John 14:6).
Our preaching proclaims the good news of what Christ has accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection. You will hear about Christ who is the truthful Teacher, loving Priest, and good King. He is everything that we need!
Programs
Sunday School
Sunday school classes are offered after the morning worship service from September to June, for children ages 4-12 where they are instructed in the Bible. Classes begin in the sanctuary with singing and a prayer and then children move to classrooms by age group.
Catechism Class
Catechism classes are also offered after the morning worship service for teenagers aged 13 -17, where they are instructed in the doctrines of Scripture using the Heidelberg Catechism as a guide.
Confession of Faith Class
Confession of faith classes are offered for those desiring to make public confession of faith with a view to becoming a full member of the congregation. The time and duration of these classes vary depending on the students enrolled and are tailored to suit their needs.
Young Peoples Groups
We have a junior youth group that meets regularly which includes a Bible devotion and a social activity.
Men and Ladies Bible Study Groups
Various groups of men and ladies meet together for a Bible study either at the church or at other locations.
A men’s study group meets Saturday mornings from 7:30 – 9:00 am.
Please inquire if you are interested in joining.
Inquiries about Christianity
If you are interested in learning more about God and Christianity, please join us for worship on Sundays where our members would be happy to speak with you. You are also welcome to contact the pastor to arrange a meeting.
Vacation Bible School
When time and resources allow, we hold a vacation Bible school in the mornings for one week during the summer months designed for the children in our community and our church. Please contact us if you are interested.