Church Bulletin – March 22, 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We know there is growing concern about COVID‑19 as the events over the past couple of weeks have been escalating. Many people are feeling uneasy, especially as we face increasing changes and limitations to our daily routines and future plans. The Session wants to assure everyone of our prayerful commitment and practical support and that if any need arises, please contact me or one of the elders.

It was announced last Sunday that services would continue this Lord’s Day; however, as new cautions have been put into place by government authorities, we will NOT be able to hold any services for at least the next two weeks. As I am also under self-isolation due to travel, I will only be able to record messages from my home which will be played during the regular service times of 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on March 22 and 29 on our church webcast (www.sermonaudio.com/toronto) We will keep everyone informed via email, our church website, or by phone of any further changes. Thank you for your understanding.

God is doing something unusual in the world, and He has brought many things to a halt in unprecedented closures which are difficult for us to witness. God promised there would be unusual signs. May we as God’s people not be afraid, but trust that He will protect us and may He use these difficult times for His glory.

In Christ,

Pastor Saunders

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”. Ephesians 1:18

God desires us as His own particular possession and portion, and ultimately as those who are to share His glory. Look again at Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 1. It is that they may know what is “the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (verse 18). To talk about God’s “inheritance in the saints,” the God who made everything and to whom all things belong and by whom all things are, to talk in this way is the most amazing and daring piece of anthropomorphism that Paul ever produced, and yet he has put it like that in order to give believers an understanding of it. What he means is that these are the people in whom God delights and whom God is going to enjoy.

Let me give an illustration in order to make this point clear. Take a child who has many toys, all of which he likes. Yes, but there is one particular favorite, the toy that is always with him. The child is fond of them all, but that one is something special. And it is the same with us. We all have certain possessions that we prefer to others; there is always something especially dear and of interest to us. That is the idea—that the great Lord of the universe has a special object of interest and affection—His own people, those whom He has taken and, as Paul puts it in writing to the Galatians, separated out of this evil world and put into a special category and compartment. That is the whole message of the Bible—God preparing for Himself a people who are going to be His joy throughout eternity.  – Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones