Pastoral Notes (Page 3)

With so much information crowding our minds we need regular reminders of God’s faithfulness. These “Pastoral Notes” are brief devotionals, articles, and prayers written by the elders of Grace Presbyterian Church for the edification of the saints. We hope they encourage you as you seek to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

The apostles wrote letters to the churches under their care. Many of their pastoral notes were recognized as the very word of God. The letters of the New Testament from Paul, Peter, and James were written for a particular situation in the first century, but they have ongoing relevance for us today. They were the teachings of the apostles to which members of the early church were devoted (Acts 2:42).

These pastoral notes do not have the benefit of being divinely inspired, but they are an attempt to treat God’s Word as such and to apply it to our present needs in our particular culture and context. We seek to read everything, from the daily news to popular books to systematic theologies, through the lens of God’s special revelation contained in the 66 books of the Bible. God’s Word is the only infallible rule for faith and life. As such, it should inform everything we think and say. We write from a reformed perspective.

You may want to sign up for our weekly newsletter if you would like to be notified whenever we write another note. We also include our weekly church calendar events along with prayer requests. You will find the form to sign up at the bottom of this page. Also, if you live in the Fresno area, we invite you to worship with us at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings!

Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Prepare Your Heart for Advent

In order to help you prepare your heart for worship this Sunday I wanted to get you the bulletin and song selections a little early. You can download the printable bulletin if you prefer. You should be familiar with most of the songs, but I really want you to hear “Comfort, Comfort Now My People” before Sunday. It is a song with lyrics taken right out of our passage, Isaiah 40:1-5. I encourage you to try to sing it during your Family Worship so…

Prepare the Way – Advent 2014

We will be taking a break from our Beginning With Moses: Christ in Genesis sermon series in order to celebrate the Advent season. This is a common tradition in many reformed churches. I encourage you to take advantage of an excellent resource for family worship during the month of December. The Jesse Tree Advent Devotional Guide from Reformed Church Press provides a daily devotional with Scripture passages and discussion questions beginning December 1st and leading up to Christmas Day.