Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church

WEPC
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Welcome to Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church! We'd love to worship with you. Check out this podcast for weekly sermon series, devotionals, and book reviews. Our 175-year history reminds us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We who are part of this historic congregation today are indebted in countless ways to the faith of those who have gone before us. As recipients of this godly heritage and stewards of the gospel, we tirelessly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ so that the generations that come after us will experience the joy of knowing, loving, and serving

  1. 6d ago

    When Convictions Collide

    “Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” - Romans 14:6 Have you ever been accused of having a strong-willed personality? Confident of your convictions? Sure of your motives and that of someone else? Do you ever find yourself yelling at your TV certain that you would make a better referee? Many people in Paul’s day were apparently doing something similar. There were a lot of folks in the Roman church who acted as if they were umpires without the need for the ABS challenge system. The church was filled with members who judged (and even condemned) other members. But Paul reminds them that we are all accountable to the supreme Judge: “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”   What happens is that when we become so focused on our own convictions, we can forget the importance of belonging to God and to each other. Even in the church today, people argue over food, Sundays, alcohol, worship styles and the like. That doesn’t mean that those things aren’t important; but whenever we look down on someone else’s faith or accuse someone else of legalism, we must be careful. When convictions collide around issues Paul says are “disputable” matters; if relationships become causalities, there is a sinful disconnect.  As we unpack these ideas this Sunday, I pray that God will grow us closer to God and closer to one another as we seek unity around the cause of Christ. With that in mind, I look forward to seeing you either in person or online. However, if you are bodily able, I hope to see you in person as “not giving up the habit of meeting together” seems more than just a “disputable matter.”  Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    When Convictions Collide

  2. Sep 21

    Love Fulfills The Law

    How many of you have ever heard the phrase, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have?” Or, “Dress for success?” For whatever reason, there was a season in my life where I called Friday, “tie-day.” (Perhaps because the high school basketball team required us to wear ties on gameday, and it just stuck on Fridays.). Call me old-fashioned, but I think sharp dressing needs to make a comeback! As we continue with our study of Romans, Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with Christ. However, I don’t think that this is something as superficial as a "dress for success" mantra. In this passage, Paul is talking the love of Jesus be so ingrained in our hearts that it is also apparent in the way in which we live. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we put aside our sinful actions and behave in a way that honors Christ.   As Paul tells us to “wake up,” he’s inviting us to wrap ourselves with Christ's goodness. And as we do so, we are showing outwardly what has taken place inwardly. We need to show outwardly what has taken place inwardly. In places around the Middle East, versatile robes are meant to keep a person cool in the hot sun and warm during cold desert nights.  In the end, that is what we need in our journey of faith. Christ is our best “attire” to protect us from temptations and to help us witness to others about God's love. So as we gather together this week, let’s think about putting on our very best! I look forward to seeing you in person if you are able, or online if you aren’t!  Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    Love Fulfills The Law

  3. Sep 21

    Christians & The Government

    I have never met a president or senator and shook their hand (though I did see AirForce One flyover and land at the AirForce Base when we lived in PA). And as a regular citizen, I have little influence over the laws and policies of our nation – let alone my local government. Yet every April, I gather up paperwork, talk to a preparer, and file my taxes. I'll admit that it’s easy to complain about paying taxes. In fact, it’s easy to complain about all kinds of things in government. We gripe about the President overreaching authority. We complain when Congress refuses to deal with matters of importance. And we find fault with the police, the justice system, the school board, and the city council. But Romans 13 reminds us that although we may not always agree with our leaders, we must submit to their authority. Just as Paul called believers to submit to the Roman government (which wasn’t a utopia BTW), we are called to do the same. And we do this whether we are enamored or disillusioned with our government and its policies. In the end, we cannot use our feelings about what is happening as an excuse to treat other people poorly or with contempt. Instead, we should pray for those in authority and seek the good for those who have been established by God (Rom. 13:1) And as good citizens, we should obey those in authority up until a government’s demand is in direct conflict with God’s commands. In it all, we must choose God’s way! As we continue in our sermon series on Romans, I look forward to exploring with you this high calling and endeavor. May we be faithful citizens of earth while we remember that our ultimate citizenship is in heaven! Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    Christians & The Government

  4. Sep 21

    Marks Of A Gospel-Centered Community

    “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” - Romans 12:18 In the section of Scripture that we will be studying together this week, it has become apparent to me that we could easily break it up into about 10 sermons. That’s because Paul packs every sentence with imperatives (commands/things that are necessary). However, if we were to take a 10,000-foot view of verses 9-21, what we find is how love should be lived out within a Gospel community.  Unity. Purity. Peace. Those words encapsulate how we should function together as a body. What is interesting is that The Society of International Law in London reported a startling statistic a number of years ago: the world has been at peace for less than 8 percent of its history. The study said that in the past 3,530 years, there have been only 286 years of peace. Yet over the same time period, more than 8,000 peace treaties have been made...And broken. Assuming that that study is accurate, it shouldn’t surprise us that even within the church, we can struggle to live in unity, purity, and peace. But think about that, in the midst of a world where conflict and disagreements are common, the Holy Spirit wants to develop peace in us. As we’ll see this week in Romans 12, Paul urged us to express that quality by working hard to “live at peace with everyone.”  Now, you and I know that living at peace with others doesn’t simply mean we’ll always agree, or that we must avoid issues or grievances with someone else. Rather, genuine peace is experienced when someone begins working toward genuine reconciliation and resolution wherever there is hurt. And the model that we have for that is the peace that we have with God through Jesus Christ! (Romans 5:1-2) As a result of the peace we have experienced peace with God, we need to extend that peace to others. As we’ll ponder together this week, how are you being called to be a peacemaker that puts love into action? How do you see harmony as being a powerful witness to the rest of the world? Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    Marks Of A Gospel-Centered Community

  5. Aug 25

    One Body, Many Gifts

    Romans 12:3-8 Gifts of Grace 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Have you ever met someone with an inflated ego? Don’t they just rub you the wrong way? I think many of us find ourselves becoming annoyed with people who have inflated egos because, if we are really honest, we often see something in them that we don’t like about ourselves. We all have one thing in common: we often think we are the most important person in the world. Whether you agree with me or not, I have been around long enough to know that we are a self-absorbed people. Now, I don’t mean to sound like I am berating you; I am simply acknowledging a reality. Paul goes into depth about the importance of not thinking too highly of ourselves, but instead having sober judgment. He then lists a series of different gifts that we find within the body of Christ. His main point in doing this is to show that each of us has a role to play in building up God’s kingdom, but we should never think that our role makes us more important than someone else. This Sunday, I pray that we would continue to be equipped to build up the body of Christ. I pray that we would walk away viewing ourselves with greater humility and sober judgment, while also recognizing the gifts God has graciously given each of us. And ultimately, I pray that we would look to the example Christ set for us in how we should live and conduct ourselves. In Christ, Blake

    One Body, Many Gifts

  6. Aug 25

    Living Sacrifices

    What shapes the way you think? Where do you find yourself conforming? What percentage of your thoughts are completely original to you? Where do you find yourself becoming what other people expect you to be? As we turn our attention to Romans 12 this week, the apostle Paul coaches us not to conform to the world’s pattern; rather, we are to be transformed. Perhaps you’ve heard it said this way: “Conforming to the world is like removing the screen door to our minds and letting all the bugs fly in.” But when we are transformed, we refuse to comply any influences that compromise our character or the witness of Christ. I’ve heard someone describe it like this: Imagine if I filled up a glass with water, but then added dust and lint from the floor, cigarette butts from an ash tray, and a dried piece of gum from under the table. What if I then asked you to drink it? My guess is that you would refuse. Why? Because you know that it isn’t good for you! But that is what happens when we pollute our minds by taking in worldly influences that muddy the waters instead of clearing them. Paul says that we need to offer our bodies as living sacrifices by no longer conforming to the pattern of this world and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Just as we put on clean clothing after a shower, so are we to put on Christ and allow Him to dwell in us richly. May we continue to grow as we allow ourselves to be shaped by the heart and mind of Christ. Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    Living Sacrifices

  7. Aug 25

    The Mystery Of Mercy

    On occasion, Nicole and I (more so Nicole) enjoy the challenge of putting together a 1,000-piece jig­saw puzzle. Other people might get the daily newspaper and do the crossword puzzle or Sudoku. Still others use various phone apps – Wordle anyone? But sometimes our puzzles can end up puzzling us; and this is how it was for the apostle Paul. Throughout Romans 11 Paul has been wrestling with the puzzle of the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. As a Jew, by the grace of God he had come to know Jesus as his Savior. Then as he went about doing his missionary work, many Gentiles came to faith in Jesus as Lord but many of his own Jewish people rejected Jesus. It “Boggled” his mind. Yet this mystery didn’t leave him searching in the darkness. Paul was so confident that God would bring the Jewish people to faith that he broke into song: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”(Romans 11:33) As we will be reminded this week: Theology leads to doxology. My prayer for us is that as we continue to study these deep and difficult things, God will lead us higher into His mercy. Mercy that is deeper than our sin, mercy that none of us can earn or repay, mercy that is wider than our narrow assumptions, and mercy that stretches across generations to reach Jews and Gentiles through Christ Jesus. May our worship be focused this week on the One who is merciful! Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    The Mystery Of Mercy

  8. Aug 25

    Ingrafted Branches

    Have you ever had your plans subverted or thwarted? You had an idea in mind that suddenly became something different? As we study Romans 11:11-24 together this week, Paul reminds us that Israel’s stumbling did not derail God’s plan. Instead, the gospel went out to the Gentiles and showed that God was at work to accomplish His saving purposes. What appeared to be a dead end became another avenue for grace. God is never surprised, defeated, or forced to improvise.  Yet the inclusion of the Gentiles is not a reason for pride. Paul says that Gentile believers are like wild branches grafted into a cultivated olive tree. We don’t support the root; the root supports us. We are only able to stand by faith, we are nourished by promises we did not create, and we are welcomed into a covenant family we did not deserve.  Because of this, we are called to humility and perseverance. We should never look down on those who are presently far from God, because we were once far off ourselves. The God who grafted us in is also able to restore those who have been broken off. No one is beyond the reach of His mercy, and no believer has room to boast.  As we will see, because God’s grace is abundant, we should never treat it casually. We are called to remain in His kindness, trusting Christ, and bearing fruit. The proper response to grace is not arrogance or presumption, but gratitude and dependence upon the One who holds every branch.  I look forward to seeing you this week! Grace & Peace,  Pastor Aaron

    Ingrafted Branches
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Welcome to Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church! We'd love to worship with you. Check out this podcast for weekly sermon series, devotionals, and book reviews. Our 175-year history reminds us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We who are part of this historic congregation today are indebted in countless ways to the faith of those who have gone before us. As recipients of this godly heritage and stewards of the gospel, we tirelessly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ so that the generations that come after us will experience the joy of knowing, loving, and serving

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