Reformation Church
Boerne, Texas (San Antonio area)
"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jer. 6:16

"The focus of corporate worship should be on what God has done and is doing rather than what we have done or are doing. "Worship" is God-centered but "celebration" is man-centered." --Dr. Kenneth Talbot, President, Whitefield Seminary

"...the whole substance of Christianity (is) a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is worshiped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we may glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and vain." -- John Calvin

Please worship with us this Lord's Day, Sunday, 11:10 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, I-10 at exit 540 (New Braunfels/Bandera Rd. exit). (830) 249-6800

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All Of The Bible For All Of Life

The Conservative Alternative
Reformed in Doctrine AND Worship

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Dear Friend,

Thank you for visiting our website. I hope you find what you are looking for in our church.

If you want a church that believes the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God, a church that first and foremost desires to please the Lord rather than entertain people, a church that searches the Bible for commandments for not only what to believe but how to worship, then you have come to the right place.

As the Rev. Charles Spurgeon put it so well,

"The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the Church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them...providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the Church...

"The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men aflame."

As you can guess, in our culture a church that both preaches the pure Word of God and worships according to the Lord's clear instructions is small. Just as in Biblical times, today most people go to church for entertaining preachers, emotional music and support groups.

The Holy Spirit predicted this, warning, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (II Timothy 4:3-4).

Yet He instructs His pastors not to worry about this. We are simply to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (II Timothy 4:2).

"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jer. 6:16

We try to be faithful to that, and all of the Lord's commandments, at Reformation Church.

Please call (830-895-5045) or e-mail me if you have any questions.

Blessings in Christ,

W. J. Mencarow
Pastor

We are currently in the midst of a sermon series on the Book of Revelation. The approach is the historic Protestant understanding of the book. Most people have never heard Revelation explained in this way. Yet it is how the Protestant church has understood it for centuries until recently.

Please worship with us this Lord's Day.

If you would like to hear the sermons already preached in this series, click here.

Q. Are you part of any of the mainline denominations (the Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA), Methodist, etc.)?

A. No.

Q. Why not?

A. Because we believe the Bible is inerrant (without error) and infallible (incapable of error), because its author is the inerrant and infallible Triune God, the Lord.

We are Biblically-based (a.k.a. Reformed) both in doctrine AND worship.

Most churches today are less and less Biblically faithful in their doctrine and more and more liberal in their worship. The two go hand-in-hand.

Even the more conservative evangelical and Reformed churches, which try to be faithful to the Bible in their doctrine, often do not appear to apply God's Word to their worship. If the Apostle Paul were to visit some of their churches he would be appalled at their man-centered worship. Rather than asking, "How does our Lord command us to worship Him?" these churches often ask, "How will our worship attract more people to our church?"

While we zealously believe in evangelism (such as www.biblesunbound.com), growth is not the focus of Reformation Church. Glorifying the Lord is.

We believe the Bible teaches that the answer to all problems, whether international, national, societal, familial or individual, is faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

We do not believe the Bible teaches that more education, more tax money or more social activism is the answer to any problem.

In modern terms, we are Biblically faithful, in theology and thus in worship and in all other areas of life. Rather than being P.C., Politically Correct, we want to be B.C., Biblically Correct.

We try to live our lives in accordance with what the Bible teaches, not the latest social fad. Thus we believe in evangelism, man's responsibility to God and his need for the only true Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that man is put on earth to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. We believe that the Lord created the universe in six 24-hour days because God's Word, the Bible, plainly says so (as do our subordinated standards, the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms). This is a fundamental truth, taught in the very beginning verses of the very first book of the Bible. All sorts of heresies spring from a denial of creation in six 24-hour days.

In terms of today's issues, we believe the Bible teaches childbirth and adoption, never abortion, and that marriage is a blessing between one man and one woman, not two men or two women.

We believe the Bible teaches that only men are to be ordained to church office.

We believe the Bible does not permit the ordination of anyone who is in habitual, unrepentant sin, which includes all sins including the sin of homosexuality.

We believe the Bible teaches that the civil laws of every nation should enforce the laws of God -- every one of the 10 Commandments (not just a couple of the last four) should be the foundation of the civil laws.

We believe when Jesus taught us to pray "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" that He reminded us of a truth that the Bible teaches from cover to cover: God's will will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. His will is clearly not that Satan rules, that the earth fall more and more into sin and degradation, but that His will be done on earth "as it is," that is, in the same way, that is it is done in heaven. So rather than the earth getting worse and worse, His will is that the earth will get better and better, as the Holy Spirit working through the Body of Christ, God's elect on earth, obey the Dominion Covenant of Gen. 1:28. Despite how discouraging things may seem, the Christian takes heart in the Lord's promises.

It's not easy for us, living in a tiny sliver of time, to take the long-term view and see the steady advance of the Gospel over human history. But think about this: How many Christians were there 2,000 years ago? How many are there today?

Sola Scriptura ~ Solus Christus ~ Sola Gratia ~ Sola Fide ~ Sola Deo Gloria

Those were the watchwords of the Protestant Reformation, which called God's people back to the Christianity of the Bible. They are the watchwords of Reformation Presbyterian Church.

SOLA SCRIPTURA means "Scripture (the Bible) Alone." "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The Bible teaches that God is the ultimate Author of its every word. Therefore the Bible is inerrant (without error) and infallible (incapable of error), because God is inerrant and infallible. God has written no other books. The Bible therefore is the only message from heaven, and we are to diligently study and obey it. The Bible is how God speaks to us. It is to rule in the church and in our lives as absolute divine authority. Thus, Sola Scriptura.

SOLUS CHRISTUS means"Christ Alone." "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

God's perfect justice demands our perfect obedience. But we all know none of us is perfect. We were born sinners and we continue to sin. And the penalty for sin, the Bible teaches, is death -- eternal suffering in hell. Who then can be saved from this?

The Bible records the life of Jesus Christ, who never sinned. Not even His enemies could bring a true charge against Him, and they knew it. He offered His perfect life to God the Father as payment for the sins of His people, and the Father accepted it. Christ accepted the death penalty in the place of His people. He went through the agony of the worst punishment, suffering and death man invented, and when He died He spent the equivalent of an eternity in hell. But death could not hold Him. He rose again and lives forevermore to make intercession with God the Father for His people.

This is the good news of the Bible.

Those who reject His sacrifice as the punishment for their sins are telling God that they want to remain responsible before God for their sins. And God will grant them what they have asked for. They do not want Christ to take their punishment upon Himself. They want to be judged for their own sins, and so they will. The Bible says that even one sin condemns you. Therefore they will be found guilty. They will be in hell, in unimaginable suffering -- forever.

The Bible teaches that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Christ alone is to be trusted for salvation -- no one else. Not Allah, not Mohammed, not Mary, not Krishna, not baptism, church attendance, good deeds...and not yourself. Thus, Solus Christus.

SOLA GRATIA means "Grace Alone." "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Bible teaches that salvation is solely by the grace of God. "Salvation" means saving a person from what we all deserve for our sins -- eternal hell -- and instead that person goes to heaven when they die. "Sin" is when we break God's law and go our own way in spite of what we know God commands us to do. "Grace" means that God decided to save that person in spite of the countless times he or she has sinned and no matter what evil things that person has committed. Remember that the Apostle Paul once made a living by persecuting Christians!

No matter what you have done, God knows it all. When you receive Christ, He forgives it all.

"Works" are anything we do or try to do, self-effort of any kind. We are to do good works, but they are the result of salvation, not the cause. Justification (being declared righteous by God) is by faith in Christ alone. Not by baptism, not by going to church every Sunday, not by going to Sunday school, not by receiving the sacraments, not by praying, not by reading the Bible, not even by being a "good person." Nothing Mother Teresa or anyone else ever did earned them even a whisper of salvation. It is all of God's grace.

Jesus was once asked what a person needs to do to be saved. In other words, what good deeds, and how many good deeds, does God require? You can read about it in the gospel of John, chapter 6. In answer to the question, He said that there is only one good deed that God accepts to save you, and it is this: Believe on the one whom He has sent. That One, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. If you believe in Him, trust in His suffering and death as taking upon Himself the full punishment for what you deserve for your sins, past, present and future, you will be saved.

Thus, Sola Gratia.

SOLA FIDE means"Faith Alone." "A man is not justified by the works of the law [any good deeds or "religious" behavior] but by faith in Jesus Christ...for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2:16).

Most people believe that God has a huge balance scale. When you die he piles all the good things on one side and all the bad on the other and sees how the scale tips -- one way you go to heaven, the other way you go to hell. They figure that since they haven't done anything really bad, like murder, they'll make it.

The problem is, you can't find that anywhere in the Bible. The Bible teaches only one way to heaven, and it has nothing to do with balance scales and good deeds. The Bible teaches that it is your faith in Christ and what He has done that saves you -- your faith that Christ took upon Himself the punishment for your sins. God's gift of faith in Jesus Christ is the only way you will get to heaven and the only way you will glorify God on earth.

Faith is a gift from God. Ask Him to give you saving faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Thus, Sola Fide.

SOLA DEO GLORIA means "The Glory of God Alone." "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31).

The focus of the Protestant Reformation and of Reformation Church is God's glory, to focus and proclaim the greatness and grandeur of the God of the Bible. It is God, not ourself, who belongs at the center of our thoughts and our view of the world. And it is God's glory alone that is to occupy first place in our motivations and desires as His children. He created us and the world for Himself, and He redeemed us for His pleasure. He commanded us to subdue and have dominion over the entire earth as His caretakers of creation (Gen. 1:28).

God has planned and is in control of all of history. All of history is moving toward one goal: The conquering of the world and it's nations by Jesus Christ ("Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet." -- I Cor. 15:24-25). Christians are called to bring the nations to bow before Christ the King (Mt. 28:19), which the Bible promises will happen before the end of history!

Our purpose therefore is to glorify HIM! We are to do this in everything -- our worship, our marriage, raising our children, our work, our friendships, our thoughts, our hobbies, our investments, our words, our opinions, our voting -- every aspect of our lives is ultimately for one purpose and one purpose only, to the glory of God. Thus, Sola Deo Gloria.

These doctrines form the foundation of Reformation Church. We warmly welcome you to worship the Lord with us and learn more about how we are to live our lives to His glory. For more details, click here.

Questions? Scroll to the top of the page and click on all the resources in the left-hand margin. If you still have questions, call or write Pastor Mencarow at 830-895-5045 or click to e-mail.

Please worship with us this Lord's Day, Sunday, 11:10 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, I-10 at exit 540 (New Braunfels/Bandera exit). (830) 249-6800

Why is a confession/creed necessary for every church? Click here.

* The Westminster Standards are often thought to be just the Westminster Confession, the Shorter Catechism and the Larger Catechism. Those are only part of the work of the Westminster Assembly. It also produced The Form Of Presbyterial Church Government, The Directory For The Public Worship Of God, and reaffirmed the National Covenant and the Solemn League And Covenant. We also receive as subordinate standards The Directory For Family Worship (Church of Scotland, 1647), the Sum of Saving Knowledge and A Solemn Acknowledgement Of The Public Sins And Breaches Of The Covenant. Click here to read these subordinate standards.

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"With the exception of
the formal principle of the Reformation, namely, the truth of the Scriptures, the basis of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the Trinity. Nothing is more fundamental." -- Dr. Gordon Clark

"When the greatest part of a Church makes defection from the Truth, the lesser part remaining sound, the greatest part is the Church of Separatists." -- Samuel Rutherford, Due Right of Presbyteries

"My brethren, discard forever with detestation and abhorrence any doctrine which would lead you to think that any work, or grace, anything just, pure, lovely, or of good report, in man, is of man himself.

"Depend upon it, though it come to you in the garb of earnestness, and paint its cheeks, and look fair enough to you, it is the harlot of Popery in another dress. Only let such doctrine be pushed to its fair conclusion, and you come at once to salvation by works.

"Ever stand by the good old Calvinistic banner, the banner which Augustine waved of old, and which Paul handed down to us direct from our master Jesus; and hold, believe, and affirm, never swerving from it, that all things in the new creation are of God." -- Charles .H. Spurgeon, from the sermon "High Doctrine," June 3rd, 1860