October 5, 2025
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
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Deuteronomy 6:5 says "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." This is a strange command. First, to call someone "LORD" means we acknowledge ourselves to be the servants of the said LORD. Thus we naturally expect "You shall serve the LORD…" rather than "You shall love the LORD…" Second, it feels odd to command love when we all know that love is a feeling that comes and goes, and usually without our saying in the matter.
Well, we are quite mistaken. Love is not a fleeting emotion. Love is a choice. When we love someone, we make a deliberate decision to honor and to cherish that person. To love means to make a commitment to give priority to that person before all others, and to seek the good of that person before all other competing demands placed on us. To love means to make a choice, and the only way we can love well is to constantly make that choice with faithfulness.
And it is absolutely fitting that the command is to love rather than to serve. After all, we can go through the external motions of service without love in the heart. But the LORD looks into our heart, and the works of service done without love for him are of no value or interest to the LORD.
That is, "You shall love the LORD…" demands something far deeper than our emotions. It demands that we give ourselves unreservedly to God, and to make God our highest priority and the unrivaled treasure of our hearts. Do you love the LORD?
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Growth Resources
This year: Please see the full list of 2025 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
In October we are reading "The Bondage of the Will" by Martin Luther. We also encourage you to watch a helpful introduction to the book by Robert Godfrey and Stephen Nichols.
This week: We are reflecting upon Shorter Catechism Qs. 40–42.
Everyday: Noted pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson posts a short reflection every day, each around 5 minutes long. "Things Unseen" cover various aspects of the Christian life, worship, and theological topics in a very accessible and edifying way. We encourage you to incorporate this into your daily life. Please see this page for more information. There you will find links to various podcast platforms as well as YouTube page.
Upcoming Events and Notices
October 5 (Lord's Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith" Ch. 61, "Atonement."
October 8 (Wednesday 7 PM): The Survey of the Pentateuch will resume with highlights from the book of Leviticus over Zoom. Meeting ID: 884 9003 6844.
October 12 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for the monthly fellowship meal after the worship service.
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).