ERBC is a small church made up of believers from Heckington
and surrounding areas. We meet together each week to the worship
the Lord in order that we might "give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name"
(Psalm 29:2).
Please take time to read the pages on this website and learn a little more
about us and more essentially about our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to get in
touch with us. Our Feedback Form (tab on the right of page) is an ideal
way to do this. May be we will see you at one of our services in the future.
New pages will regularly be added to this site while others will be
updated. Note also our Events Diary (please use tab on the right),
which will highlight special days of ministry throughout the year. So be sure
to access this site often.
It is our prayer that ERBC will be a place where the LORD is worshipped,
saints are edified and where sinners might hear and obey the call of the
Gospel. May all be to the glory of God!
In the Lord's Service,
Pastor Peter Cotton
peter@reformed-baptist.co.uk
ERBC is at least four things:
1) It is called Ebenezer
The word Ebenezer means a "stone of help". It is found in 1 Samuel 7:12. There we read, that "Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us". The occasion was a signal defeat of the Philistines. We are told, "the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel" (1 Samuel 7:10).
As a church we understand we can do nothing of ourselves. The battle is the LORD's. Our name thus reminds us of our complete dependency upon Him as we battle against the world, the flesh and the devil.
2) It is Reformed
When we say that our church is reformed we mean that our beliefs and practices are reformed according to Scripture. As such we trumpet Scripture Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, God's Glory Alone and hold dearly to what are commonly understood as the Five Points of Calvinism or TULIP. Moreover, our worship is to conform to the LORD's revealed will, otherwise known as the Regulative Principle. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was an historical movement when believers broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and made Scripture the standard for their beliefs and practices.
3) It is Baptist
Many people think that the primary concern of a Baptist is with the administration of the baptismal act. In actual fact, Baptists are first and foremost concerned about the spiritual nature of the church. The actual practice of baptism is then shaped by this and understood in the light of New Testament teaching. We believe that baptism is only to be undertaken by those "who actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ"1. In this act a person is identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. Furthermore, it is "a sign of his being engrafted into Christ; of remission [forgiveness] of sins; and that of a person's giving up of himself to God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life".2
4) It is a Church
The Greek word for church in the New Testament is "ekklesia". It is derived from two Greek words. The first is kaleo, meaning to call, and the second word is ek meaning out. These two parts together were often used of "an assembly duly summoned", or "a called out assembly". As Baptists it is our conviction that the church of Jesus Christ is composed of those who have been born again by the Holy Ghost and who have been brought to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is basic to church membership. We thereby reject any concept that equates a church with a nation, for membership of the church of Christ is not based on the privilege of birth either into a nation or into a Christian family.
Jesus said, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it."
Matthew 16:18
1-2See the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689
