The Reformed view of the order of salvation states that when a person believes on Jesus as the Messiah, it is because he has already been born again by God. Or, as it is often put more briefly: regeneration precedes faith.
For some, being reformed is simply another way of saying that you hold to the Calvinist view of salvation, believing what are often called the “doctrines of grace.” Others take reformed to mean that you hold to one of the confessions written and approved by traditionally reformed churches.
How often do we get comfortable in our church with people we are used to seeing every week? How do we typically respond when someone comes in and disrupts the order of things? Our reaction to such reveals the true state of our heart.
When I think of our church, I don’t envision a building or organization, but rather people who know the Lord and want to serve Him.
By showing gratitude to Yahweh for their miraculous deliverance, the Israelite fathers would help guard themselves and their children from straying into forgetfulness and apostasy.