Reformed Baptist Church of Tama

Reformed Baptist Church of Tama Sunday Morning Prayer Meeting—9:15-10:00am
Sunday School—10:00-10:30am
Sunday Morning Worship—11:00am
Sunday Afternoon Worship—2:00pm

One of Screwtape's strategies for his nephew Wormwood was not to keep his patient from church altogether, but to ensure ...
04/20/2026

One of Screwtape's strategies for his nephew Wormwood was not to keep his patient from church altogether, but to ensure he only attended once he found the perfect one. The man should go to church, but always on his own terms, constantly scanning for faults and measuring the congregation against some ideal in his head. If Wormwood can convince him to hold out for the perfect church, he will never find it.

This does several things:

- It keeps him from committing anywhere.
- It feeds pride, placing him in judgment over the church rather than under it.
- It cuts him off from real Christian fellowship, which requires patience and humility.
- It trains his attention on trivial concerns rather than the substance of worship.

The goal is to keep him sitting back, critiquing and comparing, and ultimately detached from any actual body where he is known and corrected.

This pattern seems apparent today in how people consume online discourse. Podcasts and social media raise expectations that no local pastor or congregation can realistically meet. The subject becomes doctrinally opinionated and ecclesiastically rootless, which ends up being a disaster for the patient.

I was recently part of a conversation with a man who avoids church entirely because no congregation is sufficiently "based" in his area. "Most are compromised," he said, and he was actively encouraging others toward the same conclusion. Honestly, Screwtape could not have scripted it better.

HT:

"The irony is this: when we are most tempted not to come and worship, we are most in need of that which worship alone ca...
03/04/2026

"The irony is this: when we are most tempted not to come and worship, we are most in need of that which worship alone can accomplish" (22).

We also err by judging prematurely. "He that believeth maketh not haste." If a man engaged to accomplish a great work in...
01/06/2026

We also err by judging prematurely. "He that believeth maketh not haste." If a man engaged to accomplish a great work in ten years, would it be right to decide concerning it at the end of ten days or ten weeks? God did not pronounce judgment upon his own creation till it was done: " God saw every thing that he had made; and behold, it was very good." The end will not only crown all, but explain all; and produce not only satisfaction, but praise. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come. And the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. And blessed are all they that wait for him. In the meanwhile, there is a substitute for the explanations of heaven. It is, in the absence of sight to walk by faith. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. But by believing we enter into rest; and the peace of God which passeth all understanding, keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Under the influence of this faith, let us look at his promises—let us think of his perfections—let us review his wonders of old—above all, let us keep near the cross. All our discouragements and perplexities originate in our departure from this. God forbid we should glory in any thing else! It not only opens the kingdom of heaven to all believers. but it is the key to unlock the dispensations of Providence. "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" God of love, thou shalt have all the future confidence of our hearts:

"Our cares, we give ye to the wind,
And shake you off like dust;
Well may we trust our all with Him
With whom our souls we trust."

~William Jay

“…Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2………."Great God, on what a slender thr...
01/04/2026

“…Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2

……….

"Great God, on what a slender thread
Hang everlasting things!
The eternal state of all the dead
Upon life's feeble strings!"

But this "now" takes in, as distinguished from life at large, every period peculiarly favorable to religion. Youth is such a period. The young have fewer of the cares that perplex and engross us as we plunge deeper into the concerns of this life. Their hearts, though evil, are not yet hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Their consciences, though defiled, are not yet seared as with a hot iron. Their memories, though limited, are not yet choked up with the lumber of the world. Their affections are warm; their strength is firm; their connections are as yet optional; life is fresh; nature is inviting; and amidst all these advantages, Grace says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth; while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation."

~William Jay

12/07/2025

Having been up shoveling and snowblowing the driveway this morning I think that it will be best not to have services at Reformed Baptist of Tama this morning. The plows have not been by my street at all yet. May the Lord give you all a good Lord's Day today at home. This will be the first time in 22 years that we have called off services 2 Sundays in a row.

12/04/2025

God's will in election took place 'before the foundation of the world' (Eph. 1:4), and in His sovereignty He bends all things - people, places, plagues, and power
- toward accomplishing His purposes.

~Ronni Kurtz

Ryle taught that Sunday should be dedicated to the pursuit of godliness. It was a day for "holy rest" and for "quiet, so...
12/01/2025

Ryle taught that Sunday should be dedicated to the pursuit of godliness. It was a day for "holy rest" and for "quiet, sober meditation on eternal things." Time focused on God and the gospel should never be gloomy or wearisome, but was likely to be "the brightest, cheerfullest day of all the seven," he rejoiced. "It is not a yoke, but a blessing ... not a burden, but a mercy." One of the best ways to benefit from the Sabbath, Ryle suggested in an earlier sermon in 1845 to the young men of Helmingham parish, was always to attend gospel preaching and "let your place in church never be empty." "Sabbaths are a foretaste and fragment of heaven," he told them.
"The man who finds them a burden, and not a privilege, may be sure that his heart stands in need of a mighty change." Sabbath observance promotes Christian growth, Ryle insisted. Conversely, Sabbath neglect leads to diminution in the Christian life. Indeed, there was an easy flight of downward steps from "no Sabbath" to "no God."He exhorted the young men of Helmingham:
Once give over caring for the Sabbath, and in the end you will give over caring for your soul.... Begin with not honouring God's day, and you will soon not honour God's house-cease to honour God's house, and you will soon cease to honour God's book-cease to honour God's book, and bye and bye you will give God no honour at all.

11/30/2025

We have cancelled the services for tomorrow at RBC Tama due to 10 inches of snow and the 20 mile an hour blowing winds tonight. May you worship the Lord at home tomorrow and delight yourselves in Him. May the Lord be with you all.

11/30/2025

🔔 🔔 🔔

Because the Lord has sent heavy snow (Job 37:6) and prudence calls for it (Proverbs 22:3), we will cancel our gatherings tomorrow (11/31). The Lord establishes our steps (Proverbs 16:9), and we trust His wise providence in all things.
As you worship from home, rest in this promise: ‘This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24).

🔔 🔔 🔔

“Sabbath days and Sabbath work are a burden to carnal hearts, which are always afraid of doing too much for God and eter...
11/18/2025

“Sabbath days and Sabbath work are a burden to carnal hearts, which are always afraid of doing too much for God and eternity. Can we spend our time better than in communication with God? And how much time do we spend pleasantly with the world? Will not the Sabbath be gone before we have finished its work and reaped its benefits? Why then should we be in such a hurry to part with it?”

- Matthew Henry on Amos 8:5-6

Address

701 State Street
Tama, IA
52339

Opening Hours

9:30am - 3pm

Telephone

(641) 484-4467

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Reformed Baptist Church of Tama posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Reformed Baptist Church of Tama:

Shortcuts

Share

Category