THE FIRST PURITAN ASSEMBLY OF COLUMBUS OH
in the Reformed Tradition of the Anglican-Calvinist, most closely allied with the Baptist and the Presbyterian
The Reverend Dr. Thomas Sovík, V.D.M., Senior Pastor
pastor@firstpuritan.com (or) 380-260-0408 – Tuesday thru Sunday[1]
Mailing: 3971 Hoover Road PMB 189, Grove City, OH 43123
“The Puritan’s Hourglass” (our weekly Sabbath lesson) is posted “live” at 12:00 Sunday on 95.9 FM Christian Radio but recordings may be accessed 24/7 not only “there” but on this website as well as on Facebook, YouTube, GodTube, iTunes, Spotify, & Google Play.
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Today, radical alternatives to Christianity—under the banner of the Socialist Left, “Progressive” Christianity, or “Woke” Christianity and for however subtle in the pulpit—espouse a Christianity that “abandons traditional biblical interpretations regarding marriage, gender, racial equality, justice, original sin, heaven and hell and salvation, and replaces them within a new fabricated morality, built around political correctness, cancel culture, hedonistic values, obsession with public health, allegiance to the Leftist state, universalism, and virtue signaling.”[2]
Yet Truth must be fed to the sinner if salvation is to be his end, and Truth is the ware that the Puritan Divine—a mighty and terrible defender of the Word of God with no interest in making the sinner “feel good” about himself with nonsense about how man will not be held to the measure of God’s Law or about how “God is a God of infinite forgiveness” without the companion predicate of “God is also a God of unimaginable wrath and fury.”
Salvation is the ware of the Puritan Divine—he who would preach that Christ did not come to forgive sin but to call us to conviction and repentance, and to make right that which we have made wrong , so that then—and only then—might our sin be forgiven.
The boldest of preaching is most needed when people will not tolerate Truth and when the church has so compromised the message of the Gospel that it makes no sense for us to attend church at all. What is believed and preached in so many of our churches no longer makes those in the pew tremble and weep; rather, “church” has become the altar of cheap promises not ever made by God, dressed in smells, bells, entertainment, cantatas, testimonials, sharing, hugs and handshakes, and stories of “animals two-by-two” all-the-while allowing the stench of sin to waft through the Assembly.
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, however, will be neither canceled nor “woke’d” nor silenced, nor will the Law of God be rewritten to accommodate the will of man.
THE PULPIT
Today we find ourselves at the beginning of the End Times, with Christians persecuted for speaking out against sin while our society embraces behaviors that are expressly forbidden by the Creator. Rome, as well as many of our Protestant denominations, now support behaviors that are in direct conflict to Scripture and have become churches of man’s want and desire rather than churches of God’s Law. And “Christians” in the pew—so woefully weak in their knowledge of Scripture (and thus in their fear of God)—have allowed their 21st-century churches to become churches into which God may no longer wish to intrude.
We have come to this state by the cowardice of self-serving dandies in the pulpit who peddle the Devil’s compromise and by the dullard and the disinterested in the pew. But sin is not to be soft-pedaled. Eternal souls hang in the balance, and a Guardian of the Word of God cannot be silent, retreat, or apologize. Neither can he abide by false teaching.
Even as we witness the breakdown of the church—a church itself responsible for the breakdown of the moral and civic fabric of a once-great nation—we are called to stand for Christ. This call, like the call to Salvation, is radical. It is made neither to everyone nor for everyone.
The pulpit at First Puritan will not hesitate to preach against the cancer of evil that cripples our society, against a society and its government that rewrite the Word of God to accommodate worldly desire, against churches that sit idly on the sideline, and against the sins that you yourself commit behind closed doors when you think that no one is watching . . . not even God.
The pulpit at First Puritan is not one to preach a modernist progressive Gospel or one loathe to call out the sins of the nation and of our nation’s leaders; neither is it a pulpit too embarrassed (for fear of “offending someone”) to address the awkward questions that go beyond Jedidiah and animals two-by-two; neither is it a pulpit too afraid to preach the Word of God for fear of being “canceled” by those who seek to conform the church to their fallen image.
Our pulpit is one to focus on practical theology, with get-to-the-point discussions about what God says about sex, love, marriage & divorce, money, stress, depression, loneliness, and the uncertainty of living in a post-Christian society, and it is a pulpit unafraid to address the sins of fornication, adultery, abortion, unlawful divorce and unlawful remarriage, and the abomination of same-sex relationships that we Christians have allowed to reshape the moral code of a nation formerly “One Nation Under God.”
If you want Biblical answers and you are ready for HARD 19th-century conservative preaching that throws political correctness under the bus, and ready for preaching that is not afraid to draw the line between good and evil and right and wrong according to the Word of God, whether you are seeking a church home of people “just like you” or whether you’re still struggling with the question of whether God even exists and you want to be in a place where it’s okay to even ask such a question, please know that you are welcome in this Assembly.
THE “CHURCH”
Many believe—or so we would be led to believe from church practice—that “church” requires a stone building, a marble altar, a church mortgage with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, tithes, tax forms, rituals, saints, smells, bells, indulgences, good works, the Fall gun raffle, the Friday fish-fry, the Saturday-night bingo, and the eight-minute Sunday sermon,
a church led by a master-of-ceremonies draped in ornate clerical dress and drenched in so much ritual as to make one think he walked directly out of Exodus 28—a Jewish priest in the descendant-line of Aaron, meeting some Levitical requirement that even Jesus Himself did not meet.
At First Puritan, we believe that there is only a single condition necessary for communal worship; that singular condition is that we have two or three gathered in His name. This is all that is needed for “church.” The argument that a church needs buildings and playgrounds, bank accounts, tax-exempt status, and “dollars-in-the-bank” is absurd.
(Inside the Walls)
First Puritan meets as a conventicle[3] for prayer, fellowship, and food (or) the Lord’s Supper at “six bells” (7:00 p.m.)[4]The four times of Sabbath worship at First Puritan are fixed at “six bells”—with the Saturday-evening service held at 7:00 p.m., the Sunday-morning service at 7:00 a.m., midday service at 11:00 a.m., and the Sabbath-ending service at 3:00 p.m. (as the Puritans were Sabbatarians, keeping—as does the Jew—the whole Sabbath, from sundown to sundown, rather than the cursory “one-hour Sabbath” to which our current pulpiteers have allowed us to become accustomed). See “A Faith of Precise Person, Place, Date, and Time,” in Twelve Sabbaths in the Puritan Pulpit.
Audio files of the lesson with “mouseovers” (click on the verse number to be taken to its text, with optional reading in multiple translations), as well as text-transcriptions with extensive footnotes and sources, are available for download to your laptop, CD, flash drive, or cell phone.
Opportunities to participate in the life of church—whether as a pew-sitter or if attending by eChurch—are available via of Ask!” and “Table-Talk”[5](see below), accessible from this landing page.
(Food & Fellowship)
Although the Puritans would have celebrated none of the Catholic or Anglican “holy days,” we do gather for prayer, fellowship, and food on twelve Particular Days of Fellowship and on three Particular Days of Civil Religion.[6]
Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th-century preacher (a Particular Baptist-Calvinist), taught that so often the best way to call a soul to Christ is by way of a ham sandwich. So come (and bring a friend!) to First Puritan on one of our Particular Days so that you or he or she might be drawn to Christ through that ham sandwich.
Each and every one of us is a sinner and, while we may not fully agree in theology or politics or lifestyle, all of us do like to eat. And so everyone is invited to “come as you are” and to “come hungry” to the house of God to sup and to hear what God has to say.
There is but one caveat, however, applied to both teaching and fellowship. We are not here to “argue” about what God says; we are here to hear and to honor what God says. If you would like to know where the promise or the prohibition appears in Scripture, we would be happy to direct you to that particular chapter and verse; if, however, you wish simply to argue so that you can “have it your way” and to remain in your fallen state, we’ll ask that you and God take it out to the schoolyard.
(Outside the Walls)
In the counseling office: Despite the Law of God being absolutely clear in the matters of divorce and remarriage, our society is rife with emotionally destructive marriages and with sexual betrayals and extramarital affairs now brushed aside, “legalized,” and presented as “entertainment” on our televisions and in our movies.
The primary external ministry at First Puritan offers hope and comfort to those who have been damaged in their Covenant relationship by the pain of dissatisfaction, abandonment, the emotionally destructive marriage, or an extramarital affair and sexual betrayal.
If your marriage is spiraling out of control, we invite you to call 380-260-0408 at any time of the day or night.
In addition to providing intensive counseling to couples (see Marriage-Divorce), the church supports long-weekend retreats in the faith that our Heavenly Father will use this “alone time” to extend His and of mercy to couples who have made their mistakes, who now find themselves at “the other end” of their marriage Covenant, and who seek forgiveness and a new beginning in Christ Jesus.
This ministry is not one, however, of what God “suggests” but one of what God commands what must within the marriage, what must be done if a divorce occurs, and under what circumstance the departing spouse must be received back into Covenant no matter how difficult the reconciliation might be.
In the streets: We are actively engaged in an street ministry called the “Spurgeon Drive-By,” calling souls to Christ by our feeding of the poor per section 2305.37 of the Ohio Revised Code.
In the prisons: We support prison ministries at various correctional facilities in Ohio, providing not only comfort and spiritual advice but such commissary items as food (including Spurgeon’s trademark ham sandwich), personal items, gloves, hats, shoes, etc.
THE WEBSITE
In the first set of widgets (the big circles on this landing page) you will find general information about First Puritan and about the “The Puritans,” a link to a summary of our worship and fellowship services, and a link to “Hosea’s Call,” our marital-counseling ministry.
In the second set widgets you’ll find our Statement of Faith and a pastor’s welcome, a link to “Ask! Anything!”—where you can ask, “anonymously,” whatever question that would shame a sailor, and a link to “Table Talk”—an opportunity to participate in a fast-paced roundtable discussion group to voice your opinions as a budding radio personality.
The third set of widgets provides a two-year preaching schedule, the most-recent lesson with “mouseovers” (click on the verse number to be taken to its text, with optional reading in multiple translations) and text-transcriptions with extensive footnotes and sources, and a link to the archive of previous lessons.
The fourth set of widgets links to the latest series—delivered on special occasions—with the lesson typically delivered in a set of three: morning, afternoon, and evening; when the series is completed, its lessons will likewise be moved to the archive.
The fifth set of widgets links to a “Search a Topic” that will take you to a previous lesson, a quick answer, or a spirited discussion among a group of feisty women not shy about expressing their opinions.
And, finally, as “the bottom line”—the sixth set of widgets links to our inaugural “State of the Assembly” address in which the minister not only details his understanding of theology but sets the tone of his ministry, explaining where he hopes to lead the Assembly and how his people are going to get there, addressing how and where the preaching should be done, the ordinances, tithes & offerings, and the Great Commission. The “practical” workings of First Puritan are thus contained in this three-part address; a Table of Content is provided.
REGISTER (to Actually “Do” Something)
Note the tab, at the top of the page, to “Register.”
Registration will enable you—as a registered “visitor” (without any commitment to “membership”)—to receive church announcements related to our Assembly, receive invitations to our Particular Days of Fellowship and Particular Days of Civil Religion as well as to other events, schedule a pastoral visit, and to make arrangements to receive the ordinances, rites, and covenants.
In addition, registration will enable you receive a link to this weeks’ lesson directly to your inbox, receive free advance copies of Dr. Tom’s publications, receive updates related to our publications and external ministries, get discounts (as you’re now a member of “the inner circle”), comment, ask questions, and even participate in critiques, surveys, and contests.
And so . . . WELCOME ABOARD!
Please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to meet with Dr. Sovík for that ham sandwich and a cup of coffee.
Download the icon for First Puritan to the home screen of your cell phone (if you need help, simply ask) so you can get in touch and stay in touch.[7]
And if you find yourself being called to serve God by way of this ministry, please let us know. The work is much, the time is short, the hands are few . . . and the outcome will matter for an eternity.
The legal stuff: Although not required in most cases, attributions and sources for all images used on this website may be found at Images. If there is an error in attribution or licensing, etc., please notify the TOTS so that we can immediately address the oversight, with apologies.
Please be aware that the content, images, and audio files on this website are under various levels of copyright protection and may not be downloaded, copied, reposted, or forwarded without permission.
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[1] Because priests and ministers are generally occupied with services, preaching, hospital visits, etc., on Saturday and Sunday, many in the clergy take “Monday” to keep the Sabbath.
[2] Lucas Miles, Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity (Humanix Books, 2023), xiii.
[3] At the time of the English Puritan, a “conventicle” was a secret gathering of Christians who were perceived to be “subversive to order in the realm” and outlawed by an English government that sought to force everyone to worship either as a good Catholic or a good Protestant (depending on which group held the throne). Emphasizing prayer and the reading and unfolding of Scripture, with its application to the lives of those present, the conventicle was the “small-enough” vehicle by which the Separatist Protestant (later Puritan) matured in Christian faith. In short, the 17th-century “conventicle” was a church at the polar end of the impersonal mega-church or even the typical brick-and-mortar church of the 21st century—with the conventicle meeting under the authority of Matthew 18:20 (For where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them), gathering together either in the home of a local noble or estate holder, in a barn, at lakeside, or even “under the stars.” See “Our Place in the Protestant Canoe,” in Twelve Sabbaths in the Puritan Pulpit.
While we have not (yet) returned to a time in our society when we must stand guard with our muskets lest “the government” imprison us for our faith, and while many of today’s ministers don’t have the courage or the voice and while many of today’s pew-sitters would not tolerate such an “inconvenience,” we find it useful to have an occasional lesson preached “in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8) or “under the stars,” or while the minister speaks from “one of the boats” (The Barking Dog, or The Diet of Worms, or The Topless Annie) to adults and children sitting on the shoreline in lawn chairs or on blankets. See “The Stubble-Goose, Blackberries, and the New Woke Jesus,” in Twelve Sabbaths in the Puritan PulpitThe four times of Sabbath worship at First Puritan are fixed at “six bells”—with the Saturday-evening service held at 7:00 p.m., the Sunday-morning service at 7:00 a.m., midday service at 11:00 a.m., and the Sabbath-ending service at 3:00 p.m. See “A Faith of Precise Person, Place, Date, and Time,” in Twelve Sabbaths in the Puritan Pulpit.
[4] The four times of Sabbath worship at First Puritan are fixed at “six bells”—with the Saturday-evening service held at 7:00 p.m., the Sunday-morning service at 7:00 a.m., midday service at 11:00 a.m., and the Sabbath-ending service at 3:00 p.m. See “A Faith of Precise Person, Place, Date, and Time,” in Twelve Sabbaths in the Puritan Pulpit.
[5] From Table Talk, a collection of conversations between Martin Luther (1483-1546) and his students taking place between 1531 and 1546, published in 1566.
[6] Our “Fellowship Calendar” follows the Creation of the world until its coming rebirth: Michaelmas (29 September, “The Day of Good and Evil”), Creation Eve (22 October, “The Day of Dirt and Apple”), Reformation Eve (31 October, with Martin Luther and the church door in Wittenberg), Mayflower Day (11 September, with her arrival in the New World), Advent Sunday (the 4th Sunday before Christmas Day), Shepherds’ Eve (24 December, with the burning of our transgressors), Three Kings’ Day (6 January, with the chalking of doors), the Day of Ashes (40 days before Resurrection Sunday), Wurstessen (9 March, remembering the “Affair of the Sausages”), Maundy Thursday and Resurrection Eve (calendar dependent), and, finally, the midsummer Bonfires’ Eve (remembering—with bonfires and baptisms according to the ancient tradition—John the Baptist, meeting on the half-year before the coming of the “Light of the World,” roughly coinciding with the summer and winter solstices). We also gather for food and fellowship on three Particular Days of Civil Religion: Commencement Sunday, Training Sunday, and Election Sunday—the Sundays before the New Year, Independence Day, and the day of general elections.
[7] We’ve enlisted the TOTs (Team of Teens) to help with our audio recording, managing the website, keeping the calendar, printing the bulletins, mailing materials, etc. Whether you’re a techno-wizard or simply willing to volunteer a hand in managing the day-to-day tasks of the church, we’d love to have you as a member of the team. Write directly to the TOTS for more information at Contact Us.