It’s time to make the Lord’s Day holy again.

It’s time to return to singing only Psalms in worship on the Lord’s Day. It’s time to preach and teach the Westminster Shorter Catechism alongside the Heidelberg Catechism.

“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.'” — Exodus 31:13 (NKJV)

According to this passage, if you are not keeping the Lord’s Day holy, there is reason to question whether you are truly sanctified.

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” — Hebrews 10:24–27 (NKJV)

Turning From Our Wicked Ways

It is time for God’s people to turn from their wicked ways. But what are these wicked ways?
First and foremost is the belief that the fourth commandment is no longer part of God’s moral law. In truth, this commandment has been in effect from the creation of the world and remains binding until Christ returns at the end of the age.

We must also recognize that the entire human race descends from Adam and is dead in trespasses and sin. Mankind’s only hope of escaping eternal judgment is to be among those whom God has chosen to save. Anyone who truly desires salvation can be saved, because that very desire is evidence of God’s effectual calling at work in them.
To be saved, a person must recognize their spiritual deadness, repent of their sin, and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Revelation 4:11 reveals why God created all things:

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” — Revelation 4:11 (NKJV)

The Crisis in Worship

Perhaps the most serious failure among God’s people today is twofold: business continues as usual on the Lord’s Day, and even when believers gather for what they call worship, they refuse to sing the 150 Psalms that God Himself has given us. Instead, they substitute songs they personally prefer. Yet history shows that the churches founded by the apostles sang only the Psalms.

Jesus commanded that His disciples be taught everything He has commanded (Matthew 28:20). Jude 3 likewise calls us “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

The Reformed Faith and the Need for the Westminster Shorter Catechism

The faith that blessed Pella is the Reformed faith taught in the Heidelberg Catechism. The faith that helped make the United States a great nation is taught in the Westminster Catechisms.

In 2026, Pella needs the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Though shorter than Larger Catechism, it teaches everything a Christian ought to know — including clear instruction on the fourth commandment, which is largely absent from the Heidelberg Catechism.

The 1,385 sermons by the late Rev. G.I. Williamson available on SermonAudio.com cover everything one could want to know about the Reformed faith. However, the Shorter Catechism presents these truths in a clear, organized manner. If the 13 churches in Pella that were originally established to preach the Reformed faith would commit to preaching and teaching the Westminster Shorter Catechism, we would see how mightily God could bless our nation through them.