All Articles For Eriks, Garry

The Church’s Hope: The Reformed Doctrine of the End (Volume One: The Millennium), by Prof. David J. Engelsma (Jenison, MI: RFPA). $29.95 soft. 350 pages. Reviewed by Rev. Garry Eriks. The clear message of this volume on eschatology is the church’s hope that Jesus Christ is coming again to bring His church to live with Him in body and soul forever. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ needs this hope because of the attacks upon her and the hardships she faces in an increasingly wicked world. From beginning to end Prof. Engelsma warmly reminds the church of her hope....

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space...

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:6-8 As synod...

This is an abridged form of the pre-synodical sermon preached in Hudsonville PRC, June 12, 2017. In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door...

Maybe some of you young women are eagerly waiting for the moment when a young man looks you in the eyes and affectionately pledges his love for you. Maybe some of you young men look forward to making this pledge and hearing the response whispered in your ear, “I love you, too.” It feels good to be told, “I love you.” Some of you may have experienced this already in a dating relationship. But what do these words mean? When I have asked young people, engaged couples, and even some married couples what this means, many have struggled to answer....

Does the Bible say anything about dating? This is a good question for young people who are dating and who desire to date. The answer to this question is what parents should be discussing with their young people. There are two answers to this question. The first answer is, “No.” If you search in your Bible app or concordance you will not find the words, “date,” “dating,” “boyfriend,” or “girlfriend.” Paul did not write about what to do on a first date. He does not tell us how long to date before marrying. Dating is the recent practice that men...

I heard this phrase recently when we were on a vaca­tion. A mother with teenage daughters, noticing the modest bathing suits of our daughters, told us that she often uses the phrase “modest is hottest” to encourage her daughters in modesty. When I heard her say this, I smiled uneasily, not so sure I wanted to put it this way with my own five daughters. It certainly has a nice ring to it. But is this statement true? Let’s leave this catchy phrase for a moment and focus on what Scripture says about modesty and apparel. Ac­cording to the Scriptures,...

* Parents and grandparents, if you do not know what BFF stands for, ask your young people. Friendship is a good gift from God. God wired us for friendship. In the beginning God said it is not good for man to be alone. While this relates directly to the creation of Eve and the beauty of marriage, it also says that man was created with a need for friendship. We were not created to live in isolation. God has a purpose for friendship—that we grow in knowledge, faith, godliness, and holiness. Do you have a good, godly friend? Are you...

What are you doing to serve others? How are you serving your family? You receive so much from your parents. They supply the basic necessities of life, send you to Christian schools, and drive you to music lessons, sporting events, and other appointments. Your mothers and fathers serve you in so many ways. What are you doing to serve them? How do you serve your brothers and sisters, who maybe are not always very kind to you? What are you doing to serve the other members of the church individually and collectively, as young people’s societies? As I am writing...

Rev. Eriks is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. There is nothing better for the Christian young person than to be known for godliness. He may be an “A” student, an obedient son at home, a good brother who does not fight with his siblings, and a conscientious catechism student, but none of this matters if he is not godly. Godliness is not simply obedience, but it is a life focused on serving God. In the Scriptures many of God’s people were famous for their godliness already as teenagers. David was known as “a man after his...