All Articles For Smit Richard J

In its regular session on Wednesday, September 5, 2007, Classis West met in Lynden, Washington, and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the saints of our Lynden Protestant Reformed Church. The main highlight of the work of classis was the examination of Pastor-elect Clayton W. Spronk, who had received and accepted the call to serve as pastor of the Peace Protestant Reformed Church in Lansing, Illinois. A special worship service was called by the consistory of the Lynden PRC for Tuesday evening, September 4. Pastor-elect Spronk led the special worship service and preached on Psalm 122:6-8. In attendance were not only the...

On Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Classis West convened in Hull, Iowa. On the day previous, an officebearers’ conference was held. The theme of the conference was “The Holy Spirit: True and Coeternal God.” Four speeches were presented, which treated the person, divinity, and work of the Holy Spirit, as well as a historical overview on the development of the New Testament church’s understanding and confession of the truth of the Holy Spirit from the early church to the present. Delegates from Classis as well as some visitors from the area congregations in Northwest Iowa attended the conference. Classis finished its...

Rev. Smit is pastor of the Immanuel Protestant Reformed Church in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28 You may have seen a man alongside a highway or on some land nearby, perhaps with his baseball cap on backwards, peering into the scope of a survey instrument set atop a tripod. At some significant distance away, there would have been another man, holding up a long stick and moving from place to place on a piece of land according to the hand signals or two-way radio commands of the man behind the...

Previous article in this series: February 1, 2010, p. 208. So far, we have considered the truth that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and gentleness. Now, we consider that the fruit of the Spirit includes the virtue of goodness. With the consideration of goodness, we once again can appreciate that the various aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are a blessed unity. For example, where there is the true love of Christ in us, there will also be present the virtue of goodness. One who truly loves his neighbor will also do good to...

Previous article in this series: March 1, 2011, p. 247. The last aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is the virtue of temperance. Temperance is more commonly known as “self-control” or “self-discipline.” Another word similar to temperance is “modesty.” This virtue is not mentioned often in the Bible, in comparison to some of the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit that we have considered. It is mentioned seven times in the New Testament. Included among the seven references is its use in Acts 24:25, where it refers to how a governor should rule well and live in view...

Previous article in this series: January 15, 2011, p.181. A virtue that the Holy Spirit nurtures in the believer by the doctrines of His sovereign, electing, and irresistible grace is the virtue of meekness. The Canons of Dordt, I, 13 teach that “the sense and certainty of this election afford to the children of God additional matter for daily humiliation before Him….” In the Canons of Dordt, V, 12, we confess that the doctrine of the preservation and perseverance of the saints does not produce in the believer a “spirit of pride,” but is “a source of humility,” among many...

Previous article in this series: December 1, 2010, p. 103. Because Christ is faithful to His church, His saints also share in that blessed virtue, faithfulness, by His Spirit of sanctification. Some of the saints noted for their faithfulness in the Bible include Abraham (Num. 9:8); Moses (Num. 12:7, Heb. 3:5); Daniel (Dan. 6:4); Hanani (Neh. 7:2); Shelamiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, Pedaiah, and Hanan (Neh. 13:13); the Colossian saints in general (Col. 1:9), and Onesimus of the Colossian church in particular (Col. 4:9). The Lord gives special attention to the need for this virtue among officebearers in His church....

Rev. Slopsema is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39The unbelieving Jews sought to kill Jesus because He had healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. Jesus responded by pointing out that He was only doing the work of His Father. This made the Jews more determined than ever to kill Jesus. Not only had He, in their estimation, profaned the Sabbath, but He had also claimed equality with God....

September 3, 2008 Classis convened at 8:30 a.m on Wednesday, September 3, in the church building of the Peace PRC. Rev. Clayton Spronk led the delegates in opening devotions with the reading of I Samuel 12:16-25 and a brief meditation on the passage. The officers of the meeting were: Rev. Spronk as chairman, Rev. M. Vander Wal as vice-chairman, and Rev. D. Kuiper as clerk in the place of Rev. R. Smit who was absent due to the death of a member of the Immanuel PRC. Classis treated the regular reports of the stated clerk, of the Reading Sermon Library...

Previous article in this series: September 15, 2010, p 494.