All Articles For I Thessalonians

“Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17 The difference between the words “continuous” and “continual” is important in understanding this brief text. To do something continually, is to start and stop on a regular basis. To do something continuously, however, is to start and never stop. The inspired command to the church in Thessalonica and to the church today is not unto a continual activity that stops periodically, but unto a continuous, non-stop activity. Pray without ceasing! What a command! Is that humanly possible? Many weaken the force of this text by calling it a hyperbole—a figure of speech that exaggerates...

Rev. Haak is pastor of Georgetown Protestant Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan and radio pastor for the Reformed Witness Hour, on which this message was aired. “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” I Thessalonians 1:8 In this chapter of I Thessalonians the apostle Paul states that he knew that the believers in Thessalonica had been eternally chosen of God unto salvation. He says to them in verse 4, “Knowing, brethren beloved,...

Rev. Slopsema is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Walker, Michigan. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 Last month the saints in Canada observed a national day of Thanksgiving. This month we do the same in the States. This national day of Thanksgiving is a day in which the leaders of our nations call us to give thanks to God for all the bounties He has given to us. We understand that our thanksgiving is not to be limited to mere material things. As saints of God we are also to give thanks...

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism Highlights In an effort to focus on a more effective local witness, using the means of personal evangelism, the Evangelism Committee of the South Holland, IL PRC proposed a three-part plan to their fellow congregation members. The first part of this plan was an Evangelism Emphasis Week which ran from September 22 to October 1. The purpose of this week was to call the attention of South Holland’s members to their calling in personal evangelism and to give them practical instruction in how to carry this...

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. Having considered Christ’s names and work, we are left to consider His exaltation. He who perfectly satisfied God’s justice was then exalted to the highest place of glory. The exaltation of Christ is revealed to us as having taken place in steps. The first step was His resurrection from the dead; the second, His ascension into heaven; the third, His sitting at God’s right hand; and that which is yet to be seen, His final coming again in judgment, when He will also take His people to Himself...

The assurance of which Scripture speaks and which believers and their children have, and ought to have, is certainty. It is certainty about God, about the spiritual things made known in the Bible, and about salvation. Another word for this spiritual state of the soul of the believer and child of believer is confidence. This certainty is absolutely sure. There are no degrees of certainty, as though there can be certainty that is 75% sure, but 25% unsure, and certainty that is 90% sure, but 10% unsure. If certainty is not 100% sure, it is no longer certainty, but uncertainty,...

Believing the doctrine of the Bible that Jesus is coming and that His coming is near, the people of God will then live in hope of that coming. For the instituted church, this living hope will take form in a holiness that consists, among other activities, of preaching, defending, contending, and suffering. There is also the personal calling of the individual believer and of the children of believers. Hoping for the coming of Christ, each is called to a holy life. He is called to keep himself from the filthy, vile, depraved conduct of the world that increases in lawlessness...

Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope, by Keith A. Mathison. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 1999. Pp. xii + 287. $14.99 (paper). [Reviewed by the editor.] In no way does this volume on eschatology establish post-millennialism as a doctrine of hope. What it does establish is that the doctrine of the last things condemned by the Second Helvetic Confession as “Jewish dreams” is alive and well among reputedly conservative Presbyterian publishers and theologians. The publisher is P&R. The author is a recent graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary. In the main, the book is a cursory explanation of carefully selected texts of...

True faith is assurance of personal salvation. Because assurance is certainty—absolute certainty (to be redundant)—true faith is certainty of one’s own salvation. It is certainty of deliverance from sin, death, and hell. It is certainty of acceptance into the fellowship of God, which is life eternal. Faith is assurance of salvation by the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ according to the electing love of God in eternity. True faith is assurance. Assurance is not the fruit of faith. Assurance is not the reward of faith. Assurance is not a branch or appendix of faith. Assurance is not a later,...

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregational Highlights On Sunday, September 18, the congregation of our Southwest Church in Grandville, Michigan met for the first time in their new sanctuary. The congregation was informed of one change that was to take place. After Rev. Kamps had pronounced the closing benediction, the congregation was asked to remain standing for a moment of meditation or silent prayer until Rev. Kamps and the consistory had left the sanctuary. The Adult Bible Society of our church in Doon, Iowa has chosen for its after-recess program this year...