All Articles For Psalm

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregational Activities In mid-September, the consistory of the Hudsonville, MI PRC decided to present a survey to their congregation to help them understand the feelings of their members concerning the possibility of organizing another daughter congregation in the future. Hudsonville currently has about 150 families, with a total membership of about 580. Sixteen years ago, when Byron Center PRC was organized, Hudsonville was about 150 families; and she was around 160 families when Georgetown PRC started. In addition to this, Hudsonville often has to set up chairs...

Rev. Slopsema is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Psalm 105:1 This psalm was written during the Babylonian captivity. The purpose of this psalm was to give the church in captivity hope for the future by reminding her of God’s faithfulness in the past. To that end the psalmist recounted God’s promises to give Abraham and his seed the land of Canaan. He reminded the captives how the Lord was faithful to that promise in bringing Israel out of...

“Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1, 2

Anglican Appreciation For the most part, I have enjoyed receiving the Standard Bearer. We have much agreement in “a common faith” (Titus 1:4). No doubt, you know the “Reformed” nature of the Thirty-Nine Articles. Sadly, this is mostly forgotten by the Anglican communion at large. I enjoyed your editorial, “How Then Will We Live? (2)” [Jan. 15, 2000], especially the point on suffering for the true church and body of Christ. The real Church-Catholic is “cruciform” in the representation of His life (II Cor. 4:10, 11). Some of the hymns of Watts and C. Wesley are so rich here! And...

Mrs. Meyer is a wife and mother in Hope Protestant Reformed Church of Walker, Michigan. (Preceding article can be found in the December 15, 2003 issue, p. 137.) Our children need to see that true, real unity is found only when there is true, real unity in the truth. The Spirit that makes us one is the Spirit of truth. And that unity and fellowship in the truth will be blessed indeed! But there is another aspect of this glorious principle of unity that our children need to see and understand. Not only is there unity in truth, there is...

When considering some of God’s marvelous creatures, as we have had opportunity from time to time in this rubric, we find that our thoughts always go back to the beautiful twelfth article of the Belgic Confession, in which we make a precious confession regarding God’s work of creation and providence. We believe that the Father, by the Word, that is, by His Son, hath created of nothing the heaven, the earth, and all creatures as it seemed good unto Him, giving unto every creature its being, shape, form, and several offices to serve its Creator; that He doth also still...

In previous articles we have seen that the office of elder is the office of the rule of Christ in Christ’s church. We turn our attention now to the history of the office of elder in Christ’s church. The church of Jesus Christ “hath been from the beginning of the world” (Belgic Confession, Art. 27). Pentecost was not the birthday of the church; rather, the Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost marked the church coming to maturity. Nor did the church begin at Sinai; there God formed Israel as His special nation, and designated her as the one in and through whom...

News from our Churches

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. News from Singapore We begin the first “news” column of this new year with some information from Singapore. First, the Council of the Grandville, MI PRC has granted Rev. Kortering’s request for an additional two months in Singapore working with the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church and the First Evangelical Reformed Church. What this means is that the Korterings will be returning to Grandville sometime in early March. And second, we share here with our readers just a bit of a letter sent by Mrs. Kortering to her...

Rev. Haak is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Lynden, Washington. In the first part of chapter 2, Malachi beautifully describes God’s covenant, the bond of friendship He makes with us in Christ. Malachi showed that this was an eternal covenant established by Jehovah out of pure grace. In the covenant God blesses His people with life and peace. And those in the covenant have the calling walk with God, turn from iniquity, oppose evil, and love God’s truth. Against this background the sin of the people of Malachi’s day stood out in all its naked ugliness. Their religious...