Volu 100 Issue 02

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Ephesians 6:18   Are you equipped for battle? The Christian life involves a bitter warfare! That is the context here in Ephesians 6:10-17. This passage is a call to battle: “…be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (v. 10). There are many today who have the notion that the battle of the church and of the people of God is against social injustice, poverty, homelessness, human rights violations, and the like. Be not deceived!...

Church divisions may not be caused by a failure to define terms, but church troubles certainly can be hastened and aggravated by it. In recent years I have noticed, with great pain at times, that if two divided parties had clarified what they meant when they used a certain word, or had admitted that they were using the same word in a different way, they would have found that they were closer than they actually thought. I have heard and read, also with great pain, the grossest misrepresentations of churches or preachers because of a failure to recognize that some...

Previous article in this series: August 2023, p. 445. The broad issue faced by the Seventh Ecumenical Council, we saw in our last article, was whether God could be worshiped through artistic representations of Jesus, such as paintings, mosaics, and statues. Some, including the emperors, said that such worship violated the second commandment. Others, including the pope and the patriarch, said that the second commandment did not apply here. It forbids worshiping God by means of creatures, but does not forbid using images that represent Jesus in worship, because Jesus Himself was the image of God. Political leaders on one...

For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever. Philemon 15   “A runaway slave only runs away once.” This was the common, unsettling refrain in the Roman empire, for slaves were necessary to drive the economy. They made up 20-25% of the population and, according to Roman law, they had no rights and were mere property. The New Testament canon reveals the story of a thieving, runaway slave named Onesimus; yet one who is described as a “faithful and beloved brother” (Col. 4.9). The name Onesimus literally means, ‘profitable,’ or ‘useful.’ Clearly, Onesimus...

It is in our very nature, to one degree or another, to plan. In fact, it is our duty and calling as faithful stewards of what God gives us. For some, that plan is very broad, lacking in much detail and short term. For others, that plan is exact, very detailed and long term. Everyone, though, has and devises a plan. Although there are many aspects of our life that we tend to plan out, the area that likely receives the most focus is our personal plan, and this planning typically begins at a young age. We make plans either...

While saints in the United States and Canada currently enjoy great freedom to gather for worship, pressure to bend beliefs and curb convictions exists. Some reading this may very well have already experienced that strain. Where do believers typically feel this tension? A common setting is the workplace. Here, fellow employees may belittle a believer’s faithful walk or employers may threaten loss of employment or promotions when an employee requests accommodations to practice their religious beliefs. As we move through this new millennium, it often seems that lawmakers are making it increasingly difficult for religious expression and action to take...

*This convocation address was given at Hope PRC in Walker, Michigan on September 6, 2023.   Scripture Reading: II Timothy 2 Introduction For three reasons I take as my subject, “The Protestant Reformed Minister Today.” The first reason concerns target—the target at which we aim. It is the express purpose of the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary (hereafter: PRTS) to train men to become Protestant Reformed (hereafter: PR) ministers. It has been a great privilege for us in the seminary to participate in the training of men who never intended to enter the gospel ministry in the Protestant Reformed Churches in...

By the time this report reaches the readers of the Standard Bearer, we will be well into the first semester of classes in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. The 2023-2024 school year began on Tuesday, August 29, with a full slate of classes. We also held our first chapel service of the year. Customarily the rector leads the first couple mid-week chapel services. Thereafter, in the weeks in which we have no practice preaching exercises, the area ministers lead our chapels. Not only are the chapel services a source of encouragement to our students and faculty, but they are also...

The following book is reviewed by Dr. Julian Kennedy, member of Covenant PRC in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Promise and Persecution, Kenneth Harrod. Orpington, England: Release International, 2018. Pp. 142. Paperback. £8, $10.00 US. ISBN 978-0-995969-3-3-1   As a basic theology of persecution, this is an excellent starter. Harrod traces the root of persecution back to the mother promise of Genesis 3:15 and outlines much of the biblical history of persecution from Abel to the apostles. His aim is for the reader to respond in a Christlike way, “A solid, biblical understanding should lead to a godly, biblical response on our...