Beginning on Sunday, December 30, and continuing for fourteen weeks, the Consistory of our First Church in Grand Rapids, working through its Church Extension Committee, has attempted to extend our witness to the Bradenton, Florida area. A report of these labors was given to the congregation of First Church on May 13. What follows was excerpted from that report. 

Classis East met in regular session on May 9, 1979 at the Faith Prot. Ref. Church. The churches, with the exception of Kalamazoo, were represented by two delegates. Rev. Woudenberg led in opening devotions; Rev. Bruinsma has his initiation as chairman. 

Commentary On Luke. (New International Greek Testament Commentary), I. Howard Marshall; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.; 928 pages, $24.95 (cloth). (Reviewed by Prof. H. C. Hoeksema) 

12. The Holy Spirit is present in the church of Corinth (7:1-16). The apostle Paul introduces this section with a reminder of the need for spiritual cleansing, both external (in deed) and internal (in attitude). vs. 1. He becomes jubilant as he deals with the Corinthian church. He urges them to make room in their heart for him as he has them in his heart, (vss 2-3). Unashamedly and frankly, he tells them of his joy and confidence in hearing from Titus of their repentance. This was great comfort and consolation for him (vss. 4-6).

The weather has been beautiful. Spring time is the favorite time of year for me. Sunday was a gorgeous day but Monday did not fair so well. The wind was rather chilly, but the sun stood in the heavens in all its glory. It was the first time of the season that I had no Monday afternoon catechism class for which to prepare. So, I packed up the family and headed for the beach of Lake Michigan. As we put on our jackets, there were others who braved the wind in their bathing suits. But it did not matter, for...

June 1, 1979  Dear Timothy,  In our last letter we quoted at length from Dr. H. Bavinck to show the role that Scripture plays in the development of a Psychology which is truly Christian.  There has been a lot of Psychology written in the last half century, but almost all of this Psychology has been written from the viewpoint of the world and, consequently, of unbelief. It is not too strong a statement to make to insist that evolutionism has really won the day in the whole field of Psychology. 

How old are you?  The youth to which this department is directed will answer, “Why, I am a young man or a young woman.” There may even be a few younger readers who recognize that they are yet children. And many older readers will reflect on the question and once again realize that the years are slipping away and that they are no longer children or young people, but fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, maybe even great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers.

The following article is from the pen of Rev. James Slopsema, secretary of the Foreign Mission Committee of the Protestant Reformed Churches. Rev. Slopsema writes interestingly and informatively of our churches’ involvement in foreign missions. The Protestant Reformed Churches are preaching and teaching the blessed gospel to the very ends of the earth. God has opened doors for us and is using us for the gathering of His people out of the nations. How thankful we ought to be.

(Kuyper takes the position in this pamphlet that in order to understand reformation in the church one must understand deformation. And in order to understand the deformation of the church one must understand what the Scriptural idea of the church is. In the last paragraph Kuyper has spoken of the importance of the local church as the manifestation of the body of Christ. He concluded that section with the words: “For this reason, therefore, we maintain that Scripture history, and precision of terminology all agree with the idea that the local church is the essence of the church.

Not a Surplus, but a Shortage  This is not an editorial in the spirit of “I told you so.” On my part there is no desire or striving in this department for editorial self-justification. Besides, the matter to be discussed here is far too serious to be treated as a matter of “I was right” and “You were wrong.”