Vol 60 Issue 03

The organizational meeting of the Byron Center Protestant Reformed Church took place Thursday, October 20, in the Byron Center Christian Junior High School. Prof. Hoeksema was the speaker. May God bless this new church.  The consistory of Hope Protestant Reformed Church held a meeting on August 18 for all those who were interested in the organization of a church in the Grandville area. Since then a group of families has met for Sunday worship services in the Grandville High School. It is the desire of these families to organize in the near future. 

Classis East met in regular session on September 14, 1983 at the Southeast Protestant Reformed Church. With the exception of Kalamazoo, each church was represented by two delegates. Rev. G. Van Baren presided over this session. 

The Word of God lays down the principle that the ministers of the Gospel must be supported by the churches which they serve. This principle was established already in the Old Testament era. When God gave to Israel the land of Canaan as a type of the heavenly Canaan each tribe and each family of each tribe was given an inheritance or allotted portion of the land. This portion was typical of each family’s eternal inheritance in glory.

In this letter, the author to the Hebrews (Jewish Christians) sets forth Jesus as the true fulfillment of the law and the old covenant. Though there was a temptation to abandon faith in Him, this letter was written to encourage all, especially Jews, to consider the true ministry of Jesus and what it means to their faith and future.

The Reformation Reviewed There are ongoing discussions between Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Greek Orthodox, and Lutherans. One gathers from reports that the men involved in discussions find fewer and fewer reasons for remaining separate. Recently, reports have appeared in newspapers and magazines describing basic accord between Lutheran and Roman Catholic theologians on the issue of “justification by faith.”Time, Oct. 3, 1983, reports:

With the penning of the last book of Holy Scriptures, the written record of the revelation of God was finished. The work of the Spirit of Christ by which “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” was brought to a close. God had given His church a complete and infallible Word to be the rule of faith and life. The Scriptures in all their beauty and power, as the revelation of God in Jesus Christ were given unto the church as her most precious heritage. 

“Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness” (Ps. 30:4). 

The doctrine of election, it is claimed by those who despise and reject this truth, makes men careless, indifferent, and profane. This, of course, does not and should not surprise us. This charge against the truth of divine sovereign predestination is not new. The enemies of the truth have always opposed this doctrine. This charge has also been leveled against the truth of justification solely by grace.

(Transcript of an address delivered at the annual meeting of the R.F.P.A., Sept. 22, 1983)

By the order of worship we mean two things: 1) Those elements which ought to be included in (or excluded from) the worship service; 2) In what order these elements ought to be arranged.  Both of these we want to discuss in these articles. But both these questions which arise in connection with the order of worship have to be answered on the basis of a more fundamental question: What is the nature of worship? What do the Scriptures call us to do when we are summoned to worship?