Vol 60 Issue 07

Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands held a special program on Thursday, December 1, marking “50 years of Congregational existences. . . . Rev. C. Hanko gave the address and Rev. Kortering was present to greet the Congregation.” In addition, their “50th Anniversary-dedication booklets are now complete. . . .Extra copies may be purchased from the clerk for $2.00 each.” 

EXPLORING CHURCH GROWTH, Wilbert R. Shenk, ed.; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich. 312 pp. (paper) $10.95 (Reviewed by Prof. R.D. Decker) The Church Growth movement, which has had a tremendous impact upon the field of missions, has its origin in the School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, particularly under the leadership of Dr. Donald A. McGavran, now Dean Emeritus of this school. Dr. McGavran published in 1970 a book entitled:Understanding Church Growth. This volume was revised and republished in 1980.

Chapter X  We must say just a word yet about the prophetical prediction of God concerning Israel when they stood at the nether part of Mount Sinai, after coming from Egypt’s cruel and tyrannical bondage. 

The apostolic fathers and their writings reflect the doctrine and life of the church immediately following the death of the apostles. They are called apostolic fathers because in their days the teaching and preaching of the apostles was still a matter of living memory in the church of a not yet remote past. The identity of these men and the authenticity of their writings are to some extent matters of scholarly debate which need not fully concern us. They lived and wrote roughly in the period from A.D. 100-A.D. 200.

Our Father Who art in heaven, at the beginning of a new year we approach Thy throne of grace in behalf of the youth of Thy Church. At the end of the old year, its weeks and days and moments having sped by, and as we stand at the threshold of another year, impress our young people with the vanity of earthly existence. Apart from Thee, life is vain. No matter how great the riches, how glorious the fame, how thrilling the pleasures, it all ends in death.

Article 3 (cont’d)  Article 3 of the Nicene Creed speaks of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, “Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” 

This letter of James is placed within the category of “catholic epistles,” designated as such because they were written to the children of God without mentioning a specific church. They are, in this sense, universal-catholic. The author was burdened by the threat of dead orthodoxy in the churches, so he challenged them, “Show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith by my works.” We do well to heed this warning in our day.

(The Euthanasia of a Mission, The Views of Henry Venn)

There is, obviously, a marked and striking difference between the works of God (particularly as the God of our salvation) as they were manifest in the old dispensation, and as they are revealed at the time of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. These works of God in the old dispensation are generally of a spectacular character. There is, first of all, the Scriptural account of the flood as recorded in Genesis 6-8.

Our worship is communal worship, that is, worship of the congregation. There are; of course, different ways in which we can speak of the worship of God. Historically, a distinction has been made between “solitary worship” and “communal worship.” The former refers to the individual acts of worship performed by the believer in his own “inner closet”—to use the expression of Jesus.