Vol 72 Issue 21

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism Activities The Evangelism Committee of our Hudsonville, MI PRC recently received an interesting letter from a Mr. B. Bassiliades, the editor of a Greek Christian magazine entitled, Tychicus. Mr. Bassiliades wrote that Rev. Gritters’ messages prepared under the general title, “The Family; Foundations are Shaking,” had been chosen to be translated into Greek and published as articles in this magazine for the benefit of the spiritual brotherhood in Greece. This August, Hudsonville’s Evangelism Committee, along with many volunteers from Hudsonville’s congregation, were also busy for the...

Rev. Dick is pastor of Grace Protestant Reformed Church of Standale, Michigan. Dear Esteemed Sirs: In this letter I would address a matter which, you have indicated, is of utmost concern to you, and to those of your estate. It concerns Scripture Study, which, as at the first, you have continued to show is your joy and delight. Indeed, you have shown yourself to be like those Bereans. They, you recall, were more noble than those in Thessalonica (Acts 17:10ff.). Indeed, they were of a different sort of nobility. The Bereans were truly noble. They were truly honorable. Their character...

Mrs. Lubbers is a wife and mother in the Protestant Reformed Church of South Holland, Illinois. “… receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” Proverbs 19:20 I Remember Miss Reitsma There is a certain danger in writing about a person who has died. That danger is heightened when one loved the person now deceased. One tends to immortalize that person, or, at least, to eulogize him. One sees only the good, the strong and likable facets; one is blinded to the character flaws and the negatives of that person. I write this reminiscence with my blinders...

*This article is the conclusion of a public lecture by Herman Hoeksema on Christian education. For the first part of this lecture, confer SB, September 1, 1996, p. 463. The Way in which that Child must Learn to Go The education must train the child in the way in which he should go. That clause has been variously interpreted. The original reads literally: “according to the demand of his way.” Because of this literal reading of the original, there are those who say that the meaning is that you must train the child according to his age and character, according...

Produce a Commentary on Matthew 24 I am writing to compliment your excellent series on amillennialism. As a seminary student who has read and studied extensively on this subject, I find that your view confirms what I concluded through my studies independently. It is a real blessing to me to have a group as learned and highly respected for biblical integrity as the PRC theologians arrive at the same conclusion that I have. It shows me that I am not alone in my beliefs. Being raised in a pre-millennial church prior to converting to the Reformed (Presbyterian) faith, I was...

A powerful voice in defense of particular, sovereign grace in the preaching of the gospel! A voice that devastates the latest effort to corrupt the doctrines of grace in Calvinistic circles: the well-meant offer of the gospel! It is the voice of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia (EPC). The voice is sounded through two recent publications. One is a 20-page pamphlet entitled, “Common Grace: A Paper by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia on the Westminster Standards’ Position in Relation to Common Grace.” This paper was issued by the presbytery of the EPC in July, 1995. The other publication...

Postmillennialism — the teaching about the last things that posits the earthly victory of the church and a coming “golden age” in history — rests its case, finally, on Old Testament prophecy. Emphatically not on New Testament doctrine about the days leading up to the coming of Christ. Old Testament prophecy forecasts glorious prospects for Judah and Jerusalem. One such passage is Isaiah 65:17-25. Jehovah creates new heavens and a new earth (v. 17). In this new world, Jerusalem will be a rejoicing and the citizens of Jerusalem, a joy (v. 18). None will die young, and old sinners will...

Rev. Joostens is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Lynden, Washington. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”  Proverbs 27:6 Although all Scripture is God-breathed and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” we always look for particular little nuggets of practical wisdom that find immediate application to our lives, passages with which we can readily identify in our daily living. We find an abundance of such Scripture in the poetical books of the Bible, and the book of Proverbs stands out in our minds. I want...