Vol 74 Issue 10

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregational Highlights With thankfulness to God, our Grace PRC in Standale, MI reports that they have agreed to purchase the property of the disbanded Grand Valley Covenant Reformed Church at the corner of Lake Michigan Drive and 8th Avenue near Standale, MI. This is the same location where Grace has been worshiping since their organization back in 1995, so they are very familiar with what they have purchased. The only difference now is that all the bills come to them and not to the former congregation. As...

The late Homer Hoeksema was professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Jehovah Maintaining His Covenant The Lord God turns from the woman to the serpent. But now He no longer questions. He addresses the serpent in the well-known words of Genesis 3:14, 15: “And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the...

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. Christ “is ordained of God the Father, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, to be our chief Prophet and Teacher, who has fully revealed to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our redemption.” Such is the teaching of the Heidelberg Catechism in Lord’s Day 12. As we continue our study of the names of the Mediator, and particularly the name Christ, we must consider the threefold office Christ occupies as our Mediator—Prophet, Priest, and King. Christ, the Messiah, was anointed by God a prophet. That...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Having discussed previously the various steps or admonitions to be followed by the elders in the application of Christian discipline upon an impenitent sinner as these are outlined in Articles 76 and 77 of The Church Order of the Protestant Reformed Churches, we turn now to a discussion of the last step of Christian discipline. This last step is excommunication. This last step is required according to Article 76 which reads, Such as obstinately reject the admonition of the consistory, and likewise those who have committed a public...

Rev. Dick is pastor of Grace Protestant Reformed Church in Standale, Michigan. Such evil welling. From hell, of course. The end of Jesus must be by forces gushing from there. Almost we do not see it. It is the last Thursday of Jesus’ life on earth. He is now busy, privately, ministering to His disciples. He will institute the Lord’s Supper in place of the Passover. He will instruct His disciples in many things about the kingdom. He will offer a beautiful high priestly prayer. He and the disciples will go to the garden and there Jesus will pray more…....

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan. “Funeral sermons or funeral services shall not be introduced.” Church Order, Article 65 Conducting funerals—one of the more difficult aspects of the ministry. The deceased may be an aged saint who has lived a full life. Or a young father or mother taken suddenly from the family. Or a teenager or child who dies before ever coming to maturity. Usually the deceased is a member of the church. At times this is not the case. Often the family has the comfort of everlasting life and glory because the...

Rev. denHartog is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. We recently concluded a lengthy study of the book of Proverbs in our Young Adults’ Society with two sessions discussing the portrait of the virtuous woman found in Proverbs 31. We were impressed again with the great wisdom of the teaching of the Word of God in this passage. The godly women of our churches, both young and old, can do well by studying this Word of God. Especially valuable is such a study to combat the sometimes insidious influence of the ungodly feminist philosophy of our day...

Rev. VanBaren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. “…And Shall Deceive Many.” So Christ declared several times in His final instruction to His disciples before His death on the cross. In Matthew 24:5 He declared, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” And again in verse 11 He states, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” That time has come. Though throughout the ages these false prophets and false Christs have appeared, never has that Word been fulfilled more than in the present day. Earlier...

The contemporary movement for “liturgical renewal,” that is, the revamping of public worship, which is now deep in the vitals of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches, doubts that the preaching of the Word is the voice of God in Jesus Christ. This is its sin. This is its apostasy. This doubt explains why this movement abandons the public worship of the triune God by His church that was taught and practiced by the Reformation. On the basis of Holy Scripture, the Reformation confessed that the preaching of the Word is the Word of God. The Second Helvetic Confession of 1566...

Rev. Houck is pastor of Peace Protestant Reformed Church in Lansing, Illinois. “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.”  1 Peter 2:20 Before the apostle Peter lays down the positive principle of this passage, he speaks of a contrasting principle. He says, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?” Here the apostle speaks of the believer’s faults. Even though...