Vol 74 Issue 21

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Young People’s Activities As many of our readers know, next year’s Young People’s Convention will be held, the Lord willing, in southern California, with the congregation of the Hope PRC in Redlands, CA serving as host. As you might imagine, this congregation of about 60 families is already hard at work with plans for that important event next summer. Fund raising, always an important part of any convention, got under way earlier this year, when Hope’s young people took advantage of a problem facing their church. It...

Rev. Higgs is a minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia. In my previous article, by way of an introduction to the life of our denomination, I wrote concerning the history of settlement and early life in Australia. This was to set the scene, so that you may understand something of the characteristics, weaknesses, and sins of Australia as a nation, and of her people, generally speaking, as individuals. There is much more involved in trying to understand us Australians. But the settlement of our country and its early history is embedded in our makeup, and certainly helps to...

Mr. Sugg was a member of the Trinity Protestant Reformed congregation. Synod was informed of the disbanding of Trinity Protestant Reformed Church in Houston, Texas. This terse report was given in the summary of the activities of the PRC Synod 1998 recorded in the July 1998 Standard Bearer. It was a simple epitaph to 25 years of labor in the extension of God’s Word from an outpost more than a thousand miles removed from our churches’ well-established, flourishing congregations, schools, journals, and seminary. At different times during those years, nearly a score of families were a part of this congregation....

Rev. Dick is pastor of Grace Protestant Reformed Church in Standale, Michigan. This last discourse of Jesus is secret. It is one Friend talking to friends. It is between Jesus-Friend and His disciple-friends alone. There are no miracle-seeking crowds. There are no antagonists. Even Judas, once in the company of the true friends of Jesus, is now gone—sent away to do his dastardly, devilish double-cross. Only true friends of God may and can and want to hear what Jesus will say. The eleven. And you? This last discourse is the secret of the covenant, of God befriending sinners. Jesus speaks...

Rev. Terpstra is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan Dedication Message for the New Church Building of the First Protestant Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan July 2, 1998 It is a wonderful evening for us as a congregation. Our faithful and gracious God has provided us a new church home in which to worship Him and in which to busy ourselves in the labors and activities of His kingdom. We have a beautiful new church home, inside and out, architecturally and aesthetically. In this respect our new building reflects the beauty of God Himself, as well as...

The Protestant Reformed Churches reject the common grace worldview proposed by Abraham Kuyper because this worldview has failed. For some 100 years, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands have practiced Kuyper’s (and, I may add, Herman Bavinck’s) worldview. The result has been not only that Dutch culture has not been “Christianized” but also that the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, with the Free University associated with these churches, have become thoroughly worldly. Common grace has been a bridge by which the world has invaded and destroyed these churches. The Christian Reformed Church in North America threw up the bridge of...

Rev. Houck is pastor of Peace Protestant Reformed Church in Lansing, Illinois. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  Galatians 6:1 In this verse the apostle Paul admonishes us to restore a sinful brother. The occasion for this admonition is found in the words, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault….” Even though the apostle says “if a man,” he does not refer to man in general. The principle which he sets down is not a...