Vol 77 Issue 08

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism Activities   If you have a very good memory, you will remember that last May we told you that the Evangelism Committee of the First PRC in Holland, MI had decided to sponsor a chapel service one night a month at the Holland Mission for the rest of the year, after which their council would review the program and decide if it wished to continue the service into the next year.  Evidently that project has met with enough success to warrant continuing it for the year...

Mrs. Meyer is a wife and mother in Hope Protestant Reformed Church of Walker, Michigan. There is an heirloom, a priceless treasure, that has been passed down from one generation to the next. It is something that has become more and more beautiful with age. The surface glows with a patina that only centuries of careful use and maintenance can produce. Over time, blemishes have been meticulously and painstakingly rubbed out, so that the treasure seen today is more beautiful than even fathers of past generations possessed. And, if the Lord tarries, the heirloom that future generations inherit will be...

Mrs. Looyenga is a mother in the Protestant Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois. The land is parched here. Not one small, tender root has sprouted forth from this cracked ground, it seems, forever. Our god, our Baal, is found to be no friend to widow or to fatherless. It is my guess that one small meal remains for us— my son and me. We’ll eat—and then we’ll die. Already Hunger pains us daily— stalks— with Death not far behind. And now, who stands before, who speaks to me? And has he come just to remind this widow of her...

Rev. Kortering is a Protestant Reformed minister-on-loan to Singapore. Several years ago, when I was serving in one of our congregations, a member of the church came to me to ask for assistance. He was having good discussions with a colleague at work and this man seemed to be interested in the truth of the gospel. I do not recall if he was interested in becoming a Christian or if he was already a Christian but showing interest in the Reformed faith. The point of his inquiry was whether this interested person could come to see me and talk things...

Rev. Woudenberg is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17 To Dr. Schilder, the covenant of grace was forensic, a matter of law. He saw it as being founded on the fact that children of believing parents are set before the promises of God, but only and always in connection with God’s legal demands, warnings, and threats, which are related to the promises conditionally. Every child born from a circumcised father was—even as any baptized child today is—to be raised under the...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Byron Center, Michigan. In examining the nature of the diaconate, we have noticed that it is an office of authority and of administrative service. These aspects also characterize the nature of the other offices; pastors and elders also have authority to serve God by administering to the church God’s Word, rule, and care for His people. How, then, does the nature (not merely the work) of the office of deacon differ from that of the other offices? For if all three offices have the same nature, we would in essence...

Rev. Kleyn is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Edgerton, Minnesota. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:11 Affliction is experienced by every person that lives on earth. It is true that some suffer more than others, but none is exempt. Old and young, male and female, godly and ungodly—all suffer. There is a great contrast, however, between the suffering of the people of God and that of the wicked. For the wicked it is punishment for...

Rev. Gritters is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. The church of Jesus Christ is encouraged these days to adopt some new kinds of worship styles. More often than not, these services include some sort of dancing, rock music, and drama. Thus, the question: “Shall we dance, rock, and play?” One kind of worship, described last time, is the “seeker-service,” designed to attract those who know nothing about church, who are uncomfortable in a church building. This service is casual, relaxed, and unceremonious. The Liturgical Service The second type of innovation in modern worship is the “liturgical...

How Does Christ Speak in the Preaching of the Gospel? This regards the answer that Rev. J. Laning gave Mr. Chuck Doezema in the letters section of the November 15, 2000 issue of the Standard Bearer. Please explain how it is that Christ is indeed the One speaking in the preaching of the gospel. How is this possible since Christ is in heaven at the right hand of God His Father and will there be worshiped by us as the Catechism teaches in Lord’s Day 30? Please explain the difference between Christ being preached in the gospel and Christ doing...

Elsewhere in this issue of the Standard Bearer, a correspondent asks several questions concerning the subject of Christ’s speaking through the preaching of the gospel. He addresses the questions to the editorial committee in “The Reader Asks” department. The editorial committee agreed that these questions could profitably be answered in an editorial. To begin with the last question, there certainly is a basic difference between Christ’s merely being preached in the gospel and Christ’s being the preacher in the preaching of the gospel. It is the same as the obvious difference between someone’s speaking about our correspondent and our correspondent...