Vol 79 Issue 21

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Minister Activities Faith PRC in Jenison, MI has a new trio from which they will call a pastor. That trio is made up of the Revs. W. Bruinsma, R. Cammenga, and R. VanOverloop. The Hull, Iowa PRC, calling church for our denomination’s work in Ghana, extended a call to Rev. R. Cammenga to serve our churches as missionary, along with Rev. W. Bekkering. With Rev. Cammenga on that trio were the Revs. M. Dick and J. Laning. Candidate W. Langerak has accepted the call he received from...

Rev. DeVries is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Scattered, much needed, rain showers could not dampen the spirits of those who participated in the Edmonton Family Conference on July 4-6, 2003 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Sponsored by the Evangelism Committee of the First Protestant Reformed Church of Edmonton, a congregation numbering twenty-six families, the Conference was the fruit of more than one year of planning. Fourteen subcommittees shared the work and responsibilities in planning for the Conference, and most of the congregation was involved in helping, in one way or another, at the time of...

Rev. denHartog is a Protestant Reformed minister-on-loan to Singapore. The book of Acts has been called the New Testament charter for missions. No other book of the Bible gives us more apostolic instruction regarding both the theology and practice of missions. No course of missions should neglect a careful study of the book of Acts. The book of Acts records the beginning of the history of New Testament missions. It contains the history of the wonder of the deliverance of the church from the bonds and limitations of the Old Testament types and shadows at Jerusalem and of its amazing...

Rev. Stewart is a missionary in the Protestant Reformed Churches, currently working in Northern Ireland. We have seen that Patrick was clearly not the happy-go-lucky guy of popular perception. Nor did he evangelize Ireland in the service of the Roman Church and bring it under the sway of the Roman pontiff as, for example, Boniface did for Germany three centuries later. Nor was he an abolitionist. Thomas Cahill writes, “The greatness of Patrick is beyond dispute: the first human being in the history of the world to speak out unequivocally against slavery.”1 But Patrick’s Letter to Coroticus and his men...

* Prof. Engelsma is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches. This article is the conclusion of the text of the address given at the commencement exercises of the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary on June 16, 2003. The preceding installments appeared in the July 2003 and September 1, 2003 issues of the Standard Bearer. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my...

Rev. VanderWal is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. How blessed is the communion and fellowship between the citizens of the kingdom of heaven and their Father who is in heaven! Such fellowship is a wonder, for it partakes of the heavenly. These citizens live upon the earth and are surrounded by the things of the earth. They know their own sinfulness. Nevertheless they enjoy intimate fellowship and communion with the all-glorious, everlasting God. They merely turn the thoughts of their heart toward the heavenly, calling upon the name of God. Straightway they are ushered into the presence...

Bearing the Cross In their history-long, principled, consistent, and uncompromising stand against labor union membership, as demonstrated in the previous editorial, the Protestant Reformed Churches manifest themselves as true, faithful, and courageous churches of Jesus Christ. The men of the churches show themselves genuine disciples of Jesus Christ, willing to deny themselves and to bear the cross for Jesus’ sake. Their stand against labor union membership has cost the churches many members. Many more people refused to join the South Holland Protestant Reformed Church, in the strongly unionized Chicagoland area, or left the congregation, during my pastorate, because of the...

Rev. Miersma is pastor of Immanuel Protestant Reformed Church in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. II Kings 5:14 In this fifth chapter of II Kings we have some remarkable contrasts, which deserve notice. The first contrast is between the little Jewish girl and the wicked king of Israel. The little girl believed in her God, while the king trusted in heathen idols. The first was...