Vol 81 Issue 10

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Young People’s Activities Members from our churches around the Chicago, IL area were invited to come together for a night of singing and fellowship Sunday evening, January 16, at Cornerstone PRC in Dyer, Indiana. The Voices of Victory, a quartet of men from the Grand Rapids, MI area, presented a concert sponsored by the area Young People’s Societies. A collection was taken for the 2005 Young People’s Convention. In addition to weekly Bible discussion, many of the Young People’s Societies also find time, after studying God’s Word,...

January 12, 2005 Southeast Protestant Reformed Church Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, January 12, 2005. All the churches were represented by two delegates; Rev. David Overway was the chairman for this session. In attendance also were students from the church history classes at Covenant Christian High School, as well as the delegates ad examina from Classis West: Revs. A. Brummel, S. Houck, and D. Kuiper. Classis had before it two important items. The first was an overture to Synod 2005 asking that synod appoint a study committee to advise the synod whether it should recommend the use...

Rev. DeVries is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Wingham, Ontario, Canada. Church Ministers Join Union Such was a front-page headline of the London, Ontario Free Press on November 6, 2004. The article, by Reporter Patrick Maloney, went on to explain: Nearly 25 years after Rev. Del Stewart answered the Lord’s call, one of Canada’s biggest unions has answered his. In a North American first, several local United Church ministers—including Stewart of Leamington—have taken a step toward unionizing the clergy, convincing the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) to represent the reverends who claim abuse, insecurity and low wages are rampant...

Mrs. Miersma is the wife of Rev. Thomas Miersma, missionary in Spokane, Washington. The last time we considered this subject, we saw that the children entrusted to our care are the royal children of our great and heavenly King, adopted by Him and made His own. We reflected on the privilege and responsibility this implies—that God has chosen us, earthen vessels, to reveal His own care for these royal children, and that in the way of this training He reveals His covenant to us and to them. Were an earthly king to delegate the rearing of his children to others,...

Rev. Hanko is pastor in the Protestant Reformed Church of Lynden, Washington. Previous article in this series: January 15, 2005, p. 182. The Fourth Prophecy: Haggai 2:20-23 Haggai 2:20. And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, This fourth and last prophecy of Haggai comes on the same day as the previous Word of God, and nearly four months after Haggai began his work. It is addressed to and is about Zerubbabel, the local civil ruler of the returned captives, and it is a word of promise that...

George Ophoff was Professor of Old Testament Studies in the Protestant Reformed Seminary in its early days. Reprinted here, in edited form, are articles that Ophoff wrote at that time for the Standard Bearer. Previous article in this series: February 1, 2005, p. 201. From the very outset, man’s faith in and his love for God were put to a test. For in the garden there was that other tree—the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From the sacred record (Gen. 2 andGen. 3), one may gather the following data relative to this tree: 1) The tree was called the...

Prof. Engelsma is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary, and recently retired editor of the SB. From the Reformed Free Publishing Association, publisher of the Standard Bearer, I received an invitation a few months ago to speak at the annual meeting of the association, “reflecting on your years as editor of the Standard Bearer.” My first inclination was to reject this topic because it requires me to talk about myself. This is a subject that is unappealing to me and that would be unedifying to you. On second thought, however, I decided that the topic...

Conversions under impure preaching? In the November 15, 2004 issue of the Standard Bearer, the article “The Role of Every Believer in Evangelism,” written by Rev. Jason Kortering, contained a disturbing quote. It was the quote from John Sittema. “People get saved in Baptist or other fundamentalistic churches and then they learn good theology and become Calvinists.” Sittema stated that this “correlative attitude” is “acceptable” and “popular” among Calvinists. So, someone can be “saved,” and still subscribe to “bad” theology! “Bad” or “false” theology is a false view of God, whether from ignorance or heresy. What is being stated here...

What is printed here is the basic text of a speech given at a conference on marriage sponsored by the evangelism committee of Southwest PRC. It is offered here as an editorial in the interest of reaching a larger audience on a topic of growing discussion, concern, and importance.) There was a time when in any conference on marriage the primary interest would have been the question of divorce and remarriage and the growing prevalence of such occurrences in the church. Not at present, however. Overshadowing everything at present is the gay-liberation movement and the move to legalize homosexual union....

Rev. Slopsema is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23 Did you know that not...