Vol 81 Issue 14

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Mission Activities Rev. J. Mahtani, our churches’ missionary to Pittsburgh, PA, and the Fellowship there was scheduled to be heard on radio station WORD FM 101.5 in Pittsburgh on March 20 & 27. These two prerecorded interviews, on the subjects of the atonement and the resurrection, were planned to coincide with Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We are also happy and thankful to report that the Lord has provided the volunteer assistant, Mr. Wes Koops, a former elder from First PRC in Holland, MI. Mr. Koops, with...

Rev. Mahtani is eastern home missionary of the Protestant Reformed Churches. Introduction In order that we might take seriously our calling to equip the saints, and thus explore areas where officebearers might help to equip God’s people to be busy in personal evangelism, I believe that we ourselves must be fully convinced of the proper place of personal evangelism in the church. What is evangelism? Whose duty is it to evangelize? Whom must we evangelize? What is the place of personal evangelism? These are some of the questions that must be answered as we consider the need to equip God’s...

Mr. Minderhoud is a teacher in Covenant Christian High School and a member of Hope Protestant Reformed Church, Walker, Michigan. Thy spirit, O Lord, makes life to abound; The earth is renewed, and fruitful the ground; To God ascribe glory and wisdom and might, Let God in His creatures forever delight. (Psalter 287, v. 1—Versification of Psalm 104 Warmer days are slowly approaching and with it comes all the joyous expectancy of life renewed, refreshed, and restored. We see new life all around us—not in all its full mid-summer glory— but we see it and anticipate it as the warm,...

Rev. Dick is pastor of Grace Protestant Reformed Church in Standale, Michigan. Previous article in this series: March 1, 2005, p. 252. In the elegant books of creation we read, through the spectacles of Scripture, of sin and grace. We read some tsunami books in our last Grace Life article. Those terrible killer waves that crashed coasts some months ago are not only lessons in earthquakes and “where to build your next resort.” They are spiritual books. They are God’s own literature of the “shock and awe” genre. They shock us into an awesome sense of sin and sin’s killer...

Rev. VanBaren is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches.   Sad events in the Reformed church world   During the past number of years much has been made of the “right” of homosexuals to “marry” and receive the legal benefits of such union. One can understand why those who refuse to recognize the law of God presented in Holy Scripture would take the position that marriage can be whatever the majority decides it to be. But it is very difficult to understand how anyone who maintains the infallibility of Scripture can take a similar position. Sadly, this is...

For many years, the writings of Rev. C. Hanko appeared in the pages—countless pages—of the Standard Bearer. Rev. Hanko was appoined as a regular writer in 1935, and retained that post until 1990. In the years before the split of 1953, he was one of but a handful of ministers who regularly employed his pen in order to aid Revs. Hoeksema and Ophoff in the daunting task of filling the quota of twenty-four pages twice a month. He had an obvious love for the SB. It was, in fact, at Rev. Hanko’s suggestion that the SB introduced the system of...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. *Latin abbreviation of Verbi Dei Minister, “Minister of the Word of God” The Rev. Cornelius Hanko was born to Herman and Jennie (nee Burmania) Hanko on May 19, 1907 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received his heartfelt desire when the Lord in His mercy took him to glory on Monday, March 14, in the year of our Lord 2005. Rev. Hanko was baptized in the Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church. During the common grace controversy in the 1920s the Hanko family followed Rev. Herman Hoeksema and the majority...

Tilting at Windmills?   I fear that Herman Hanko’s article (“Charles Darwin and Evolutionism,” March 1, 2005) did not help to advance the cause of creationism. As he informs us, The fact of the matter is that we who believe in creation have an ironclad case that is unassailable. We have absolute proof for creation, proof than which there is no stronger. That proof is that God Himself tells us how He made the world. If that isn’t proof, then I do not know what is (emphasis added). But if Prof. Hanko’s “proof” is unassailable, then why is it always...

The Protestant Reformed Churches need (indeed, all churches need) preachers. They need preachers soon. The need is till the end of time. For the pulpits in the congregations—one-fifth of them now vacant—and the mission fields, the churches pray to the Lord Christ, “Send pastors!” In the previous editorial (April 1, 2005), I explained why the church places such high value on the gift of faithful preachers. By ministers who are faithful, God perfects saints, performs essential ministry, edifies the body of Christ. This institution of Christ must be preserved among us by God if we are to continue as churches....

Rev. Miersma is a missionary of the Protestant Reformed Churches, currently serving in Ghana, West Africa. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:32 Sir, we would see Jesus. This was the request of certain Greeks in the preceding context. This brings to mind the words of Isaiah in chapter 53:10, where the prophet declares that Jesus would see His seed, referring to the people whom the Father would give Him out of every nation, tongue, and tribe. This salvation of the elect from among the Gentiles is forcibly brought...