Vol 81 Issue 06

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Mission Activities Thursday evening, November 18, was “Light Up Night” in Forest Hills, a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA, and the location of our denomination’s Mission Office and work in Pittsburgh. The Fellowship there decided to mark the event with an open house at the Mission Office, with lights, banner, reception table, coffee, lemonade, homemade cookies, and free tapes and pamphlets for all their visitors. Plans also called for a brief Bible Study and devotions, and a time of singing. Depending on the turnout, Pittsburgh also hoped to...

Mr. Kalsbeek is a teacher in Covenant Christian High School and a member of Hope Protestant Reformed Church, Walker, Michigan. Previous article in this series: November 15, p, 85. “And the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.” I Chronicles 12:32 In 1938, when Islam was weaker than ever before, the Catholic writer Hillaire Belloc predicted it would rise again to threaten the West. At the time, the state of Israel did not...

Rev. Bruinsma is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The largest share of the body of this article is made up of a personal letter I received from a Protestant Reformed sister in our church in Edmonton, Canada. I am grateful that she has allowed me to print this letter because I believe it reveals what must be in the heart of every godly mother of Zion. Not only must there be peace and contentment in a mother’s labors in the home, but she must see this task as challenging, exciting, and rewarding. All these are revealed...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. Previous article in this series, November 1, 2004, p. 63. In the last few articles we have examined the duties of deacons in relieving the needs of the poor. Having first collected the alms, deacons in Reformed churches are required to determine the need of those who request benevolence help, distribute the alms according to their need, and visit and comfort the poor with the Word of God. If any have inferred, at this point, that the work of relieving the needs of the poor begins only when...

Prof. Hanko is professor emeritus of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Previous article in this series: November 15, 2004, p. 88. In our previous article we discussed Cocceius’ historical approach to the study of theology. We began to show the error of his “historical (or biblical) theology,” as that is compared to what is known as “systematic theology.” We continue, now, our treatment of that comparison. The Importance of Systematic Theology   Systematic theology is important and crucial for the life of the church. The reasons are not difficult to understand. God is Truth. God...

Rev. Hanko is pastor in the Protestant Reformed Church of Lynden, Washington. Previous article in this series: November 1, 2004, p. 78.   The Third Prophecy (cont.)   2:11. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, Haggai is commanded to go to the priests with a question concerning several points of law, the law of Moses. He asks the priests these questions because they were the official interpreters and teachers of the law. This is especially clear fromMalachi 2:6, 7. There we read: The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity...

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: December 1, 2004, p. 106. Second principle of interpretation   Let us now consider another important principle of interpretation. Reflecting again on the examples of typical materials that we considered last time, we discover that not one of the events, transactions, or persons used by the inspired writers as figures of the good things under the gospel is of a sinful...

Rev. Kleyn is pastor of Trinity Protestant Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan.   Persecution is a Reality   “…all that live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12). In our intercessory prayers we often remember before God Christians being persecuted. In these prayers we are not, I hope, just praying for ourselves and those we know who must endure scorn for their faith, but we are praying especially for those suffering physical persecution—imprisonment, hunger, torture, beatings, death, etc. Usually, we are not aware personally of such saints, and so we are praying with a certain lack of...

The spring edition of the biannual magazine Origins has an article about movies entitled, “To Go or Not To Go (To The Movies).” Origins is the historical magazine of the archives of Calvin College and Seminary. It is a fascinating magazine for those who enjoy reading about the “olden days”—lives and institutions in the Reformed churches in general, and more specifically in the Christian Reformed Church. Most of the articles consist of well-researched and well-written historical material. Of late, Origins has been printing articles that include an editorial element. Such is the case in the article on movies by Rev....

Rev. Miersma is a missionary of the Protestant Reformed Churches, currently serving in Ghana, West Africa. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Matthew 2:1 Jesus Christ, born King of the Jews, far transcends the limits of the Jewish nation. While the carnal Jews do not receive Him, the called of God come from afar, from the Gentiles, and acknowledge Him as their God and King. Of this coming of the Gentiles we have the firstfruits and prophecy in the incident...