Vol 88 Issue 14

Evangelism Activities The Evangelism Committee of the Hope PRC in Redlands, CA is now a broadcasting member of Sermonaudio.com. You can easily visit sermonaudio.com/evangelism-hopeprc to listen to Rev. Huizinga’s sermons on your personal computer, tablet pc, or Smart phone. The Evangelism Committee of the Georgetown PRC in Hudsonville, MI informed their congrega­tion that they recently completed their Bible study series at the Men’s Shelter of the Holland Rescue Mis­sion in Holland, MI. Meetings were held in the cafeteria with an average of about 20 men from every background, ranging in age from 19 to nearly 70. The Evangelism Committee appreciated...

Classis West met on March 7, 2012, in Hope PRC of Redlands, CA. That the delegates might have even more opportunity to enjoy the beautiful springtime weather in southern California, an officebearers’ conference was scheduled for the day before Classis, on the subject “Her­man Bavinck: The Theologian.” Classis treated one matter of discipline by advising a consis­tory to proceed with increasing censure. This aspect of Classis’ work is never enjoyable. We pray that God continue to give this consistory the grace to manifest faithfully this mark of the true church of Christ, and that He will lead the sinners to...

The Ephesian believers lived during a pivotal period in the history of the church. It was that time, soon after Christ’s ascension into heaven, when God chose to reveal to His church what had been hid in Him since the beginning of time (Eph. 3:9). That which God was now revealing to the early New Testament church had “in other ages” remained a mystery to the sons of men (v. 5). Now the saints in Ephesus are privileged to receive the labors of a man to whom this mystery had been revealed: the great apostle Paul. Paul writes in Ephesians...

What is music? At bottom, music is a specific arrangement of sounds. These sounds are known according to their pitch, and their duration can be controlled. Their ar­rangement is what makes music. But music is so much more. Music is one of the best gifts that God has given to His highest creature, man. It is one of the finest of arts, in which man can employ the creativeness of his mind and the nimbleness of his body. With music, man can express in a powerful way the feelings of his heart. With music, man can arouse powerful thoughts and...

“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.” Jeremiah 7:31 What doth God require in the second command­ment? Answer. That we in no wise represent God by im­ages, nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded in his word. Heidelberg Catechism, Question 96. Introduction When John Calvin was asked to give his opinion regarding what were the most important issues in the Reformation of the church...

For some strange reason many Christians seem to think God prefers the color black. It’s almost exclu­sively how they see themselves or God’s creation, and it’s usually what they wear or the only color approved for worship. But everyone bought with Christ’s blood should love red. No color more richly, vibrantly, and beautifully expresses the whole of our life—both in the flesh and in the Spirit. With this one color, God symbolizes our life in the earth, our sins in the flesh, His fierce wrath against sin, the precious means of atonement, and the joy of a redeemed life. Without...

Last time, we began an examination of the dream of Dr. Robert Godfrey. The dream is deeply flawed be­cause it minimizes denominational unity and is church politically unsound. But the problems with his dream run deeper. It is an artificial attempt to bring about a fervently desired unity by brushing aside significant dif­ferences and minimizing the deep divisions that exist in the Reformed church world over substantial issues. In the case of the PRC, these deep divisions are the fruit of erroneous synodical decisions approving common grace and the well-meant offer. The dream attempts to find the lowest common, Reformed...

“And of 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 Long before Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species gave aid, comfort, and “scientific” support for Adolf Hitler’s gas chambers in Germany and Margaret Sanger’s birth control program in America, Karl Marx wrote (January 16, 1861), “Darwin’s [Ori­gin of Species, CK] is very important and provides me with the basis in natural science for the class struggle in history.”¹ Actually, Origin of Species did...

The constant need for good Christian school teachers was the subject of my last editorial. Our Christian schools cannot exist without teachers. And without good school teachers there is no purpose in having separate, Protestant Reformed Christian schools. Last time I issued a sum­mons to young men and women to consider training to become teachers in our schools, to stand in the place of us parents (in loco parentis). What amplifies this summons is retirements, some women teach­ers turning to motherly duties if they marry and bear children, the gradually enlarging population of our churches, and the encouraging expansion of...

“That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, no false accus­ers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things….” Titus 2:2, 3 Paul left Titus amongst the new Christians on the island of Crete with the responsibility to “set in order the things that are wanting” (Titus 1:5a). His primary duty was to organize churches by ordain­ing officebearers (Titus 1:5b), and to continue to preach and teach in the interest of the faith of God’s elect and their acknowledging of the...