Vol 89 Issue 03

Mission Activities We thank our missionaries to the Philippines, Revs. D. Kleyn and R. Smit, for providing the readers of the Standard Bearer with the following update. “One of the goals in the mission work our churches are doing in the Philippines is to establish a denomination of churches, according to God’s wise will and timing. In anticipation of this, the consistories of the Berean PRC in Manila and the First Reformed Church in Bulacan are already working together toward this goal. On August 22 these two consistories had a combined meeting in order to identify any areas of concern...

September 12, 2012 Grace Protestant Reformed Church Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, Sep­tember 12, 2012 at the Grace PRC. Each church was represented by two delegates. Rev. K. Koole was the chairman for this session. The business of classis was routine. The delegates were on their way home by 10 a.m. Classis approved classical ap­pointments for Faith PRC for the evening services and special services between October, 2012 and January, 2013. Rev. H. Bleyenberg was elected to serve a one-year term on the Classi­cal Committee, replacing Rev. A. Lanning who will be leaving to take up his...

What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission, by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. Wheaton, Crossway, 2011. 288 pages. Softcover. ISBN 978-1-4335-2690-9. [Reviewed by Rev. Cory Griess.] “Be missional,” “transform culture,” “build the kingdom,” “be incarnational,” “be Jesus to the world,” “ensure social justice,” “be kingdom agents,” “seek the Shalom of the city.” If you have heard any of these buzzwords you have come into contact with the modern view of the mission of the church in the world. Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert have written a book to examine carefully...

The Board welcomes all members present as well as those of you who are viewing through the webcast. This is our first time attempting a webcast, and we look forward to your feedback. It is our desire that interested parties in all areas of the country may benefit from this annual meeting. We are thankful to all of our patrons whose support is shown by your attendance here and by your financial support of the Special Education Association. More importantly, we are thankful for the prayers to our heavenly Father, who has in His infinite wisdom gra­ciously given us many...

How far can you reach? How far can you stretch? Such is part of your strength of youth. So much of that reaching and stretching has to do with your physical body. In soft­ball, how far can you reach in fielding to catch the ball? In basketball, can you reach far enough by jumping with your legs and by stretching out your arms to slam-dunk? You have competitions among yourselves, not only to see who is taller, but who can stretch the farthest. Or think of distance training. To run fast for a short length requires practice and discipline, but...

Abortion Is Murder Even in the Case of Rape Todd Akin, a U.S. Congressman from Mississippi and that state’s Republican nominee for the US Sen­ate, recently stirred up controversy about abortion in the case of rape. Below is an article by Trevin Wax that provides strong arguments for why abortion in the case of rape is immoral in an imagined “do-over” of Congressman Akin’s interaction with the news media. The article is entitled What Todd Akin Should Have Said About Abortion and Rape.1 Abortion is front-and-center in the presidential cam­paign due to a congressman’s flub on national TV. In case...

Previous article in this series: May 1, 2012, p. 353.   Having treated the history of the office of elder during the intertestamentary period and at the time of Jesus in our last article, we now treat the history of the office during the time of the apostles. Our thesis is that the office of elder in the New Tes­tament church is the continuation of the office of elder in Old Testament Israel and in the synagogues of the intertestamentary period and of Jesus’ day. This thesis is not original with me. With these words, Samuel Miller begins his treatment...

Previous article in this series: August 2012, p. 442.   Having noted the fundamental elements of postmillennial eschatology (doctrine of the last things), I now subject this false doctrine concerning the second coming of Christ to criticism. The criticism is that leveled by Reformed amillennialism, which doctrine I have explained earlier in this series. I have already criticized the leading doctrinal errors of postmillennialism, centering on its conception of the Messianic kingdom as a temporal, carnal kingdom that must have an earthly victory within history. At present, I am refuting the main biblical argu­ments put forward on behalf of postmillennialism...

Previous article in this series: October 1, 2012, p. 5.   This year, Covenant Evan­gelical Reformed Church (CERC) commemorated twenty-five years as a congregation. It has not been an easy twenty-five years. One of the charter members of Covenant, and an elder from the start, Elder Leong Fai Chong (John), summarized it well. In the twenty-fifth anniversary booklet he wrote: In fact, that she is what she is today and that she could celebrate her 25th Anniversary is a miracle indeed. Yes, it is a miracle because for a little flock to go through cri­sis, turmoil, pains, controversies, and changes...

So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. II Chronicles 27:6 Jotham was one of the kings of Judah of whom we know very little. His life and reign are recorded in II Chronicles 27 and II Kings 15:32-38. From these passages we learn that Jotham was the 11th king of Judah, the son of the godly king Uzziah. He took over the reins of government from his father when he was 25 years old and reigned for 16 years. Most importantly, he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord...