Vol 89 Issue 08

Congregation Activities Last year the city of Hudsonville, MI made the decision to tear down the building that our Hudsonville PRC had built and called home from 1927 until moving into bigger facili­ties in 1976. But before that build­ing came down in early December, the city of Hudsonville approached Hudsonville PRC to see if they were interested in purchasing the original bell that still hung in the steeple of that building. They were. As you can imagine, this old bell has both historical and sentimental value to our Hudsonville congregation, as it dates back to their beginning, and was purchased...

God In Our Midst: The Tabernacle and Our Re­lationship With God, by Daniel R. Hyde. Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2012. 255 pages. Hardcover $18.00; ebook $9.00. ISBN 978-1-56769-281-5. Reviewed by Douglas J. Kuiper. “God created the world in six days, but he used forty to instruct Moses about the tabernacle. Little over one chapter was needed to describe the structure of the world, but six were used for the tab­ernacle.” (Herman Witsius, as quoted on page 202 of this book). This fact alone justifies the writing and publishing of this volume. My own interest in reading it was height­ened...

Marisa Kobilan, who lives in the State of Washington, was one of the attendees at the British Reformed Fellowship Conference in NI last summer.   Last summer, the British Reformed Fellow­ship’s biennial family conference proved to be a tremendous success, as it combined beautiful scenery, wonderful fellowship, and superb teaching. Saints from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, Italy, France, Wales, the Netherlands, Hun­gary, Canada, and the United States of America gath­ered for a week of teaching and fellowship in beautiful County Down, Northern Ireland. The theme of this year’s conference was, “Ye Shall Be My Witnesses.” All facets of...

The outreach we speak about in this article is mission work. It is hard work. It taxes our patience. It tries our commitment. And it stirs in us the deepest sense of helplessness. Having said this, we quickly add that it is right and beautiful for every congregation to do it. There are two reasons for this. First, it is the response of faith to obey the com­mandment of our Lord. Two passages from the Bible come to mind. Matthew 28:18-20: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing...

Previous article in this series: January 1, 2013, p. 153.   Isaiah was a prophet in Jerusalem during the reigns of no fewer than four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Is. 1:1). Uzziah and Jotham were good kings. Judah therefore enjoyed an extended period of prosperity. The great increase in worldly wealth and luxury was accompanied by a de­cline in spirituality among the people generally. When Jotham’s son Ahaz began to practice idolatry, first after the manner of “the kings of Israel” (II Chron. 28:2), and then “after the abominations of the heathen” (II Chron. 28:3), the...

It is my intention to write a few articles on the above mentioned theme. Many over the years have written on this subject. In preparation for writing these articles I am reading again some good articles and books from my library. God’s Word has much to say about this subject. Our hope and prayer is that another study of this subject will not be considered unnecessary repetition and that we will not imagine that we already know all we need to know. Parents especially have to consider over and over again what God’s Word has to say about this subject....

Christ is pleased to gather His eternally chosen church by His Word and Spirit from all the nations of the earth. The same good pleasure of God has also determined that the nations from which the church is gathered are not identical, but very different in many respects, including wealth. This dif­ference, which God has established and governs by His providence, is one with which the church must reckon, also in regard to the giving of financial assistance in cross-economic situations. In fact, because the gap between the richer and poorer nations is becoming ever wider, the need for careful...

Previous article in this series: November 15, 2012, p. 81.   Introduction Last time we examined the various aspects of what has sometimes been called “the opening service.” This section of the liturgy includes the call to worship, dox­ology, salutation, votum, and benediction. In this ar­ticle we take a step back and see the importance of this first part of the order of worship in context, especially as we remember that worship is a covenantal assembly with Jehovah. The Purpose of the Opening Service You have perhaps noticed that these aspects of the opening service are not strictly the elements...

What makes the home of a Christian differ­ent from the home of an unbeliever? A clear difference will manifest itself on Sunday—the Christian family or individual will attend church and seek to set aside the Lord’s day for spiritual rather than earthly activities. Proper obser­vance of the Lord’s day is crucial for our homes. Without it, our homes will be swept away in a flood of worldliness. But aside from the observance of the Lord’s day, what makes your home, your life as a believing fam­ily, different from the homes and lives of your unbelieving neighbors? Many of us are...

“Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own mas­ters, and to please them well in all things; not answer­ing again; not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” Titus 2:9, 10 Paul is giving instructions to young Titus con­cerning his ministry among the new Christians on the island of Crete. He must preach and teach the truth, and godliness of life that is consistent with the truth. One’s acknowledgment of the truth should be accompanied with godliness (Titus 1:1), and Titus must keep on speaking and exhorting and...