Vol 89 Issue 15

Congregation Activities Reflecting on the Word of God found in Romans 12:5: “So we, be­ing many, are one body in Christ,” we call your attention to the an­niversary of the Cornerstone PRC in Dyer, IN, organized on May 5, 1999, and the Immanuel PRC in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, orga­nized on May 13, 1987. The combined Men’s Societies of the Churches in Iowa and Min­nesota met together on April 1 at the Doon, IA PRC. The Bible discussion was taken from II Peter 1. The after-recess program, led by the men of the Edgerton, MN PRC, looked at the “Practical Benefits...

I heard this phrase recently when we were on a vaca­tion. A mother with teenage daughters, noticing the modest bathing suits of our daughters, told us that she often uses the phrase “modest is hottest” to encourage her daughters in modesty. When I heard her say this, I smiled uneasily, not so sure I wanted to put it this way with my own five daughters. It certainly has a nice ring to it. But is this statement true? Let’s leave this catchy phrase for a moment and focus on what Scripture says about modesty and apparel. Ac­cording to the Scriptures,...

Previous article in this series: March 1, 2013, p. 258. We have divided this subject into three parts. In our last article we addressed the importance of preventive discipline. We need to warn our covenant children about the serious­ness of sin, God’s judgment on this sin, and the grave consequences sin has for our lives. We need to warn our children, earnestly and prayerfully, concerning the great evils of the world. They must be taught the urgency of condemning the world and fleeing from its temptations and great evils. We are, by the wonderful grace of God, His covenant people....

“When does God raise His people from the dead?” If you ask that question to a group of young children, they will likely hesitate for a moment. Then, with a bit of uncertainty in their voice, some of them may answer, “After they die?” This answer is correct, of course, but there is more. So we could follow up with a more specific question: “Does God also raise His people from the dead before their bodily life comes to an end?” This second ques­tion gets right to a central point about salvation. And when a young believer understands the answer...

Previous article in this series: February 1, 2013, p. 200. “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 Although a wolf may be disguised to look like a sheep, his tracks will always betray him. True is this also for the beast discussed in a former article. And since that second beast (false prophet) “exerciseth all the power of the first beast (antichrist and the antichristian world-power)” and is commis­sioned...

The second semester of the 2012-2013 school year is well under way. Between semesters the students participated in the interim course. The interim is an eight-day, intensive study of one par­ticular subject. Prof. Dykstra taught the interim this year. He introduced a new interim course that is the fruit of his sabbatical work. The interim dealt with the “History and Principles of Christian Education.” Prof. Dykstra led the students in an in-depth study of the history of Christian education from the Old Testament onward. He gave particular attention to the Reforma­tion’s interest in Christian education and to the interest of...

Previous article in this series: April 15, 2013, p. 316. As stated back in February, we intended to offer a brief response to an article found in the Mid-America Journal of Theology, vol. 22, 2011 (MJT 22), entitled “Calvin’s Treatment of the Offer of the Gospel and Divine Grace,” an article written by Dr. J. Mark Beach, a professor at Mid-America Seminary. It is an article of interest to us as much for the subject matter, Calvin and the Free Offer of the Gospel (FOG), as for the fact that the name H. Hoek­sema, and with it the Protestant Reformed...

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advo­cate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. I John 2:1, 2 My little children! The apostle John uses an address that literally means “offspring.” It is derived from a word that means “to bring forth or to produce.” He has been inspired to proclaim the Word of God through which we were called out of darkness...