Vol 90 Issue 04

Congregation Activities With the Word of God found in I John 4:11 in mind, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another,” we extend our congratulations to two congrega­tions celebrating anniversaries: the Wingham, Ontario PRC, or­ganized November 25, 1979, and the Lynden, WA PRC, organized in November, 1951, the exact day unknown. Members of the Hudsonville, MI PRC were invited to ride along on their bikes for their fourth annual Church Bike Ride on Saturday, Oc­tober 12. It proved to be a colorful ride through falling leaves along the shore of Lake Michigan, from Tun­nel...

Classis West held its fall meeting in Loveland, CO on October 9. The meeting date had been postponed from the usual September date, so that Classis could ex­amine Candidate Erik Guichelaar, who had accepted the call to be the pastor of the Randolph, WI PRC. Rev. Allen Brummel chaired the session. In addition to the thirty delegates from the churches in Classis West, Classis was attended by the synodical deputies from Classis East (Revs. Haak, Koole, and VanOverloop), and by Seminarian Joshua Engelsma, who is doing his internship in Peace PRC. Many members from Loveland PRC, as well as students...

My first impression on arriving at the confer­ence in Hudsonville PRC was that the park­ing lot was almost full. That augured well for good attendance at the three sessions on Thursday-Saturday (October 17-19, 2013). I was glad to see such a lively interest in a conference for which the seminary and the Evangelism Committee of Hudsonville PRC had made such diligent preparation. Entering the building itself, I was immediately drawn to the book tables. The seminary had set up one book table, ably manned by the seminarians themselves. It included a display of rare books from the library, with the...

Mr. Linke is an elder in the Confessing Protestant Reformed Congregation of Giessen, Germany. The article appeared first in Bekenende Kirche. Translated by Mr. Peter VanDerSchaaf. Previous article in this series, September 15, 2013, p. 492. The preservation of the church is the work of the triune God What does Jesus ask of the Father? In John 17:9 He begins to pray for His people, and in verse 11 comes the central point. “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” That is the one concrete request...

This is the text of the speech Rev. Huizinga gave at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 19, 2013. Picture a banqueting table—not round, but rectan­gular in shape, like that at which a wedding party typically sits. There are five positions at the table, that is, five chairs and five table settings. In position five is seated a man who has before him an empty plate. Next to him, in position four, is a man who has before him a plate on which sits a good hearty meal. Next to him, in position three, is a man who...

Mr. Kalsbeek is a member in Hope Protestant Reformed Church, Walker, Michigan and secretary of the RFPA. The tears of a slave girl just going to be put up for sale drew the attention of a gentleman as he passed through the auction mart of a Southern slave state. The other slaves of the same group, standing in line for sale like herself, did not seem to care about it, while each knock of the hammer made her shake. The kind man stopped to ask why she alone wept, and was told that the others were used to such things,...

“This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge….” Genesis 19:9 With the radical secularization of Western nations, we are witnessing increased suppression and silencing of Christianity and Christians, with an increased promo­tion of anti-Christian beliefs and practices. Arguably, the greatest anti-Christian voice in Western nations—especially Europe, the United States, and Canada—is the pro-homosexual lobby. These nations, under the guise of tolerance, promote aggressively the notion that homosexuality is a good and acceptable way of life that must be tolerated—nay, affirmed and celebrated—by everyone. Christians remain among the few voices left in society who question...

Previous article in this series: December 1, 2012, p. 104. The Bible is the infallibly inspired written Word of God. This is the believer’s heartfelt convic­tion and bold confession concerning Scripture. Simply put, the Bible is the Word of God, the Word of God in the words of men. Because it is the Word of God, the Bible is the supreme authority in the life of the believer. Only God has supreme and ultimate authority. Because the Bible is the Word of God, it has supreme and ultimate authority over the church and over the members of the church. It...

Previous article in this series: October 15, 2013, p. 29. The October 15 edito­rial made a beginning in answering the question, somewhat controversial, “whose is the work of missions?” Does mission work belong to the local congregation or to the denomina­tion? After the editorial urged us to unite behind the work of missions for the cause of God, it pointed out the official stance of the PRC. The constitution for missions is clear: “…mission work is the call­ing of the local church.” And “some mission work may also become the work of the churches in common” (emphasis added). The important...

Anniversary One month ago, with little notice and no fanfare, the Standard Bearer entered its ninetieth year of publica­tion. The handful of men that met in 1924 to form the Reformed Free Publishing Association, and the main writers, Revs. Danhof, Hoeksema, and Ophoff, could not have imagined that their fledgling Reformed magazine would still be coming off the press and mailed to subscribers ninety years later. The Lord has graciously blessed their work. God’s blessing is indispensable for the continuance of the SB, and for that we give thanks today. Our thanks is not merely that the SB continues as...