Vol 92 Issue 02

Mission Activities Monday, August 31 was a public holiday in the Philippines. Since many were not at work that day, the young adults of the area churches planned a “sports fest” for those in the Manila area. Under God’s blessing, the day was a great success! The weather, fellowship, and the turnout from the Berean PRC, Provident Christian Church of Marikina, and the Protestant Reformed Church in Bulacan were excellent. Rev. Vernon Ibe led in opening devotions and the games began. Included were chess, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, and basketball. Rev. Daniel Kleyn was able to join the fun after...

September 9, 2015 Byron Center Protestant Reformed Church Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at Byron Center PRC. Each church was represented by two delegates. Rev. A. den Hartog was the chairman for this session. Most of the business was routine. The exception was a request from a consistory to increase censure to the second step for one of its members. Classis advised this consistory to proceed with this action. Expenses for this classis amounted to $55.72. Classis will meet next on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at the Trinity PRC. Respectfully submitted, Jon J. Huisken,...

Previous article in this series: June 2015, p. 404. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. I Thessalonians 5:12-13 Examining the necessity and significance of a public ceremony of installation for elders, in our last article we noted five points of significance for the elder himself: the church confirms her call of him; the elder expresses his confidence of being called of God; the elder expresses his resolve to do his work faithfully;...

In this article I want to consider one more reason why the Christian home is the ideal institution that God created for the raising of covenant children. Remember that I speak of that which is ideal. No home achieves that ideal. The best home in this world of sin is still imperfect. But the ideal is what God Himself has created the covenant home to be. We must strive after this ideal, conscious of the fact that we do this only through the exercise of our faith and earnest prayer. The foundational truth of the Christian home is the truth...

This is the third installment of the address that was given on the occasion of the graduation of Candidate Mr. Ryan Barnhill from the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary on June 11, 2015. Previous installment was printed in the September 15, 2015 issue, p. 490. The Minister’s Calling with Regard to His Wife We are at present considering the calling that the minister has toward the wife that God has graciously given him. We have seen that the expression in I Timothy 3:2 that the minister is to be “the husband of one wife” does not only underscore one of the...

Previous article in this series: September 15, 2015, p. 493. Who, in his right mind or even not quite so, would ever try to teach something of the beauty of a symphony by Beethoven, or a piano concerto of Mozart… to a donkey? Have you taken a moment to ponder that? Then think of this, from John Calvin: What must be “carefully attended to,” he writes in his commentary on I Corinthians 1:20, is that “man with all his shrewdness is as stupid about understanding by himself the mysteries of God as an ass is incapable of understanding musical harmony.”...

Pope Francis’ First Visit to the U.S. “As Francis makes his first U.S. visit, his emphasis on serving the poor over enforcing doctrine has inspired joy and anxiety in Roman Catholics”—that is the subheading of an article on Pope Francis by Robert Draper in the August issue of National Geographic. The new pope visited the United States for the first time in his life September 23-27, 2015. On the docket, according to the August 31 issue of Time, were two days in Washington D.C. to visit President Obama and discuss their shared values, such as responding to global warming and...

Our thanks to Rev. Langerak for writing this memorial. The editors apologize for it coming a year late. Late Sunday evening, September 21, 2014, the Lord took Rev. Dale Kuiper to live with Him in Paradise. That he lives where there is no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain was comforting for family and friends, especially because for several years prior, Rev. Kuiper suffered the debilitating effects of a stroke. It was difficult to see this man who enjoyed being outdoors, confined to a wheelchair; one who loved visiting others, needing company himself; and one whose work depended upon a...

Previous article in this series: October 1, 2015, p. 5. As a Reformed Christian, I love the church of Jesus Christ. And love for the church commits me, as it does all Reformed Christians, to devotion to the church. So much is devotion to God’s church a part of being Reformed that, if I did not love the church, my profession of being Reformed would be empty. We saw last time that this is the teaching of the Reformed creeds. The True Church A Reformed believer’s love for the church, however, is not a love for any church. His love...

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8 How willing are we to go wherever God calls us? Would we be willing if it meant great sacrifice? Isaiah records God’s call to him as a prophet. That call certainly applies to ministers of the gospel and to those who serve in the special offices. But there is something in this call for each and every one of us. Prior to receiving the call, Isaiah saw a glorious vision of...