Vol 93 Issue 15

Bethel PRC—Roselle, IL PRC Evangelism Committee Reports The Bethel PRC Evangelism Committee seeks to equip its members to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you” (I Pet. 3:15) by the following activities: 1. The committee maintains a church webpage which includes information about our beliefs and practices, as well as recent sermons and lectures (bethelprc.org). 2. The committee provides denominational pamphlets for our members and visitors. 3. The committee has written two pamphlets that are directed to the person who has little or no exposure...

Now in our 76th year, by God’s grace the Reformed Witness Hour (RWH) broadcast, continues to have the privilege of sending out the biblical, Reformed message that “God is God” through radio, Internet, CDs, and printed booklets. We thank the Lord for our three radio pastors, Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma, Rev. Carl Haak, and Rev. Rodney Kleyn, and for the faithful gospel of Jesus Christ He has given them to proclaim each week on our program. The RWH is now on Facebook! Each Sunday a link to the latest message is posted, and links to archived message transcripts or audio files...

The existence of the people of God on this earth is often one of great difficulty and trial, particularly for a true servant of God preaching the gospel of Christ in a thoroughly pagan land. Rev. Titus Sanceuluai, pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Yangon, Myanmar (PRCM), is clearly an exemplar of this: a man who labors tirelessly for the good of the church he loves and to the glory of the Most Holy God. Already as a young aspiring minister, Rev. Titus suffered serious consequences for his commitment to learning and teaching the Reformed truth. An excerpt from...

Limerick The Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Northern Ireland (CPRC) supports a mission field in Limerick, Ireland. Readers of the Standard Bearer should be aware that Ballymena, the home of the CPRC, and Limerick, the home of the Limerick Reformed Fellowship (LRF) are in different jurisdictions. The island of Ireland, known by many as the Emerald Isle, is divided into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The two countries are very similar in nature—similar people, similar climate, similar customs. The one major difference—apart from political affiliations—is religious. The vast majority of people in the Republic of Ireland (population c....

On a street named after Mahatma Gandhi, it is hot. The deteriorating asphalt radiates the heat of the sun, which shines down on a scene with a thousand moving parts. The traffic is a wonder, and menacing to an outsider: huge steel public buses, hulking Ambassador cabs, cars, cars, cars, and cars, but even more motorcycles, including an army of green and yellow motorcycle taxis; all racing, weaving, dodging, detouring their winding way around and past each other on this hot, narrow road. Walking down the middle of the street, implacable and unperturbed, is a massive bull, sacred to the...

What are the typical labors of our foreign missionaries in the Philippines? The labors of a missionary are diverse. The Lord gives us the opportunity to be involved in a lot of different and interesting work. With the goal of giving the reader an overview of our current mission work in the Philippines, here follows a summary of some of the main aspects of our labors on the mission field. Preaching Since preaching is the power of God unto salvation, the preaching of the Word is, as it ought to be, the main work and calling of a missionary. Our...

What is the Domestic Mission Committee (DMC) and what is its work? And what work is the DMC doing now while we currently have no home missionary? Good questions. There is no better way to get the answers than to go to the DMC’s official Constitution, which can be found on the PRCA website (prca.org). The Preamble of the Constitution states that The Protestant Reformed Churches believe that, in obedience to the command of Christ, the King of the Church, to preach the blessed gospel to all creatures, baptizing, and teaching them to observe all things which Christ has commanded,...

This issue of the Standard Bearer is our special concentration on missions. Keeping with our commitment to have Scripture exposition at the beginning, we start with a moving meditation on “Jesus’ Great Commission” by Missionary-Pastor Daniel Holstege, who recently took up labors as the PRC’s second missionary in the Philippines. Please read the meditation with that in mind. We include news from our denominational Domestic Mission Committees; from the Reformed Witness Hour Committee about radio broadcasting; from evangelism committees of eleven different congregations; from Hope PRC in Grand Rapids, MI, about their growing works in Myanmar; from our sister, the...

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 Here we are. Gathered around the feet of the Master, high up in a mountain of Galilee, where the view of the sea, hills, and fields below is truly spectacular. Only recently our...