The covenant of God and our mission to the world (7) God’s people in the world
Rev. Daniel Holstege, former PRC missionary and now pastor of the Wingham Protestant Reformed Church in Wingham, Ontario Previous article in this series: March 1, 2022, p. 255. As promised in a previous article, we now turn to the ideas of covenant, missions, and the antithesis as they relate to all believers. We have already considered the topic as it relates to ministers of the gospel. We saw that if we have a culture for missions in our covenant community, we do not only focus inwardly on the needs of our own churches, but we just as zealously focus on […]
Sand innumerable: God’s precious thoughts towards His precious church
Mr. Joel Minderhoud, science teacher in Covenant Christian High School and member of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Walker, Michigan As the summer season is upon us in North America, many of us will likely take the opportunity to visit a beach. As you relax on the beach, basking under the warm summer sun and watching the waves lap upon the shore, take a moment to pick up a handful of sand and ponder this unique aspect of God’s creation. What passages of Scripture come to mind? What spiritual truths does God reveal in His Word through this particular product […]
Have you considered the ministry?
Rev. Ryan Barnhill, pastor of Heritage Protestant Reformed Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Young man, have you considered the ministry? How much have you thought about this matter? How often have you given yourself to earnest prayer about this work? How frequently have you discussed this with your parents or with someone else whom you trust? The need for ministers is great! It is certainly true that God will bring into the office whom He will, and God’s will is never frustrated. But this does not mean that articles like this one are unnecessary. Dear reader, if you feel […]
The white horse
Rev. Dennis Lee, pastor of Kalamazoo Protestant Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2 Visions and symbols! The book of Revelation is filled with visions and symbols that reveal much-needed comforting truths for our times, which is the […]
The PRCA and the true/false church (5)
Rev. Joshua Engelsma, pastor of the Crete Protestant Reformed Church in Crete, Illinois The first three editorials in this series spelled out the biblical and Reformed view of the distinction between the true church and the false church. The previous (fourth) editorial began making some application of the distinction to the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRCA). Specifically, that editorial made the case (humbly, I pray) that the PRCA are true, faithful churches where Christ is present. At the close of that editorial I indicated that I wanted to give two warnings to the denomination. I take up those warnings […]
Preview of Synod 2022
The Synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRCA) will be hosted this year by Zion PRC (Jenison, MI). A pre-synodical worship service will be held on Monday evening, June 13, and the assembly will convene to begin its work on Tuesday, June 14, at 8:00 a.m. In comparison to recent years, the agenda is considerably lighter, at a little over 100 pages. While the agenda is not as lengthy, the material before the synod is still important work. Two overtures will require synod’s careful consideration. One overture is the request of a consistory to change Church Order Article 67 so […]
Editor’s Note
The special issue on sexual abuse (May 1, 2022) was read by many. So much that the RFPA made a special run of 750 additional copies to supply those who requested them. Churches and individuals, both of our regular readership and those who do not subscribe to the magazine, asked for copies. There is a limited supply still available. Please write the editorial office (gritters@ prca.org) or the RFPA (alexkalsbeek@rfpa.org). The articles hit home, in a most literal sense. Sexual abuse victims exist in our homes, the homes of Protestant Reformed readers and our friends. Many of their oppressors have […]
Letters
Responses to sexual abuse issue Thank you from the depths of my heart for the special issue on sexual abuse in the SB. I wish I could say we literally fight over who gets the SB next more often in our home, but I have to admit that is not the case. But when this issue arrived, if the person whose hand it was in set it down for a moment, there was someone else waiting to snatch it up. It had a positive impact in our home. Seeing this in print in the SB shows in a large way […]
The leaked draft of the Supreme Court majority opinion
Rev. Audred Spriensma, pastor of Cornerstone Protestant Reformed Church, Dyer, IN I along with most Americans were shocked to hear Tuesday morning (May 3) the news of the draft of a Supreme Court majority opinion concerning Roe v. Wade that was leaked to the public. What a shocking breach of Supreme Court confidentiality and secrecy! The draft was written by Justice Samuel Alito. It would strike down Roe v. Wade and abortion as a constitutional right for Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the document’s authenticity the next day. In the draft opinion, Samuel Alito wrote that Roe “must be […]
Immortality
Rev. Justin Smidstra, pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Unbelieving man suppresses this knowledge. But he can never shake off the fear of death. More than anything, man wants to live, and to keep living forever. Fallen man dreams of immortality. Not true immortality, but endless life after the imaginations of his own heart. In every age he chases after this dream. He looks to all sorts of things to lengthen his days and deliver him from death: idol gods, a mythical […]
