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On Thursday, August 15, we, as a Protestant Reformed people, came together at John Ball Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan, to commemorate Rev. Hoeksema’s 25th anniversary as minister of the Word of God. Surely, no greater privilege and no greater work can be bestowed upon mortal man than to preach the Word of God. Ordinarily this is an event worthy of remembrance. And when a minister of the Word of God has labored 25 years in his chosen work, this event is usually celebrated in some form or another. Fact is, the Bible is the Word of God, the infallible, divinely...

This is the edited text of the speech Rev. Smit gave at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 24, 2015. I had the privilege to experience firsthand the topic of tonight’s lecture. I was not involved with Reformed literature on the mission field in the Philippines to the extent that Rev. and Mrs. Daniel Kleyn have been. They established and organized the “Reformed Bookshelf ” in order to fulfill a goal of our mission work in the Philippines, which is to promote the spread of Protestant Reformed literature in the Philippines in a financially accessible way. They continue...

Rev. Spronk is pastor of Faith Protestant Reformed Church in Jenison, Michigan. This is the edited text of the speech Rev. Spronk gave at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 25, 2014. First article was in the November 15, 2014 issue, p. 89. We have to know church history because it is required by God (see the previous article). We also want to know church history because of the rich benefits the knowledge of this history affords us. Of the numerous benefits of knowing church history I have chosen to highlight four in this article. First, knowledge of...

 This is the edited text of the speech Rev. Spronk gave at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 25, 2014. Introduction One purpose of this article is to convince you that you must know the history of the church. You must know, and should be interested in, the history of the church that is recorded in the Bible. You must know and should be interested the history of the church after the closing of the canon of Scripture—from the first century A.D. to the present. Maybe you are wondering if it is really necessary to make the case that...

This is the text of the speech Rev. Huizinga gave at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 19, 2013. Previous article in this series: December 15, 2013, p. 129. What Can We Do? The Ten “P’s” Now what can we do to encourage and promote the reading of sound, spiritually-edifying literature, particularly among the next generation? 1. Support the Preaching Deliberately we begin here. Were I not a preacher but a cobbler, I would still begin with preaching, as every Re­formed man should. Pray for the seminary, support the seminary, pray for the minister, see to it that...

This is the text of the speech Rev. Huizinga gave at the annual meeting of the RFPA on September 19, 2013. Previous article in this series: November 15, 2013, p. 88. Reading’s Great Significance in God’s Covenant The next generation must be encouraged to read. The necessity, even urgency, of doing so is twofold. First, reading has a significant place in the covenant of grace as an instrument of God for the fulfilling of His promises. That reading has a significant place in God’s covenant can be demonstrated from Scripture. First of all, Exodus 24:7 (and all similar Old Testa­ment passages):...

Today these Three Forms of Unity and the Formula of Subscription are the object of a subtle and persistent attack.

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...

This is the second part of the graduation speech—slightly modified for publication—given on Thursday evening, June 13, 2013, at Hudsonville PRC, in the presence of synod, the church, and the family and friends of Mr. Erik Guichelaar. First installment can be found in the July 2013 issue, p. 418. A Defense of Being Creedal Being creedal is not contradictory to the Protestant rejection of Roman Catholic tradition. Some might suppose that, as heirs of the reformation that rejected Roman Catholicism, we must trumpet: “Tradition OR Scripture,” “Man-made documents OR God’s Word,” “Church tradition OR the supremacy of Scripture.” Not so!...

This is the graduation speech—slightly modified for publication—given on Thursday evening, June 13, 2013, at Hudsonville PRC, in the presence of Synod, the church, and the family and friends of Mr. Erik Guichelaar.   Mr. Guichelaar, on this momentous evening for you we call you to be a confessional minister. A “confessional” or “creedal” minister is a minister who knows, loves, and uses the creeds, whose ministry is governed by the creeds. The churches call you to be a creedal minister. The Protestant Reformed Churches are a confessional denomination: as churches, we know, love, and use the creeds; as churches, our lives...