Messenger The - Free Reformed Churches of North America

Transcription

The
Messenger
V o l u m e
N o .
3 ,
M a r c h
2 0 0 8
The MESSENGER • March 2008 • 1
Inside
5 5 ,
2 Church News • 3 A Captive Set Free • 5 The Christian’s Great Interest • 7 Gleanings from the Churches
8 The Korean Revival of Pyongyang (2) • 10 30 Years in Ministry • 11 Book Review
12 Hersteld Hervormde Kerk • 14 A Heart for Evangelism • 16 Why Sponsor Refugees (2)
18 Christian Ministry to Israel • 20 Youth Page 23 News Notes & Comments • 20 Announcements
T h e O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i on o f t h e Free R e f orme d C h u r c h es
Church News
SPRING ELDERS &
DEACONS CONFERENCE
in the London Free Reformed
Church D.V.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Coffee will be served at
10.00 a.m. The meeting
begins at 10.30 a.m.
Speaker:
Mr. David Zadok of Rishon
LeTsion, Israel
Topic:
The Place of Israel Today as
God’s Covenant People
Advance Notice:
Combined Fall Conference
with the elders and deacons
of the Heritage Reformed
Congregations.
BELLEVUE,WASHINGTON
Worship services are held
each Lord’s Day at
1.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. in
the Person Fellowship Hall of
Grace Lutheran Church,
located at 9625 NE 8th
Street, Bellevue, Washington
(three blocks west of
Bellevue Square).
We also meet at this location
for Bible Study every other
Friday evening at 7.00 p.m.
For further information,
call (425) 649-9676,
or visit our website:
frcna.org/bellevue.
Messages for Rev. Gangar or
church mail may be sent to:
[email protected]
Books to Feed Your
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• Catechism Material
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• Daily Devotions
• Children’s Bible Lessons
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visit: www.frcna.org
(click on RESOURCES)
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ANNUAL DUTCH DAY
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2006, D.V. 10.30 a.m.
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LOCATION:
Free Reformed Church,
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SPEAKER:
Rev. Gerald Procee
Everyone who understands
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is very welcome.
CALGARY, Alberta
Worship Services are
held every Lord’s Day at
9.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.
Sunday school classes are
held after the 2.30 p.m.
service. Location: 6167 6th St.
SE, Calgary AB T2H 1L9
(northwest corner of Blackfoot and Glenmore Trails).
For more information,
contact: Harold and Janey
Slingerland at 403-254-6591
or e-mail Harold and Janey
Slingerland at
[email protected].
LACOMBE, Alberta
The Free Reformed Church of
Lacombe meets in the
Trinity Lutheran Church,
5227 C & E Trail,
Lacombe, AB.
Worship services are held at
9.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m.
Free Reformed Missions International
2007
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SYNOD 2008 ANNOUNCEMENT
The Lord willing, the Free Reformed Churches of North America Synod 2008 will meet at the
Brantford, Ontario Free Reformed Church on June 2 - 6, 2008. All overtures, reports and other
correspondence for the Agenda of Synod must be received by the clerk of the Free Reformed
Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan before April 11, 2008. All material should be sent electronically
as attachments in MS-Word format via e-mail to [email protected]
On behalf of the Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church – convening Church for Synod 2008,
H. Kleyn, Clerk.
SPRING 2008 SYNODICAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS
to be held in the Free Reformed Church of Hamilton, 1114 Old Mohawk Rd., Ancastser, ON L9C 3K9
March 25
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Tuesday
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4 to 6 p.m. Publications 11
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March 26
March 27
March 28
Wednesday
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Interchurch Relations
Theological Ed.
Theological Ed.
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Lunch 12 Lunch 12
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Theological Ed.
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2 The MESSENGER • March 2008 •
Please direct requests for additions/changes to:
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Messenger Meditation
The
EDITOR
Rev. C. Pronk
10 Highgate Place
Brantford, ON N3R 5V4
Tel/Fax: 519 751-4470
Email: [email protected]
The Editor reports to the
Synodical Publications Committee
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Dr. G. M. Bilkes
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Rev. G.R. Procee, Chairman
Rev. D. H. Kranendonk, Secretary
69 Albert Street
SS1, Mitchell, ON N0K 1N0
Tel/Fax: 519 348-0436
Rev. C. Pronk
Dr. L.W. Bilkes Sr.
Rev. J. Koopman
Mr. J. Tamminga
Rev. J. Overduin
Mr. H. VanDoodewaard
Rev. J. Lewis
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Free Reformed Website: www.frcna.org
Scripture: Luke 8:26-39
By Rev. K. Gangar
Pathetic Condition of the Man
This story of the man possessed of demons
is also found in Matthew and Mark. It is
relevant to our times, when you consider
the literature on devils and angels being sold
in the bookstores. There are two occasions
when Jesus was in a place of tombs--here,
and at the tomb of Lazarus. On both
occasions He brought life where there was
death. Lazarus was physically dead, and the
man was dead to the things of this world,
though physically alive.
This man, who had been created in the
image of God, had become a haunt of devils.
He was possessed not by one, but by a legion
of devils. He was naked. All inhibition was
gone. He had forsaken home and society,
living among the tombs. Since he was a
menace to society, he had to be bound with
chains. The man’s misery was such that he
was driven to take his own life. He would
often cut himself. How the glorious image
had become tarnished, like a castle in ruins!
Position Of All Men Outside Of Christ
We may think this man is unique in his
condition, but it is not so. Scripture teaches
that all men born of Adam are born under
the devil’s dominion. The devil is called the
“god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). In this
man we have an extreme manifestation; but
all are ruled by the devil. Our Lord called
the respectable Pharisees “sons,” not of
Abraham, but “of the devil” (John 8:44).
Men and women claim to be free, but
everywhere they are in chains. Look at the
world in the present day and you will see
these same manifestations. Men and women
are casting off all inhibitions. Pornographic
sites on the Internet are drawing many
viewers, which is destructive of family
life. The devil is alive and well on planet
earth, when you consider the number of
books published and sold on that subject.
The Bible tells us that the reason men do
not believe, is not due to lack of evidence,
but because Satan has blinded their eyes (2
Cor. 4:4). All men are under the devil’s rule
until they are set free by Christ and brought
under new management.
Power Of Our Lord Over The Devil
You would think there was no hope for this
man, since he lived in Gentile territory.
Jesus had limited His mission to the house
of Israel. But he was one of Christ’s sheep
and it is this that brought our Saviour to
the spot where the man was. The disciples
of Christ had just been through a storm the
night before and would rather have avoided
an encounter altogether. It seems the
demons were aware of Christ’s coming and
guarded their captive well. A whole legion
possessed the man.
Scripture tells us that Christ assumed our
nature, “that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil; and deliver them, who through fear
of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage” (Heb. 2:14-15). It is sin that has
brought men into bondage, which the devil
tempts men with as he did Adam. Man is no
match for the devil. Neither his family, nor
society could deliver this man. Thanks be to
God that Christ is one who is stronger than
the enemy of man’s soul. Christ came into
the world, we are told, “to destroy the works
of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
No sooner does our Lord appear, and the
demons fall down before him and cry out,
“What have I to do with thee, thou Son of
God Most High? I beseech thee, torment
me not” (v.28). There are many who think
Christ and Satan are equal contestants in
a battle over the souls of men. Some even
think Satan is winning, because they see evil
increasing. But one command from Christ
will fell this arch foe. Here the demons
tremble at the approach and command of
Christ.
All notices for family announcements, obituaries, anniversaries, and non-commercial
advertisements for the April 2008 issue
should be received no later than Tuesday,
March 18, 2008 and sent to:
THE MESSENGER
c/o Rev. C. Pronk, Editor
10 Highgate Place
Brantford, ON N3R 5V4 CANADA
Telephone/Fax: 519 751-4470
Email: [email protected] or
[email protected]
A Captive Set Free
The devils asked only to be spared from
being sent into the abyss before their time,
and request permission to enter the pigs.
We may be puzzled why the Lord gives
such permission at all. One reason may
be, to show their destructive power had
they been allowed to continue in the man.
The second reason could be to assure the
man that he was fully delivered from their
control. Finally, it shows the worth of man
above animals. He permitted them to
enter the pigs, because it served His divine
purpose.
Protest Of The Citizens Of The Area
Here is one of the saddest evidences of
man’s depravity. The citizens had seen a
man who had many demons, now freed
from them; one, who had run around
naked, now clothed; one who had forsaken
home and society to live among the tombs,
now restored to his home. They saw a man
who had run wild and filled the region with
his shrieks, now sitting at the feet of Jesus.
They saw a man who was out of control,
now in his right mind. Yet despite all this,
they ask Jesus to leave their region!
They cared not that the man had been
restored from Satan’s bondage. They cared
not that the Son of God stood in their
midst. They cared only that they had lost
their swine. Rather than welcoming Jesus
to stay, so they might live free from Satan’s
tyranny, they ask Him to leave. Evidence is
not what makes people Christians. There
was more than enough evidence here. No,
it is only when the Holy Spirit regenerates
us and opens our blind eyes to the Saviour
that we are set free. By this action, these
men showed they were still under the devil’s
dominion, while the one they considered
demon-possessed, had been set free!
Proclamation Of The Gospel
How the man must have been grieved
at the request of the citizens! He did not
wish to stay in a place where his Saviour
was not welcome. He desired to be in
the company of Jesus. Jesus answered the
request of the demons, while He refused
this man! Strange are the ways of God.
The former demoniac was a living
testimony to the work of Christ. He
had been set free, not simply by a word
of power, but by the sacrifice that Christ
would shortly make on Calvary’s cross. It
was sin that brought man into bondage,
and by the removal of sin alone, could the
captive be set free. Jesus saves men both by
purchase and by power. Satan is loath to
lose his captives.
Jesus now had a special mission for the
man to perform. Even though Jesus could
no longer be in their territory, yet He
extended mercy to them. We see how the
Lord is willing that none should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
Jesus told His disciples after He had risen,
to begin their proclamation at Jerusalem-the very place of his death! This man was
to begin to proclaim what the Lord had
done in his own home and in this region.
It is true that when a man or woman
is changed, this change ought to be
evident in the home where he or she is
most intimately known. There are many
who know how to speak about religious
matters, but their home is empty of it.
Like the character in Pilgrim’s Progress,
they resemble the man who is a saint
abroad but a devil at home.
The man proclaimed the message so
that many marvelled. He had personally
experienced the goodness of the Saviour,
and it was apparent to those who heard
him. He became the means through which
the word went out, to the whole region.
Have you been set free from Satan’s
bondage? You may say, “I’ve never been
in bondage to him.” However you may
feel, the Bible tells us, all who have not
been freed by Christ, are still under his
dominion. Men and women are so blinded
by him, that they think themselves to be
free, while they are in chains! The very fact
that you see no need of Christ, even when
He is proclaimed to you, is sure evidence
of your bondage. Cry out to the Lord
today and beg Him to set you free.
Remember, your case does not have
to be as extreme as this man for you still
to be Satan’s captive. The Pharisees were
respectable, yet they were in bondage to
the devil, for they saw no need to believe in
Christ. There is only One who is stronger
than Satan, and that is Christ. “If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed” (John 8:36).
If you have experienced this freedom,
how do you use it? Is it that you may tell
others of the Saviour? Is this freedom
evident to others, in your holy walk of
life?
M
Rev. Kuldip Gangar is the pastor of the Free
Reformed Church of Bellevue, Washington.
Staff for Small Group Home
Peace Haven, Free Reformed Association, is looking
for part-time support workers who are qualified, and
others who are willing to be trained, to staff a small
group home offering residential and respite care for
special needs individuals in Brantford, Ontario. A
heart for Christian service, good inter-personal skills,
and a willingness to learn are of primary importance.
To apply with a resume and for inquiries contact:
Mrs. Frederika Pronk, Secretary, Peace Haven, c/o 10
Highgate Place, Brantford. ON N3R 5V4; Tel/Fax: 519
751-4470; email: [email protected].”
SPECIAL
CONCERT
In connection with the 25th anniversary, the
Hosanna Choir will be in concert with the
Mattaniah Christian Male Choir at Hamilton
Place, the Lord willing, on
Saturday, March 29, 2008, 7.30 p.m.
Musical participants include
Liselotte Rokyta from Holland - panflute
André Knevel & John Vanderlaan - organ
Joyce Postmus - piano
Scott Harrison, Philip Seguin - trumpets
For more information, call 905-628-1211
or visit www.hosanna-choir.org
SUPPORT
FREE REFORMED MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL
Send a cheque for a donation of $20.00 to
(FRMI) Free Reformed Missions International,
and we will send you a
FREE Organ CD of the Inaugural Organ Concert
of the St. Thomas Free Reformed Church
(mailing cost will be added to your order)
Send your cheque to:
FRC Jan Overduin CD, 34 - 19 Augusta Cr.,
St. Thomas, ON N5R 6J7, Canada,
or place your order by email to:
[email protected] and include your name,
address, postal code and the number of
copies you wish to order.
For further information see also
http://freereformedconcertcd.blogspot.com/
Editorial
The Christian’s
Great Interest (1)
The editorial for this month will take the form of an extended review or summary of a book that became a spiritual classic almost as soon as it was
published. Thomas Chalmers called it “the best book I ever read.” And John Owen said of it that there is more divinity in it than in all my writings.
I am referring to William Guthrie’s little classic, The Christian’s Great Interest. 1
B
orn in Scotland in 1620, Guthrie pastored
only one church, Fenwick in Ayrshire,
from 1650 to 1664, where he became known
as ‘a great light in the West of Scotland.’
Having poured all his teaching and pastoral
experience into this work--his one book, he
ministered to thousand of Christians during
his lifetime and many more thousands have
benefited from this spiritual gem since his
death in 1665. On the cover of my copy of
Guthrie’s book it says, “From the riches of
these pages Christians, and those still seeking
Christ, have been drawing for three hundred
[by now 350] years as the book has passed
through more than eighty editions.” Why is
this book still so popular? Because of its great
importance. Listen to what Guthrie says in
his introduction:
A Model Of Balance
Guthrie’s treatment of these difficult questions
is a model of balance. While clearly showing
how the true believer’s experience differs
from that of the hypocrite, he resists the
temptation to raise the minimum standard
The Preparatory Work Of The Law
Before dealing with these, however, he pauses
to discuss the law-work, which, he says, the
Lord usually uses in preparing His own way
in men’s souls. Not all experience such a lawwork, Guthrie says. Some are called from
the womb, as John the Baptist, or in early
childhood as Timothy. Others are brought
to Christ in a sovereign gospel way by some
few words of love as Zacchaeus, and others,
who upon a word spoken by Christ, did leave
all and followed Him. We hear nothing of a
law-work dealing with them before they close
with Christ Jesus. All these, however, are
deeply convicted of sin after coming to faith,
as Zacchaeus’ case shows. Others, again, are
called on their deathbeds, but only few are
saved this way. Ordinarily, however, a clear
and discernable law-work of conviction and
humiliation precedes faith.
Some Evidences Of A Saving Law Work
This work may be violent, as is the case of Paul
and the Philippian jailor. But, says Guthrie,
the Lord sometimes carries on this work more
calmly, softly and gradually, protracting it so
that the several steps of man’s exercise under
it are very discernable. He is convinced, first,
of certain particular sins, then of more sins
and of sin itself and of his own unbelief and
ungodliness.
He is now preoccupied with the quest for
salvation. He is frightened of dying unsaved.
He may be tormented with fear of having
committed the unpardonable sin, and be
tempted even to suicide; but God upholds
him, “quietly and…by infusing into his
mind the possibility of his salvation” (p.36).
He seeks salvation by his own works; but
then “the Lord makes a new assault upon
him,” convincing him even more thoroughly
of the spirituality of the law, his own utter
corruption and the filthiness of his fancied
righteousness. He withdraws from company
to seek God in self-abhorrence and despair,
and in grief for his past contempt of true
Christians and abuse of the merciful longsuffering of God, he begins to pray. “Now,”
says Guthrie, “it is about the dawning of the
day with the man” (p. 43).
Varying Degrees Of Intensity
Guthrie reaffirms that this preparatory lawwork is not experienced by all. Nor do all
who do experience it, do so to the same
degree of intensity, or for an equally long
period. The main thing we are to look for
in these legal awakenings is whether these
stirrings and convictions accomplish the
purpose for which the Lord sends them into
the soul, namely “self-despair, fear of sin, a
high valuation of Christ and the Gospel and
a readiness patiently and thankfully to submit
to His saving lordship” (p.48).
Since there are so many people living
under the ordinances [means of
grace] pretending, without ground,
to a special interest in Christ… And
since many who have good ground of
claim to Christ, are not established
in the confidence of His favour, but
remain in the dark without comfort,
hesitating concerning the reality of
godliness in themselves… I shall
speak a little respecting to things of
the greatest concern. The one is, how
a person may know if he doth lay just
claim to God’s favour and salvation.
The other is, in case a person falls
short of assurance in this trial, what
course he should take.
of experience necessary for salvation higher
than Scripture does.
Guthrie maintains, first of all, that it is of the
utmost importance for a man to be savingly
in covenant with God, and he rebukes those
who will not take any pains to discover their
true position. Quoting 2 Corinthians 13:5
and 2 Peter 1:10, he continues, “Be ashamed,
you who spend so much time in reading of
romances, in adorning of your persons, in
hawking and hunting, in consulting the law
concerning your outward state in the world,
and it may be in worse things than these…
Be ashamed, you that spend so little time in
search of this, whether ye be an heir of glory
or not.”
But how can we tell whether a person
has a valid title to life eternal? There are,
says Guthrie, various characteristics peculiar
to the children of God, and he selects for
consideration “two great and principal
marks” from among these, namely justifying
faith and personal renewal in holiness.
Justifying Faith
Guthrie next turns to the first of his two
“principal marks” of a saving interest in
Christ, namely justifying faith. “Faith,” he
argues, “is discernable in two ways: by the
heart’s closing with Christ in the Gospel and
by the heart’s satisfaction with God’s plan
of salvation through Christ... Faith is not a
difficult, mysterious thing, hardly attainable;
…if men have but an appetite, they have
it; for they are ‘blessed that hunger after
righteousness.’ Is it a matter of such intricacy
and insuperable difficulty, earnestly to look
to that exalted Saviour…(Isa. 45:22), and to
receive a thing that is offered, held forth, and
declared to be mine, if I will but accept and
take it, and in a manner ‘open my mouth’
and give way to it? (Ps. 81:10). Such a thing
is faith (p.57), a thing more easy than men
do imagine” (p. 55).
Faith involves both the heart and the
understanding; it is a matter of accepting
Christ and acquiescing in the truth about
Him. Faith may be weak, but even the
weakest faith is saving faith and those who
have it may know they have it, for “a man
may clearly know, if from known distress in
himself, upon the report and fame of Christ’s
fullness, his heart is pleased with God’s device
in the new covenant; if it goes after Christ in
that discovery and approves Him as Lord of
the life of men, terminating in and resting
there, and nowhere else, this is a discernable
thing” (p.69).
Renewal Of Man In Holiness
Guthrie now moves on to his second
“principle mark” of a saving interest in
Christ, namely the renewal of the whole man
in holiness.
A man in Christ, Guthrie says, is a ‘new
creature’ (2 Cor. 5:17); he has put on the
‘new man,’ and consequently is renewed to
some degree in the image of Christ (Col.
3:10) (p.75). His understanding is renewed,
so that he recognizes the gospel to be the
wisdom of God and discerns the reality of
the things of God. His heart and affections
are also renewed; the law of God is written
upon his heart so that he loves God and
God’s image in His saints and hates sin and
everything that robs God of His glory (Jer.
31:33; Ezek. 36:26-27).
In addition to this, Guthrie says, the very
outward members of the man are renewed…
the tongue, the eye, the ear, the hand, and
the foot so that those members which were
once abused…are now employed as weapons
of righteousness unto holiness (Rom. 6:19)
(p. 79).
Guthrie equates this renewal of life with
the “holiness without which no man shall
see the Lord.” Although no Christian is
able to present evidence of the new life to
a perfect degree, Guthrie insists that “it
is necessary that some measure of change
appear throughout the whole man...” (p.87).
However, if a man is overcome by a particular
sin and is displeased and distressed about it,
there is no need to conclude from this that
he is for that reason unrenewed.
Differences Between Hypocrites And
True Believers
Guthrie now turns to discuss the case of a
hypocrite who possesses to a certain extent a
counterfeit of all the marks of a true believer,
such as “great stirrings of conscience about
sin, a sort of faith and a real change in his
manner of life.” To help us see the difference
between the experiences of the hypocrite and
the true believer he draws up the following
list:
1. The hypocrite’s conviction
Guthrie mentions three things that are rarely
found in the experience of a hypocrite but
generally found in the person who becomes
a true believer.
a. the convictions of a hypocrite usually
concern only a few gross transgressions
or sinfulness in general without referring
to any specific sins. A true law-work, on
the other hand, produces conviction of
both general and specific sins.
b. Hypocrites’ convictions seldom result
in recognition of inner corruption,
inability and helplessness, so that they
still “go about to establish their own
righteousness” (Rom. 10:13).
c. Hypocrites’ convictions are usually shortlived. Cain goes and builds a city and no
more is heard of his convictions. Felix
waits for a more convenient time and
we hear no more of his trembling. Or,
if conviction continues and increases, it
leads to utter despair ending in suicide as
in Judas’ case.
2. The hypocrite’s faith
Hypocrites may profess a kind of faith but
a. They never give up works so as to forsake
every other ground of confidence to close
with Christ alone.
b. They never receive Christ as King to rule
over man in all things, as Priest to procure
pardon for sin and to make peace, and as
Prophet to be our wisdom, and to teach
and counsel us in all matters.
c. They are seldom prepared to accept all
the inconveniences that result from
following Christ, but shy back at certain
points.
3. The hypocrite’s reformation of life
a. Hypocrites may appear to be changed
men. They may display much knowledge
(Heb. 6:4), receive the word with joy
(Mat. 13:20), avoid many sinful practices
and give themselves to religious duties,
like the Pharisees (Luke 18), and approve
to a degree the things of God (John
7:46), confess their sins (1 Sam. 26:21)
humble themselves (1 Kings 21:27), give
much or even all of their goods to God
and to the saints (Acts 5:2; 1 Cor. 13:3),
and even submit to martyrdom (1 Cor.
13:3).
b. They may have striking experiences and
“taste of the good word of God and the
powers of the world to come” (Heb.
6:4-p.93).
c. In fact, says Guthrie, they have
counterfeits of all saving graces. Yet they
lack the three great essentials of religion:
1) they are not broken in heart and emptied
of their own righteousness so as to loathe
themselves;
2) they never embraced Jesus Christ as the
only treasure and jewel that can enrich
and satisfy;
3) they never in earnest close with Christ’s
whole yoke without exception.
Therefore, Guthrie concludes, whoever
you are, if you can lay a clear and just claim
to these things, you are beyond the reach of
all atheists, hypocrites and reprobates, since
you have answered the great purpose and
intention of the law and the gospel (p. 97).
To be continued.
FOOTNOTES
M
1 The copy I am using is published by The Publication Committee of the Free Presbyterian Church
of Scotland, 1951 and was purchased from Reiner
Publications, Swengel, PA. 17880, one of the few
sources one could purchase Puritan and similar literature in the 1960s. Copies of Guthries’ book, also
in up-to-date English, and sometimes known as “The
Christian’s Saving Interest,” can easily be purchased
online from many different sources, including Amazon.
Gleanings from the Churches
By Rev. Joel Overduin
Pulpit Supply
For the six vacant congregations of our denomination (Calgary, Chatham, Fenwick, Langley, Pompton Plains and Toronto) securing
pulpit supply is an ongoing challenge. Often
the elders will read sermons, and Revs. Hamstra, Roth, and Van Essen do help to fill the
void. Also, several of our ministers regularly
lead three services per Lord’s day (an additional one in a vacant congregation) to help,
and theological student, Derek Baars, has
visited a number of our congregations too.
But still, there is a need for more preachers.
So some of our congregations have turned
to the seminary and to others for help. For
example, Dr. David Murray, the new professor at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (PRTS), has served several of the Ontario
congregations and the Grand Rapids congregation. Candidate Bill Boekestein, recent
graduate of PRTS and member of the United
Reformed Church (URC) of Dutton, Michigan,
has led services in some Ontario congregations and in Calgary, Alberta. Another supply
is Maarten Kuivenhoven, a Heritage Reformed
Congregation (HRC) student at PRTS. In addition, there are other HRC ministers and a URC
minister filling some of our pulpits on occasion. Then in the west, the Langley congregation often hears the preaching of Rev. Tom
Aicken, of the Independent Reformed Church
in New Westminster, British Columbia. There
may be more who serve our churches. We are
thankful for all this help, and let us pray much
for the Lord to bless His Word and to make it
mighty in us all, in our churches and in our
communities. At the same time, the need we
have as churches should impress again the
words of the Lord Jesus, that we “pray to the
Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth
labourers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:38). May
He hear and answer our prayers to His glory.
Dundas, Ontario – Hosanna Choir
Many of our members, especially in Ontario, will be familiar with the Hosanna Choir
originating from the Dundas FRC but having
members from other local FRCs and denominations as well. This year, the choir is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and so a special
concert will be given at Hamilton Place on
Saturday, March 29. Director is Herman den
Hollander and the accompanists include John
Vanderlaan and Andre Knevel on organ, and
Joyce Postmus on piano. In addition, guest
instrumentalists will be present, including Liselotte Rokyta from Holland, playing
the pan flute, and Scott Harrison and Philip
Seguin, playing the trumpets. It promises to
be an enjoyable evening. May it be to the
glory of God. Anyone wanting to purchase
tickets may contact Joyce Otten, or Herman
Grand Rapids, Michigan
The pro-life cause should never be far from
our minds and hearts, and at the same time
always much in our prayers. In his book on the
pastoral ministry, Brothers, We are not professionals, John Piper includes a chapter titled,
“Brothers, blow the trumpet for the unborn.”
There are many ways we can help to do this,
such as supporting local pro-life groups and
pregnancy resource centres. One project the
Grand Rapids congregation has done for quite
a few years every January is to purchase a crib
and for several weeks encourage members to
fill it with all kinds of baby items – clothing,
blankets, diapers, etc. Then it is all donated to
a local pregnancy resource centre where the
items are distributed to pregnant women who
are in need. In the Grand Rapids congregation, the project is spearheaded by the Dorcas
Guild, but as the guild’s president wrote, and
as you can see from the picture, “Each year the
project is a huge success.” This might be an
idea for other congregations or church groups,
as we stir each other up to care for the unborn
in a land that more and more does not care for
the unborn.
London, Ontario
Members of this congregation hosted a ‘Trips
Evening’ on Saturday, February 23rd, at the
church. There was a dinner featuring food
dishes from Kenya, Mexico, and Peru. Afterwards, several members who had gone to
these countries for school-related purposes,
gave presentations on their trips. What a neat
idea to help us learn about other countries and
cultures. Most of all, let us long for God’s kingdom to come, not only here but throughout
the world.
M
The editor of this column is Rev. Joel Overduin,
pastor of the Free Reformed Church of Mitchell, Ontario.
The MESSENGER • February 2008 • 7
Speaker Evenings
A number of our churches or denominational/
national/local societies are holding speaker
evenings in these months. Early in February,
Mr. Charles Schreur, an English teacher in
China, visited a number of our churches and
spoke on the work of Bonisa Mission. During the weekend of February 15-16, there
was a Sola Scriptura conference in the Surrey,
BC area, featuring Rick Holland, Dr. Richard
Ganz, and also Dr. J. Pipa, who the next Lord’s
day preached in our Chilliwack and Langley
congregations. On Friday, February 22, elder
Jerry Benjamins of Brantford Free Reformed
Church (FRC) spoke at Zion FRC in Fenwick
for their annual Sunday School meeting. Benjamins’ subject was Family Worship. Then on
Friday, March 7, Rev. D. H. Kranendonk spoke
in the Dundas FRC building for the Canadian Lord’s Day Association. His subject was
“Sabbath Struggles: The English Sabbath and
the Dutch Sunday.” On March 14-15, Dr. J.R.
Beeke was scheduled to speak at the annual
Cambridge Reformed Bible Conference on
the subject of “Assurance.” Later in April, the
churches in the west are organizing a Bible
conference with Dr. Derek Thomas speaking
on the subject of afflictions in the Christian
life. There may be more. What a lot of opportunities to hear the Word of God and hear
about the Work of God in this world, and so
to be nurtured and challenged in the gospel
way. We are a very blessed people, for sure.
Let us therefore take advantage of the opportunities that come to us, especially on the
Lord’s day and on other occasions as much
as we are able, – “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner
of some, but exhorting one another and so
much the more as we see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).
den Hollander (905-628-1211).
Experiential Matters
Revivals: The Korean Revival of Pyongyang (2)
By Rev. Gerald Procee
Last time we considered the events leading up to the Pyongyang revival of 1907. We saw that when Presbyterian missionaries had
come to Korea in the 1880s there was a positive response to this missionary endeavour. The Korean church grew quickly. However, due
to political developments in which the United States and Britain were criticized for their support of the 1905 Japanese occupation of
Korea, a spirit of coldness and even hatred set in. The missionaries saw the need for divine intervention and gathered for continual
and fervent prayer. Sermons were preached to uncover sin and prayer was lifted up for God to work broken hearts and sorrow for sin.
The need for God’s Spirit to come down and work mightily was deeply felt.
8 The MESSENGER • February 2008 •
O
n Monday evening, January 8, as people entered the Central Presbyterian
Church of Pyongyang with a seating capacity of 1500, they were aware of the presence
of God. The church was crowded and after
a preliminary sermon, the need for prayer
was strongly felt. The officiating minister
gave permission for personal prayer and to
offer up audible prayers.
What happened next was indescribable.
Many wept, publicly confessing their sins
and crying out to God to save them. They
confessed their sins of hatefulness and entertaining suspicious thoughts against each
other and the missionaries. They also confessed their spirit of hatred against the Japanese as sin before the Lord and as the cause
for God’s Spirit to have departed from
them.
The following evening, Tuesday January
9, the scene was even more overwhelming.
People were wailing and weeping as they
were convicted of the horror of their sins
and they cried out to the Lord Jesus Christ
for mercy. The results were overpowering.
All the people in the Korean peninsula were
affected and as a result many were added to
the church.
What can we, today, learn from these
events? There are, I believe, several lessons
we can learn.
Grieving The Spirit
The first thing is that we ought to be aware
that the Holy Spirit is a tender Spirit. He
is easily grieved and the result is that He
withdraws. In spite of much church work
and the steady growth of the Korean church
prior to the 1907 Pyongyang revival, spiritual life was in serious decline. A spirit of
coldness had come upon the church. This
coldness was fostered by hatred against the
Japanese and resentment against each other,
especially against the American missionaries. Because of unconfessed sins and feelings of hatefulness, spiritual life was at a
low ebb. The Spirit was withdrawing Himself, for He cannot be present where hatred
is harboured.
The Holy Spirit is grieved when hatred
and resentment are present in a congregation. Neither can the Holy Spirit live in a
heart that is filled with hatred against others, even against unbelievers. The result of
such resentment will be that a spirit of coldness and spiritual barrenness prevails. There
is a message for us here.
How is our personal, spiritual life faring? What is the spiritual condition of our
congregation? There can be external growth
while at the same time there is a spirit of
coldness and barrenness upon us. No
outpourings of God’s love are experienced. We are not moved by God’s love
and the Gospel does not affect us. God
seems to be far away from us. There
are no conversions and the over-all
state of spiritual life is low. There
is a cause for this. Maybe the reason is that resentment and a spirit
of hatefulness are secretly harboured in our hearts. In a subtle
manner, perhaps without being
aware of it, misgivings against
each other have infected us; the Holy Spirit
is grieved and He removes Himself.
Let us examine ourselves. What do we
find living within us? Is it love or is it resentment? We are called to love even our
enemies. Yet we are inclined to resent even
brothers and sisters in the same congregation, even colleagues in the ministry, and
fellow office bearers. This may have no place
in our Christian life. This was the plague of
the Korean church of 1906 one hundred
years ago and that may easily be our plague
too.
Need For Confession Of Sins
The second lesson we can learn is the need
for confession of our sins. The Korean
church saw its need to confess their sins.
Individual members were under such a degree of conviction that they saw the need
to confess their sins publicly. Their eyes
were opened for the fact that their sins
were the cause of God’s Spirit to withdraw
Himself. They realized that according to
God’s righteous judgment they were worthy of being cast away forever. They realized that they had forfeited every blessing.
Hence the cries were heard for God to save
them and to have mercy upon them. That
was the manner whereby they confessed
their sins. They saw themselves as vile
before the holy God and worthy of His
just punishment.
In order for spiritual
restoration to take place, man
must confess his wrongdoings.
The heart has to be laid bare
Regular prayer meetings were held every
evening during the end of December 1906
and at the beginning of 1907. At this time
of the year missionaries had the custom to
come together from all over the country
to re-acquaint themselves with each other.
Normally, these were social gatherings. But
because of the perceived prevailing spiritual coldness, they had no heart for social
gatherings. Instead, they came together for
prayer. There was continual, fervent prayer
for the Lord’s presence to return.
Prayer often marks the beginning of a
revival. There have been other occasions in
church history when people came together
for prayer and this was the beginning of a
revival. The 1859 revival in Northern Ireland was initiated by the prayer of one man,
James McQuilken, who together with a few
others began to meet in a secluded schoolroom outside the village of Connor. The
Lord sometimes lays it on the hearts of certain of God’s people to come together for
prayer to plead for revival. The idea is not
to broadly advertise such a prayer meeting
and obtain the support of many to come.
We do not need man’s support; we need the
support of the Holy Spirit.
How is it with our prayer life? Do we
know what it is to be engaged in fervent
prayer? Are we concerned about the over-all
state of religion in this world? Do we have
concern for our own denomination and for
our own congregation? Do we see the need
for a spiritual awakening in our own lives?
Is it not true that every generation must experience some kind of spiritual awakening
to re-discover personally for themselves the
beauty of the Lord’s service? Therefore, we
stand in need of prayer. Is this not one of
the great shortcomings of our day, that all
too often prayer is lacking, or lacks power?
Necessity Of Prayer
A third matter we can learn from this event
is the necessity of prayer. When the missionaries in Pyongyang realized that all the
mission work and the whole future of the
church in Korea were in jeopardy because
of resentment and coldness, they engaged
in prayer. Prayer meetings were held in
which the Lord was implored for the outpouring of His Spirit to grant repentance
and to heal their backsliding.
Uncovering Preaching
Finally, there is this lesson that people were
convicted when uncovering sermons were
preached that laid bare the resentment and
hatred within a church and affects the whole
congregation. The Word exposed their sins.
Through the preaching of God’s Word the
people were shown the errors of their way.
This shows us the necessity for discriminating and uncovering preaching. Also personally, one needs to be exposed by the Word
of God. God’s Word must “read” our lives
so that it is like a mirror in which one observes one’s sins before the face of God. The
preaching of God’s Word can work miracles. The evidence is the preaching that triggered the revival of 1907 in Korea.
Need For Revival
In conclusion, we may say that we too are in
need of revival. The over-all spiritual state of
our congregations is not high. At synodical
meetings churches report an increase of discipline cases. Even within churches people
do not fear God or His judgment and consequently easily engage in sin. The spiritual
condition of our soul is too often based on
presumption instead of a true living faith.
It is possible to rejoice in spiritual blessings
that were never received. Much thanksgiving may be offered to God while there is
little supplication and very few needs are
brought to Him. This is indicative of spiritual blindness.
God can do great things, also in our
day. We are in need of revival and God
can work this revival. Let us learn from the
1907 Pyongyang revival the need to recognize within us the sins of hatefulness and
resentment—and we might add--the sins of
love for self and for the world.
Counsellors speak of three ways whereby
the devil enslaves church members in our
day: money, sex and power. The love of
money is the root of all evil. Sexual lusts
enslave people, especially because of easy
access through Internet. Power is exercised
when people want to control each other.
Let us realize the need to confess these
sins openly and freely before God, and
when appropriate, also before men. Let us
be fervent in our prayers, for God will do
mighty works in answer to prayer. Let us
expose ourselves to the Word to be convicted and admonished so as to receive a
humble heart and a contrite spirit. For thus
saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the
high and holy place, with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit
of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones (Isa. 57:15).
M
Rev. Gerald Procee is the pastor of the Free
Reformed Church of Hamilton, Ontario.
before the Lord. Hidden sins have to be
expressed. The Spirit of God works uprightness and grants truth in the inward
parts of man’s soul, so that nothing will be
kept from God in secret. Sins will be freely
and openly confessed before His face.
We read of such times in many places
in God’s Word: I acknowledged my sin unto
thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I
said, I will confess my transgressions unto
the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity
of my sin (Ps. 32:5). Also, if we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The Spirit leads the sinner to be open and honest before God.
Sins are confessed to the Lord and sins are
also confessed to one another. It is only in
the way of confession of sins that forgiveness can be received and that restoration of
spiritual life can be established.
The Korean Christians freely confessed
their sins. Therefore, we may well ask
ourselves the question: have we confessed
our sins before the Lord? Have we been
made open and sincere? Psalm 32 says that
as long as we keep silent, we will have no
peace. Do we perhaps have hidden, malicious attitudes against people that we refuse to admit and that we do not lay before
God in prayer? Maybe we even refuse to
admit that we have such attitudes. But all
along our spiritual life is cold and we feel
ourselves far removed from God.
God is hiding His face and He will continue to do this unless we learn to confess
our sins freely and openly before Him. If
we have shown resentment publicly against
our neighbour, this should also be openly
confessed to him or her. James 5:16 states,
Confess your faults one to another, and pray
one for another, that ye may be healed.
TEACHERS NEEDED
The Board of Oxford
Reformed Christian School
invites applications for
Elementary and Secondary Teaching
Positions for the 2008/2009 school year.
ORCS is currently located in a rural setting,
20 minutes south of Woodstock in Springford,
Ontario. We are a recently-established, parentrun school serving local Reformed communities.
Our present enrolment is 205 students and we
offer Kindergarten to grade 11. Our plans are
to add grade 12 in September, 2008. Due to
growth in the elementary grades and an expanding secondary school curriculum, we have
a need for qualified, energetic teachers to join
our staff team.
All applicants committed to the Reformed
faith and to Christian education are encouraged to apply.
Applications should include a resume, statement of faith, philosophy of Christian education, and references. Send to:
Oxford Reformed Christian School
c/o Mr. J. Beeke (Board President)
P.O. Box 68, Springford, ON N0J 1X0.
Tel.: 519-842-3230; Fax: 519-842-5841
JORDAN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
is inviting teacher applications for the
2008-2009 school year. Jordan Christian
School is a rural K-12 school with about 150
students, located in the scenic Niagara
Peninsula. We are anticipating openings
in the following areas:
• Secondary teacher with the possibility of curriculum coordinator responsibilities,
• Intermediate home room teacher,
and possibly, a
• Lower Elementary position.
If you are energetic, committed to children,
qualified to teach from a Reformed perspective
and you are interested in joining our teaching
team, we would look forward to receiving your
application.
Please send your resume along with a Statement of Faith and your Philosophy of Education
to the Principal,
Mark Fintelman, [email protected],
or the Education Committee secretary,
John Berman, [email protected].
Jordan Christian School
4171 15th Street, Jordan Station
Ontario, Canada, L0R 1S0.
Celebrating Rev. Schouls’
30 YEARS IN THE MINISTRY
O
n January 25, 2008, the congregation of Brantford celebrated the 30th
anniversary of Rev. Carl A. Schouls’ ministry together with his family and a number
of guests from other congregations. Interspersed with the robust singing of a selection of Psalters and hymns, various members of the congregation took part in the
program. Organist Garry Postma played
“Sleepers, Wake” by J.S. Bach, a favourite
of Pastor Schouls. The Sunday school children sang, “Be strong in the Lord” and the
youth choir also sang a very appropriate
selection entitled, “O Give Thanks”.
Rev. P. VanderMeyden, who is also celebrating his 30th anniversary in the ministry, told us about the years he and Pastor
Schouls were in seminary together, recalling several humorous incidents at the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Pastors VanderMeyden and Schouls even lived together;
VanderMeyden boarded with the Schouls
family in Grand Rapids before he married.
Rev. C. Pronk spoke about their years in
the ministry together. The familiar saying
that “opposites attract” was reinforced by
way of several stories.
Since the Brantford congregation has
quickly realized that Pastor Schouls loves
little children, a very special entry in the
program was the “Kinder surprise.” The
two-and three-year old children in the
congregation went to the front and sang a
song. As a reward for their courage, Master of Ceremonies, Hans VanHarten, gave
them each a kinder surprise candy.
On behalf of both the consistory and
the congregation, elder Jerry Benjamins
spoke of what Pastor Schouls’ ministry
has already meant to us. You’ve shown us
Christ. You’ve shown us that Christ is preeminent, that He is glorious, and that He
is beautiful. Thank you for making it clear
that He is not only an all-powerful Saviour
but also a willing Saviour; and that no matter how great our sin, or our indifference,
or our doubts, He is greater, FAR greater
still. O to have high thoughts of Him!”
Pastor Schouls looked back briefly on his
thirty years of ministry and highlighted the
support and encouragement that his late
wife Margaret provided.
We thank the Lord for giving our denomination the ministry of Pastor Schouls
for 30 years--first in Mitchell, followed
by Vineland, Chatham and now here in
Brantford. We pray that the Lord will
abundantly equip him to minister to us for
many years yet.
The need for new students for the ministry was mentioned several times during the
evening. May the Lord raise up young men
to meet the needs of our denomination.
The evening ended with the singing of
“By the Sea of Crystal.” The words of the
third verse provided a fitting end to this
very special evening:
“Unto God Almighty,
Sitting on the throne,
And the Lamb, victorious,
Be the praise alone,
God has wrought salvation,
He did wondrous things
Who shall not extol Thee,
Holy King of Kings?
M
Submitted by Elder Rick Postma, Brantford
Free Reformed Church
Book Review
SOLI DEO GLORIA
BOOKS AND FUTURE
PURITAN TITLES
THE LAW OF KINDNESS, Serving with Heart and
Hands, with Study Questions, by Mary
Beeke. Published by Reformation
Heritage Books, 2965 Leonard St.,
NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525, 2007. Tel.
616-977-0599/Fax 616 285-3246; email:
[email protected]; 247pages, soft cover $9.00 US.
T
people lacking kindness. The worst cases “were
those people who had been sexually abused as
a child. They are scarred for life” (p.177). Surprisingly, there are hardly any references to Reformed
or Puritan sources, although she constantly refers
to Scripture. An exception is the chapter on “’Bullying,” which is quite academic.
It is in the last chapters where the author’s passion is felt most strongly when she argues persuasively that Christ’s love goes out to the most needy
and unlovely, the disabled, the feeble elderly, and
the people next door, in our city and in our world,
who need the Gospel. This is where she calls
women to use their gifts, stressing their role at
home as mothers and wives, but also in the church
and in their neighbourhood. There is an appendix
entitled, “Mommy, please don’t go!” Persuading
women not to work outside the home, Mary Beeke
writes: “You can’t take material gods with you to
eternity. But here is good news: your most valuable assets, your children, can go with you! … We
are nurturing eternal souls. Nothing else is more
important” (pp.227-8).
The underlying motif is “the law of kindness,”
which permeates everything the author says—
about her husband, her children, and everyone
mentioned. She acknowledges that she is “not the
same person today as when I set out to write this
book. [And] some of my attitudes have changed”
(p.3). I believe everyone who reads this book will
say this too. That is why I recommend it especially
to our young women (and also older ones who
need to mentor the younger ones). There are discussion questions in the back and if the women’s
group in your church is like the ones I have attended, it will create lots of lively discussion, centring
on women’s relationships in carrying out the role
and character the Lord has prescribed in His Word.
P.S. The husbands are recommended to read
chapter 5, “The Kind Husband” before their wives
do.
M
Frederika Pronk is the assistant to the editor and
his wife.
Reformation Heritage Books
2965 Leonard N.E.
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525
Tel. 616-977-0599;
Email: [email protected];
www.heritagebooks.org.
For further information,
contact John M. Duncan,
Vice President of Ministry
Outreach, Ligonier Ministries;
407-333-4244; ligonier.org
his is a surprising book; not so much because of
the title or the topics it deals with, but because
of the openness and candidness of the author. In
that respect it is not unlike many current women’s
books by authors such as Nancy Leigh DeMoss
(a favourite with FRC younger women), Elizabeth
George, Sharon James, Susan Hunt, Carolyn Mahaney, Elisabeth Elliott and Edith Schaeffer, who
all write from a more or less Reformed base. This
book, however, is by the wife of the well-known
Dr. Joel Beeke, president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.
As may be expected, Mary Beeke’s theology is
Reformed, and she takes care to explain that being kind and doing good works is the response of
a heart-change. Basing her theme on “the law of
kindness” (Prov.31:26), one of the fruits of the Spirit (Col.3:12), this book first explains topics such as
“What Is Kindness?” and “Our Motives,” and then
she applies it to the relationships in a woman’s
life, such as “The Kind Wife,” “The Kind Husband”
(written by the author’s husband), “Parenting with
Kindness,” “The Teacher’s Role,” “Kind Thoughts,”
“Kind Words,” and she even includes “A Letter to
Children and Teens.”
The language is simple and I don’t recall seeing
theological terms such as justification or sanctification. She refers to being sinners, needing repentance, and the Lord Jesus, who took “the punishment of hell for sinners like you and me” (p.146)
and who “sincerely offers Himself to those who
ask” (p.25, cf. 3, 4, 31, 146.). Often, the reference is
to the work of the Lord Jesus in salvation and His
example for practising kindness.
The book is interspersed with stories from the
author’s family and stories taken from her local
environment (the Grand Rapids Press) to illustrate
what she means--a method used by many popular authors and speakers. The chapter about using
kindness in teaching, no doubt reflects her experience and training as teacher (she has an M.A.T.
in Learning Disabilities and was a high school
teacher). As a nurse in a psychiatric hospital, she
witnessed the consequences of pain caused by
We are delighted to announce
that Soli Deo Gloria Publications,
which has put numerous Puritan
books back into print, has been
acquired by Reformation Heritage
Books in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For the past few years, Soli Deo
Gloria books have been produced
by Ligonier Ministries in Orlando,
Florida. In 2007, Ligonier asked
Reformation Heritage Books for
guidance on managing Soli Deo
Gloria Publications and later invited Reformation Heritage Books
to publish and distribute the Soli
Deo Gloria titles.
Reformation Heritage Books has
received nearly 50,000 Soli Deo
Gloria books that are currently
in print, and we are ready to distribute them to individuals and
bookstores. Plans are under way
to publish numerous additional
Puritan titles. Reformation Heritage Books has agreed to continue publishing a select number
of titles under the Soli Deo Gloria
imprint, which Ligonier will continue to advertise in its catalogs;
meanwhile, most Soli Deo Gloria
titles will now be reprinted with
the Reformation Heritage Books
imprint. Reformation Heritage
Books and Ligonier Ministries
look forward to collaborating in
order to promote Puritan literature around the world.
To be placed on the mailing list
for catalogs that include all the
Soli Deo Gloria titles (as well as
3,000 titles from other publishers)
currently available at discounted
prices, contact
Interchurch Relations
Hersteld Hervormde Kerk
(Restored Reformed Church)
By Connor J. Keuning
Synod 2007 of our Free Reformed Churches decided to enter into a Limited Contact relationship
with the HHK, which is largely of an introductory and communicatory nature. It is not necessarily seen as a stage towards a higher level of correspondence, but it does not exclude this possibility.
In this well-researched and documented article the origin and nature of this denomination in The
Netherlands is explained in detail. Editor.
Its Formation
The Hersteld Hervormde Kerk1 (HHK) is located, as you can easily guess, in The Netherlands.
It came into being on May 1, 2004, when
the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk 2 (NHK), the
large national church, merged with the Gereformeerde Kerken 3 and the Evangelisch Lutherse
Kerk,4 and became the Protestantse Kerk in Nederland 5 (PKN) .
The HHK congregations and ministers
could not in good conscience go along with the
merger, since its confessional basis – the three
forms of unity – was expanded to include the
Lutheran confessions. 6 On several important
points the Lutheran confessions are at odds with
the classic Reformed confessions. In addition,
the new church order sanctions the blessing of
homosexual relations; for many proponents of
the union this was a very important point on
which no negotiation was possible. 7 The HHK
claims that this turns the PKN into a pluralistic
church, where a variety of beliefs are officially
tolerated. Viewing the PKN as no longer a
truly Reformed church, it was felt that the old
national church had to be continued. Prior to
the merger, the Gereformeerde Bond8 unequivocally stated that it could not go along with the
merger, but neither would they separate themselves from the old national church.9 On the
big day when voting for the merger took place,
requiring a 75% approval, synod delegates who
were members of the Gereformeerde Bond could
have stopped the merger, but one of their own
voted to go along and the motion to merge was
passed by exactly 75%. It goes without saying
that this delegate had some explaining to do!
The PKN, as expected, views itself as the
legitimate continuation of the NHK. Several respected, orthodox ministers went along
with the merger. Their rationale is that the old
NHK was not a faithful Reformed church to
start with: all forms of false doctrines and practices were the order of the day; only a remnant
was truly Reformed: so why leave this church?
Essentially, this rationale boils down to this: as
long as I am tolerated I may, or even have, to
stay. One questions whether this view is really
based on biblical, Reformed principles, or only
pragmatism at work.10
Early Development
The HHK currently has about 65,000 members, some 125 congregations, and 60 ministers
(excluding retired pastors). The church is nearing the end of its organizing stage. Early on, it
developed a ministerial training program. Our
sister churches, the Christelijke Gereformeerde
Kerken (CGK), had hoped that they would
send their students to their seminary, the Theological University of Apeldoorn. However, the
HHK brothers found a very welcome home
at the Free University of Amsterdam, where
they were allowed extensive participation in
the teaching program. Essentially, they operate
a seminary of their own inside this university,
called the Hersteld Hervormd Seminarium.11
Some of the HHK men who teach at the Free
University are Dr. P. de Vries, Dr. W.J. Op’t
Hof and Dr. W. van Vlastuin.12 The church
puts out a bi-weekly magazine called Kerkblad
and has a website at www.hersteldhervormdekerk.nl.
It is noteworthy that just recently the widely
respected Gereformeerd Weekblad 13 ceased its
publication after many decades of instructing
their supporters as well as friends in other denominations. The HHK has allegedly suffered
a measure of mistreatment by the PKN, which
has been very reluctant to pass on their church
buildings, meeting halls and parsonages. It is
also quite reluctant to let go of their members,
including those who are kept on membership
rolls, but seldom if ever attend church services.
The PKN created a committee to consider each
local case where a settlement about buildings
and membership is needed. Their decisions
have often been unacceptable to the HHK. A
court case regarding ownership of properties
and continued use of the name Hervormde
Kerk (which the HHK ardently wishes to use)
is still in progress. Secession churches such as
the CGK and the Gereformeerde Gemeenten 14
have generously offered the use of their buildings for worship services.
Spiritual Bonds
Over the years, there has always been a sense
of spiritual unity between many in our sister
churches (CGK) and the Gereformeerde Bond.
They agreed on most points, except when
it came to ecclesiology (the doctrine of the
church). In essence, the Gereformeerde Bond
men had a vision of a people’s church, where in
practice, little discipline is exercised, but where
straying members could still be addressed when
they came to have their children baptized, their
marriages solemnized and their loved ones buried. In the NHK it was not uncommon to have
only one-third of the membership regularly attend church.
The secession churches aimed to comply
more closely with articles 27-29 of the Belgic
Confession, which sees the church as a gathering of true believers, which also includes (perhaps many!) hypocrites. This unity of spirit,
centred in on the cardinal doctrines of grace,
finds its expression in venues such as joint ministerial retreats where typically some 150 likeminded ministers come together on an annual
basis. 15 Now these retreats are attended by
men from the HHK as well as the PKN.
The CGK Synod of 2007 has mandated their
congregations to seek closer contact with the
HHK, and the relevant deputies are instructed
to explore pulpit exchange. The CGK Synod of
2004 had encouraged its congregations to seek
contact with the local Gereformeerde Bond oriented PKN churches, but this advice was completely ignored. Instead, many CGK brothers16
participated in a number of combined office
bearers’ conferences with the HHK, which were
much appreciated by both. A further proof of
our own Free Reformed spiritual affinity is that
not a few members of the Gereformeerde Bond
joined our churches, when they crossed the Atlantic after World War ll. Perhaps as many as
25% of our members (or their parents) were
members of the NHK.17
The HHK “houses” mostly members of the
Gereformeerde Bond, but not exclusively. As a
whole, the HHK can be viewed as an orthodox
Reformed church, free from liberal theology.
You may, however, encounter pockets of hyperCalvinism. Like the CGK, they are not homogeneous, but in all fairness, the HHK is not
nearly as divided as our CGK sister churches.
To our grief, the CGK has pursued a questionable policy of establishing ecclesiastical relationships with neo-Calvinistic denominations
(particularly at the local level), have given in
to experimentation in worship practices, and
display too much tolerance towards unorthodox views; these developments continue to eat
away at the little sense of unity that is still left
within the CGK.
The Big Question
Back to The Netherlands, it is interesting to
note that Hendrik de Cock and others called
the Secession of 1834 an Act of Secession and
Return! Our fathers had no notion to remain
separate indefinitely. They loved the large national church in which they were born, baptized, confessed their faith and even preached.
However, they regarded this church not merely
as sick but false, and therefore, to be consistent
with their confession (Belgic Confession, Art.
27-29), they had to secede (the fact is that they
were thrown out). This meant that if the NHK
would cease to be a false church, and stop tolerating liberal theology, worship and practices,
the Secessionists were under obligation to join
this restored church.
So, and this is the critical point, if the HHK
is rightly viewed as a legitimate continuation
of the old national Reformed church in The
Netherlands, and if the HHK is in fact an orthodox Reformed church, then the numerous
churches which trace their roots to the Secession, must return. One of the difficulties is that
the Secession churches have become comfortable with their separateness. Outwardly, many
have grown considerably in the last 100 years.
The Secession churches have moved from
barns and untrained ministers to huge edifices,
and in most cases, thoroughly educated men.
Many have their own seminary, and are used
to their own way of doing things, some have
developed their own theology, and even their
own spiritual vocabulary.
When considering relations with the HHK,
the Secession churches may well have a desire
to wait and see how the HHK develops, and
there is undoubtedly wisdom in this. But if the
Secession churches are simply going to wait until the HHK has reached its height of maturity
and purity, the time for the “return” will never
come. As Secession churches we will need to
admit that the proliferation of splits that followed the 1834 Secession makes one wonder
whether the answer to decay in the church is
to be found by continually separating. As an
aside, happily there have also been a few worthy mergers since the 1834 Secession, such as
the 1869 reunion of a number of independent
churches “under the cross” with the secessionists, and the merger brought about in 1907
under the leadership of Rev. G.H. Kersten.20
In the North American scene we may recall the
reunification of the Old and Free Christian Reformed Churches in the 1960s 21. Today, we are
seeing a move towards a merger of the Canadian Reformed Churches, Orthodox Christian
Reformed Churches and the United Reformed
Churches, churches that are quite similar in
doctrine and practice.22
Conclusion
Let us pray that the Lord will yet do a great
work in our old country, not merely by bringing together members of His Church in one
outward manifestation, but through a mighty
revival and reformation. We need the same in
North America, because of all the different ethnic backgrounds23 we have a troublesome array
of Reformed and Presbyterian churches, many
of which are very small. Among them there are
churches that would not feel justified to separate from each other, but which nevertheless
for historic, personal or other reasons simply
continue separately.24 May the brokenness of
the Church cause us to “lament after the Lord”
(1 Sam. 7:2) to do a mighty and gracious work,
bringing together those who truly belong together! That the world may know and believe
(John 17:21) that there is a God in heaven,
who reigns and rules all things, and who offers
His amazing grace to all, for the sake of the
beloved Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus
Christ, whose accomplished redemption is applied to all the elect by the Holy Spirit’s saving
work. We hope and pray that our relationship
with the HHK will be profitable to that lofty
end.
M
Connor Keuning is the Secretary of the Interchurch Relations Committee
FOOTNOTES
1 Translated it could be called the Restored Reformed
Church.
2 Netherlands Reformed Church - not to be confused
with the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (NRC)
- the original, national church of the Reformation, often referred to as “the planting of the Lord” by its
conservative members who did not join with “our
fathers” when they seceded from the national church
in 1834.
Continued on page 15
Relationships
At the June 2007 meeting of our Free Reformed Synod it was decided to enter into a
Limited Contact relationship with the HHK.
A relationship at this level is largely of an introductory and communicatory nature. It is not
necessarily seen as a stage towards a higher level
of correspondence, but it does not exclude this
possibility. The HHK welcomed our overture,
and their newly formed counterpart to our
Interchurch Relations Committee is expected
to develop dialogue with us in the near future.
Our committee intends to visit one of their
Synod meetings soon. Last October, Rev. G.R.
Procee met with leaders of the HHK and was
warmly welcomed.
In North America we have had some contact, including several meetings, with two
congregations 18 in the Reformed Church of
America (RCA), which were developed after
they invited several of our ministers to serve
their vacant pulpits. Recently, these congregations have reduced the number of invitations;
possibly because the frequent appearance of our
ministers on their pulpits generated requests by
their members to seriously consider joining the
FRC, since they feel very isolated in the RCA.
These congregations love the scriptural-experiential preaching. When it comes to the view of
the church, however, they have clearly imbibed
the ecclesiology of the Dutch national church,
as taught or reinforced by visiting NHK/PKN
ministers. While a case can (or could have
been) made for staying in the national church,
which the Lord planted in The Netherlands,
one is somewhat at a loss how this applies to
the North American scene. How do you determine which is the national church in Canada
or the USA? Synod has instructed our committee to work towards a distinctive ecclesiastical
relationship with these congregations. This
work has slowed down lately. It is cause for joy
to our friends in the RCA that Rev. D. Budding, a respected pastor in the PKN, has accepted a call to the Providence RCA.
Pastoral/Ethical Issues
A Heart for Evangelism
By Dr. Lawrence W. Bilkes
His delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Ps. 1:2
W
ith all the practical instruction there
is in the New Testament, it is remarkable that there is little direct teaching on
evangelism. How do we explain this? Obviously, the New Testament writers did not lack
compassion for men’s souls. On the contrary,
they had the mind of the Saviour who wept
over Jerusalem. We read that the apostle Paul
had “great heaviness and continual sorrow in
[his] heart” for his lost Jewish brethren (Rom
9:2,3).
What is clear from the New Testament
is that evangelism is not, in the first place,
something the church has to learn; rather, it is
the result of the church being what she should
be. The more deeply she experiences the power and glory of Christ, the more profound
will be the impression made
upon the world.
In other words,
the Christian,
by definition,
should have a
heart for evangelism. Allow
me to unpack
this in five
points.
1. A heart for evangelism is the consequence of real spiritual experience.
This is clear, for instance, from the beatitudes of the Lord Jesus. There He describes
the people who have a heart for evangelism.
What are these people like? He says: they
are “poor in spirit,” they “mourn,” they are
“meek,” they “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” etc. These people are “the light
of the world,” a “city that is set on a hill …
[that] cannot be hid” (Matt. 5:14).
The same thing is clear from 2 Corinthians 3, where Paul writes that the Corinthian
Christians are legible epistles of Christ in
the world, “known and read of all men” (2
Cor. 3:1,2). They are epistles [or letters] of
Christ written on their hearts, not with ink
but “with the Spirit of the living God” (2 Cor
3:3). Their lives proclaim the gospel.
Or think about what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 1:8 about the Christians at Thessalonica: “From you sounded out the word of
the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad….” Paul makes clear
that the spread of the gospel was not due to
some skill these Christians had acquired in
soul winning, but rather due to the character
of their lives. What the pagans observed and
spoke about was their “faith to God-ward”
and how they had “turned to God from
idols” (1 Thess. 1:9).
2. A heart for evangelism has
God’s glory in view.
The biblical rule is:
“Do all to the
glory of God” (1
Cor. 10:31). We
glorify God by
obeying His Word.
Evangelism is one of the activities that
Christ has commanded: “This gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness” (Matt.24:14; cf. Mark 13:10).
It is your task and my task. If we love God
and are concerned to glorify Him, we must
obey His command to evangelize.
There is a further strand to this thought.
We glorify God by evangelizing, not only because evangelizing is an act of obedience, but
also because in evangelism we tell the world
what great things God has done for the salvation of sinners. God is glorified when His
mighty works are made known. The psalmist
exhorts us to “shew forth his salvation from
day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all the people” (Ps.
96:2). For a Christian to talk to the unconverted about the Lord Jesus Christ and His
saving power is an activity in itself that is
honouring and glorifying to God.
3. A heart for evangelism is constrained
by love for the lost.
The desire to win the lost for Christ should
be the spontaneous outflow of love in the
heart of everyone who has been born again.
The Lord Jesus confirms the Old Testament
demand that we should love our neighbour
as ourselves (Mark 12:31; Luke 10:37). Paul
writes: “As we have opportunity, let us do
good unto all men” (Gal 6:10). What greater
need has anyone than the need to learn about
the knowledge of Christ? The impulse to
evangelize should spring up spontaneously in
us as we see our neighbour’s need of Christ.
If we know anything of the love of Christ
for ourselves and if there is any measure of
gratitude in our hearts for the grace that has
saved us from death and hell, then this attitude of compassion for our spiritually needy
fellow men ought to come to us spontaneously. It was in connection with his compassion for souls that Paul declared, “the love
of Christ constraineth us” (2 Cor 5:14). It
is not a good sign if we lack that love and are
reluctant to share the precious knowledge of
Christ with others whose need is just as great
as our own. It is a great privilege to be able to
tell others of the love of Christ, knowing that
there is nothing that they need more urgently
than to know Jesus Christ.
If we find ourselves shrinking from this responsibility, we need to face the fact that we
are yielding to sin and Satan. What we need
to do is to ask for grace to be truly ashamed
of our lack. We ought to pray that we may so
overflow with love to God so that this love
spills over to our fellow men and we share the Good News of Christ with
them.
4. A heart for evangelism is steeped in fervent prayer.
Before the harvest of souls on the day of Pentecost, the church met continually for prayer and supplication. Before Paul and Barnabas were sent out from
Antioch, the church prayed and fasted. When we pray, we let things go from
our own hands. Since evangelism must not be our work, but God’s, it is most
fitting and proper to give it over to God. We can do much after we’ve prayed,
but we cannot do anything until we have prayed (Bunyan).
We should not imagine, however, that simply repeating a prayer is what
Scripture means. We are to labour in prayer. Paul says to the Galatians: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you…”
(4:19). What is true in nature is also true in grace: unless there is travail or
labouring in prayer for new birth, there are no children. Spurgeon said it well:
If souls were given us without any effort, anxiety or prayer, it would be
our loss to have it so, because the anxieties which throb within a compassionate spirit exercise his graces; they produce grateful love to God;
they try his faith in the power of God to save others; they drive him to
the mercy-seat; they strengthen his patience and perseverance, and every
grace within the man is educated and increased by his travail for souls…
I have little confidence in elaborate speech and polished sentences as the
means of reaching men’s hearts; but I have great faith in that simpleminded Christian woman, who must have souls converted or she will
weep her eyes out over them; and in that humble Christian who prays day
and night in secret, and then avails himself of every opportunity to address a loving word to sinners. The emotion we feel, and the affection we
bear, are the most powerful implements of soul winning. God the Holy
Ghost usually breaks hard hearts by tender hearts.
There could be so much more prayer among us for the salvation of unconverted people, particularly for our own family and among our friends and
everyday associates, but also for our communities.
M
Dr. Lawrence W. Bilkes is the pastor of the Free Reformed Church of Grand Rapids,
Michigan
3 Reformed Churches. They were formed in 1892 when Dr. Abraham
Kuyper led a second exodus from the national church and merged with
the bulk of the 1834 Secession church. They are the sister churches of
the Christian Reformed Churches in North America.
4 Evangelical Lutheran Church, by far the smallest partner in this merger.
5 Protestant Church in The Netherlands. There were likely a number of
motives for the merger. One probably was the need to consolidate a
large number of congregations with dwindling memberships and attendance.
6 While Martin Luther was crystal clear on the cardinal doctrine of justification, he and his followers erred in their views on regeneration and
the Lord’s Supper.
7 Here you see a dangerous development where congregations aggressively adopt unbiblical measures, which the broader assemblies fail
to (adequately) deal with, and which after some time are legitimized.
Strict compliance to the church order is a must for the well being of a
church federation!
8 The Reformed Alliance, an influential, and by far the largest conservative party in the NHK formed in the early 1900’s. Late in the 20th
century, another conservative group was formed in the NHK, called Het
Gekrookte Riet (The Bruised Reed); this group felt affinity to the experiential Reformed churches on the far right. This organization ceased to
exits shortly after the 2004 merger.
9 The merging churches were anxious to retain their conservative members since they were by far the best financial contributors.
10 One wonders how the loss of buildings, parsonage and salary effected
these decisions.
11 Forty percent of the theological program is provided by their men. The
courses on systematic theology, biblical theology, hermeneutics, practical theology and a part of church history are supplied by the seminary.
Hebrew, Greek, exegesis, part of church history and courses, which are
not strictly theological, are taken at the Free University proper.
12 Dr. de Vries lectured at our ministerial retreat in 2006.
13 The Gereformeerd Weekblad predates the formation of the Gereformeerde Bond. Its editors and contributors were mainly the more
conservative men of this organization.
14 Reformed Congregations, sister churches of the NRC in North America.
15 The Haamstede conferences are organized by ministers from four denominations. They are the Revs. den Butter, Goudriaan, ten Klooster, van
Vlastuin, Vreugdenhil and (J.) Westerink.
16 Mostly of the Bewaar Het Pand persuasion. Bewaar Het Pand (derived
from 1 Tim. 6:20a), founded in 1966, is a conservative organization in
the CGK which seeks to keep the church close to its heritage, with its
emphasis on experiential, discriminating preaching, simplicity of worship, exclusive Psalmody, conservative lifestyle, etc. One of its goals was
to avoid a split in the CGK. In that respect their aim has been met so
far. Rev. P. den Butter is one of the editors of their biweekly, which has
as wide a readership as De Wekker, CGK’s official church magazine.
17 Interestingly, at one time the majority of the consistory of our Hamilton
FRC was hervormd, creating some nervousness among the “sons and
daughters” of the CGK.
18 Providence RCA in Grand Rapids and the RCA congregation in Springford, Ontario.
19 The RCA started as part of, and under the oversight, of Classis Amsterdam of the Dutch national church. It has been a sister church of the
NHK for many years, and now presumably of the PKN.
20 Forming the Gereformeerde Gemeenten, sister churches of the NRC in
North America.
21 Now our Free Reformed Churches.
22 The OCRC while not formally merging with the URC have seen most of
their congregation join the URC in recent years. The URC has a standing
invitation to the OCRC to join them. The planned merger of the CanRC
and the URC is at an advanced stage, although there are signs of a
slow-down.
23 Dutch, German, Hungarian, Irish, Scottish, and …?
24 “… and what does not justify the making of a separation does not
justify the maintaining of it.” Dr. John MacLeod (at one time Principal
of the Free Church College) as quoted by Rev. Hugh M. Ferrier in Echos
from Scotland’s Heritage of Grace, Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), 2006, p. 210.
5. A heart for evangelism is an enterprising heart.
It is the nature of love to be enterprising. If you love someone, you are constantly trying to think about how you can best help that person and please him.
It gives you pleasure to give him the things you devise to help him. If we then
love God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – for all that He has [they have] done
for us, we will muster every initiative and enterprise we can think of to make
the most of every situation for God’s glory.
A chief way of doing this is to seek ways and means of spreading the gospel
and obeying the divine command to make disciples everywhere. Similarly, if we
love our neighbour, we will muster every initiative and enterprise to find ways
and means of doing him good.
One way of doing good is to share with him our knowledge of Christ. Then
we will not ask reluctantly how much we have to do in this area, as if evangelizing were a distasteful and burdensome task. We will not enquire nervously
what is the minimum effort in evangelism that will satisfy God. But we will
earnestly seek to do as much as lies in our power to spread the knowledge of
Christ. Once we see what the possibilities are, we will give ourselves to do so
prayerfully. May God give us such an enterprising spirit.
Continued from page 13
Diaconal Assistance
Why Sponsor Refugees? (2)
By Bert Bos.
This is an interview conducted with Albert, the father of a refugee family, sponsored 7 years ago, by the Free Reformed Refugee Committee. Turn back
to Rev. Moerdyk’s article in the January 2008 issue of The Messenger to see how our churches can help people like this family. For more information,
contact the address at the end of this article. - Editor
1. Describe your family. Where does
your family come from?
My wife Rose and I [Albert] have 4 children;
Mersilia 11, Daniel 9, Easton 5 and Grace
who hopes to turn one this year. We live in
Chilliwack, B.C. Canada, where we have
lived for 7 years. My family comes from the
Madi tribe in Southern Sudan, Africa. The
small village where we lived is called Loa,
Pageri district that is about 25 miles from
the Uganda border. There where seven children in my family, and there are now four
survivors. My dad used to be a farmer, raising goats and sheep for meat. Unfortunately, he lost his business, including his bank
account, when the predominant Muslim
Northern-Sudan government attacked our
region in 1989. At that time, our family fled
the region to Uganda and has remained in a
refugee camp until this time.
Albert and Rose with their children.
2. What took place in your life
that made you and your family
refugees?
Basically, our country Sudan had fallen into
an intensive second civil war, which lasted
from 1983-2005. As a result of the civil war,
Christian churches were affected directly,
and as a result we had to escape Sudan and
take refuge in Egypt from where we got our
sponsorship to Canada. The threat of danger that led us to escape is that many church
members, relatives and friends were being
arrested and killed. Besides, many unnecessary investigations were happening to us in
the church, at home and also at the work
place. These were very clear indications that
anytime, anything such as an arrest could
happen to us. At one time a member of the
radical Islamic group with whom I worked
said to me the following: “Our boss (who
was a British white man) loves you so dearly!
Once I get rid of your friend (the Brit); then
I will know how to deal with you.” These
were the final statements that were very
threatening to me and therefore I escaped;
leaving my wife with the two kids behind
for three months before they could joint me
in Cairo, Egypt. So, we urge you that sponsorship is still necessary, for the peace people
talk about, can only be made by the Lord,
but let us never trust a peace accord made
by men, it can fail any time as it happened
before.
3. Describe what happened once you
escaped Sudan?
The first few months our lives in Egypt
seemed to be safer than in Sudan, but not
long and the Egyptian government started
applying the same radical ideology of the
Northern-Sudan government against the
Southern-Sudanese Christian refugees. I
was arrested in Egypt and put in jail for four
days, beaten with a stick every morning and
fed with dry bread, which they call “Gorgos,”
drinking dirty water that had been kept outside in barrels for days. From thereon, Egypt
has also become unsafe for all refugees. I remember many have been attacked and killed
by the Egyptian government as recently as a
few years ago. We stayed in Egypt for at least
two years while waiting for our sponsorship
application to be processed, which is quite
fast compared to others.
4. How did you get in contact with
the Emmanuel Free Reformed
Church Refugee coordinator?
I came across refugee coordinator’s address
through friends in the Sudanese Community
Church, which operated in Cairo under the
umbrella of western humanitarian Service
NGOs (Non Government Organizations). I
came in contact with Ben [Van der Woerd]
by mailing an application to him.
after work (supper time) and weekends at
home because we did things together. But
what can we say; we give it all in the hands
of the Lord. Our great hope is that we believed he is with the Lord.
5.Describe your first experiences
in Canada with regards to work,
church and life in general.
My first experience in Canada was that we
were very much scared, especially at night.
We looked through the large transparent
windows of our house, and we watched out
most of the night and got a good sleep at the
morning hours. In regard to work, my first
job was the type of work I liked but its rule
[structured work setting] was overwhelming, such as we were never allowed to talk to
each other. Secondly, working by standing
for full eight hours is honestly one of the
biggest challenges so far I know and it is my
problem too. Generally, in Canada we found
it sometimes difficult to work because, the
people can be challenging to “read,” as they
appear friendly but don’t always come out
and say what they mean. For example, they
may not tell me, if I made a mistake at work
or in speaking.
Church in Canada is generally quite
the same except it is more organized. The
church in Canada has enough Bibles and
Psalm books for everyone; it has Sunday
school facilities, musical instruments, a baby
sleeping room and baby sitting, kitchen, etc.
Sometime it is a little bit difficult to follow
compared to where I came from. The church
families generally, they are culturally friendly although it is not easy to understand few
who don’t easily talk.
9- What has been the greatest blessing by living in Canada?
The greatest blessings in living in Canada
are so far: the freedom of our Christianity,
health care, security and safety compared to
Sudan, hopefully our children’s education
and the new loving friends that we found
here in Canada. It was also a great blessing
to be reunited with my brother Michael.
7. What have been some of the
challenges in adapting to life in
Canada?
Some of greatest challenges in adapting to
life in Canada are: how to budget, buying a
home, adapting to the weather and acquiring training skills as an adult. The challenge
of adapting to a culture which seems to be
more “individualistic,” rather than “community” orientated.
8. Tell us about the recent death of
your brother Michael* and how
this has changed your life?
Michael died on Nov 10, 2007 in Golden
B.C. in tragic car accident while he and two
other friends were on their way to attend a
funeral service in Edmonton, Alberta. My
dear brother (and uncle), Michael Abel was
sponsored 4 years ago to be reunited with
us in Canada. I took care of Michael since
he was at age of between 8 to 9 because we
were separated from our parents due to war
in Sudan. He has been like our firstborn
to myself and Rose. However, the impact
of the death of my brother Michael in my
family is beyond measure indescribable. It
has dismantled my entire family right from
youngest to the oldest, especially because we
lived in the same home.
From my human point of view, my life in
Canada has become so lonely. I do remember him every morning, in the afternoon
M
* Michael, age 23, attended the Chilliwack
FRC and the funeral was conducted by the
pastor, Rev. Overduin, with many Sudanese
from the Fraser Valley attending and some
taking part in the memorial service. It was
a moving experience, a FRC member commented; and another said that it seemed
“like a foretaste of heaven.”
Bert Bos is a member of the Emmanuel Free
Reformed Church Refugee Program (Abbotsford, B.C.). This interview was conducted by him and is written on behalf of
the Refugee Committee Board, 8893-185th
Street, Surrey, BC V4N 3T2; Phone/Fax:
604-882-1170; e-mail: vanderwoerd@
shaw.ca
6. How does your family support it
self?
Basically, our family supports themselves
through working. I lately came to improve
my mechanical aptitude by taking a few
courses and gaining practical experience by
working with lawn and garden, golf and turf
tractors, etc. I now work full-time as service
technician for a John Deere dealer, Greenline Equipment. My wife learned how to
sew trampolines, which she does from our
house. Our church also supports us in some
of our needs.
Albert’s father, who still lives in a
refugee camp in Uganda.
10. What would you say to a church
that is considering sponsoring a
refugee or refugee’s family?
I would say, sponsoring refugee(s) is a very
considerate act. However, the definition of
sponsorship is quite wide and could mean:
helping rebuild Sudan from within, offering
scholarships which can eradicate illiteracy,
sponsoring refugee’s camps with food, shelters, sanitation etc.
We are very thankful to God, and also for
the people of the Chilliwack Free Reformed
Church for what they have done for us. I
would like to thank some of the churches
in advance--those who might be thinking of
sponsoring families around the world, and
we also would like to thank every churches
on behalf of the Sudanese community for
participating in sponsorships programs.
Thank You.
Missions
By Rev. David H. Kranendonk
A Remarkable Existence
Hardly a week goes by in which Israel and
the Jews are not in the news. However, it is
not because of their size. There may be more
Hausa people than the 15 million Jewish
people, yet everyone knows about the Jews
and few about the Hausa in Africa. With an
estimated population of just under 6.5 million in 2007, the state of Israel itself is a very
small one.
Yet, the existence of that small state and
people is a wonder. For many centuries no
state of Israel existed. The Jewish people
were scattered throughout the world. As
the centuries passed, they could have been
expected to have gradually assimilated into
the other countries in which they lived and
lose their Jewish nationality. Yet, they have
remained a distinct nation and since 1948
have had their own state in the region promised to Abraham so long ago. They have
remained a state since 1948, despite being
circled by Arab nations who would prefer to
wipe the state of Israel from the world map.
Their very continuance as a state and people
is a wonder.
A Blinded People
While the Lord certainly has His people
among the Jews scattered throughout the
world and also in the land of Israel, the nation of Israel as a whole persists in its rejection of the Messiah. The typical picture of a
Jew is a dark-haired, bearded man dressed in
black and white with a small round kippah
or broad-brimmed hat on his head. These
are the orthodox Jews who pride themselves
in their maintenance of Jewish traditions
and religion, which they believe is based on
the (Old Testament) Scriptures. They are
often fiercely anti-Christian. The mere mention of the “Messiah” may be enough to put
some of them in a rage.
Many other Jews are very secular. They
have been influenced not by Christianity but
the secularism of the “Christian nations.”
They also have no need for the Saviour who
reconciles sinners to the living God.
That reality already is sufficient to fill anyone who has come to know the grace that is
found in Christ Jesus alone with concern for
this nation. What reason there is to feel the
pain that filled Paul’s heart, when he said:
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to
God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
For I bear them record that they have a zeal
of God, but not according to knowledge. For
they being ignorant of God’s righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to every
one that believeth” (Rom. 10:1-4).
There is only one name whereby we must
be saved, whether we are Jew or Gentile.
Who can not be moved with the spiritual
welfare of Israel which rejects the only Saviour?
A Free Reformed Concern
The Free Reformed Churches have long
shown concern for the spread of the gospel
among the Jews. In the mid-1970s they began collecting funds for mission work among
the Jews. In the mid-1980s they began officially supporting the work of Christian
Witness to Israel (CWI). The CWI’s website defines itself as “an international, nondenominational, evangelical missionary society reaching Jewish people with the gospel
of Jesus Christ.” This organization traces its
roots to an organization founded in 1842 by
Robert Murray M’Cheyne (who visited Is-
rael himself ) and others. CWI reaches Jews
not only in Israel but also in Europe, New
Zealand, and America. It provides various
missionaries and congregational evangelism
efforts with financial support, tracts and
publications. Many people will remember
the warm and passionate speeches by various “CWI men” who spoke for our churches, such as the ministers Murdo MacLeod,
Ray Johnson, John Ross, and Baruch Maoz.
Due to tightening charity laws, especially
after the terrorism strike on September 9,
2001, our churches were no longer permitted to support foreign charities. As a result,
the mission committee, through which funds
had been channeled, reported to Synod 2006
that, “A letter was sent to CWI informing
them that regretfully we can no longer support their ministry under the current conditions. They replied that they appreciated our
support in the past and can understand the
position we are required to take.”
At that same synod, note was taken that a
delegation from the Dutch organization, the
Isaac da Costa fund, had given a presentation in the Vineland Free Reformed church
and Rehoboth Christian School, Copetown,
Ontario. This organization works closely
with CWI in spreading the gospel among
the Jews. It came into being to provide a
support for the building of a new church for
the Grace and Truth Christian Congregation in Rishon LeTzion, Israel, pastored by
Baruch Maoz. Due in part to lengthy legal
challenges by Orthodox Jews, the project
has taken much longer than anticipated, but
hopes to be completed quite soon. Among
other things, the da Costa fund publishes
a periodical in the Russian language since
many Jews even in Israel are immigrants
from Russian speaking countries. Together
with CWI and the Dutch Netherlands Reformed Board for Israel, it also supports David Zadok, an elder in the Grace and Truth
Congregation.
A New Initiative
The Free Reformed Missions committee
reported to Synod 2007 that they had met
with delegates of the da Costa fund. They
stated: “There is a mutual interest to find
ways that our denomination and others can
support this work in Israel in accordance
with Canadian charity and tax laws. The
mission board would like to recommend
to Synod that possibly an ad hoc Committee be appointed with the mandate to assist
these organizations to further investigate this
possibility, recognizing that the long-term
goal is that this become an interdenominational endeavor.” Synod expressed clear support for this initiative to re-open channels
to support mission work among the Jews. It
charged the Mission Committee with forming a committee to oversee the institution of
a Canadian organization.
As a result, such a committee has been
formed. It is comprised of Rev. Bergsma,
Mr. Ryan Boumeester, Mr. Bert DeJong,
Rev. Kranendonk, and Mr. John Wilbrink.
Presently, it is pursuing incorporation and
charitable status. This sub-committee of
the Mission committee is to develop into
an inter-denominational organization to
be known as Christian Ministry to Israel
(CMI), a similar acronym to CWI. CMI is
grateful for the support of especially the da
Costa fund and intends to work in close cooperation with CWI and the da Costa fund
to spread God’s Word among the Jews and
support Messianic Jews. Through means of
CMI, the Free Reformed Churches may resume their long-standing support for work
among the Jews.
A Speaking Tour
At the end of March and the beginning of
April 2008, David Zadok, the Israel Field
Leader of CWI, has agreed to come to North
America to give several presentations about
the work being done in Israel. Since this
means being away from his wife and three
children, he desires to keep occupied. Since
numerous congregations have expressed interest in a presentation, he will be occupied,
the Lord willing. Presentations have been
arranged for:
His presentations promise to be stimulating.
David Zadok was born in Israel into an orthodox Jewish family, but lived in Iran for
well over a decade in his youth. He moved
to America for studies, but God’s purpose
was to bring him under the gospel, which
He blessed to his soul. Zadok served in the
Israeli military, but had to resign because he
was a soldier of Jesus Christ and an elder in a
Christian church. Since then he studied theology at Westminster Seminary (California),
and is now active in the local congregation,
publishing Christian literature, and working
with other Christian churches in Israel. To
say much more would be to make you think
you need not go to the presentation because
you know enough already, rather than stir
up your interest to go to hear and see more.
An Enduring Hope
The beginning of this article may have raised
an unanswered question: Why should this
very small ethnic group receive our attention? One answer could be that all nations
must hear the gospel, whether they speak
Achi or Hebrew. Another answer is expressed by the CWI:
In God’s strategy for world missions
Jewish evangelism is given a central
place. This idea finds clearest expression in Romans 1:16. It is as though
Paul were saying that as long as the gospel continues to be ‘the power of God
unto salvation’ it continues to have a
special relevance to the Jewish people.
In his missionary strategy Paul always
went first to the Jews in whatever towns
or cities he visited, despite the fact that
he was the apostle to the Gentiles! But
why was this so? In Romans 11:15 the
conversion of Israel is said to be ‘life
from the dead’ for the world. His argument is this: if Gentiles have benefited
so much from Israel’s stumbling, how
much more will they benefit by the
spiritual restoration of the Jews.
This hope for the conversion of the Jews
and its subsequent blessing for the Gentiles
lived in the hearts of many Puritans, as Iain
Murray has demonstrated in his classic book,
The Puritan Hope. This conviction is held by
many Presbyterians in Scotland, Reformed
in Holland, and also in our churches. In
1978, while pastor in the Free Reformed
Church of Toronto, Rev. P. den Butter wrote
a Dutch book on the place of the people of
Israel (Volk tussen eeuwigheid en eenzaamheid), which argued the scriptural basis for
this hope that God would still work in a
powerful way among the Jews.
For some, questions may remain: Is this
what Scripture really teaches? What is the
basis of this hope? How should we look at
Israel today? On Saturday, March 29, David
Zadok hopes to speak on “The Place of Israel
Today as God’s Covenant People” at the Free
Reformed Elders and Deacon’s conference.
Present and former office-bearers will have a
special opportunity to hear and discuss these
themes.
As the Christian Ministry to Israel begins
to develop, let our prayer be for the Lord
to open doors for ministry among the Jews,
but especially for the Lord to open hearts for
His law that crushes all self-righteousness
and proud secularism and His gospel of a
crucified and risen Redeemer that brings a
full salvation to Jew and Gentile.
M
Rev. Kranendonk is the pastor of the Free Reformed Church of Bornholm, Ontario.
• Pompton Plains (Wednesday, Mar. 26)
• Rehoboth Christian School, Copetown
(Friday, Mar. 28)
• Vineland and Fenwick YPS
(Sunday, Mar. 30)
• Mitchell (Monday, Mar. 31)
• Grand Rapids (Tuesday, Apr. 1)
• St. Thomas (Wednesday, Apr. 2)
• Chatham (Thursday, Apr. 3)
• Chilliwack (Friday, Apr. 4)
• Monarch (Saturday, Apr. 5)
T
U
O
Y H
PAGE
By Mrs. Doreen Tamminga
This is the third part
of an allegorical
story, teaching the
order of salvation:
misery, deliverance,
and thankfulness (or
sin, salvation, and
service). Last time we
learned that Slade
has been washed
from his sins and was
given a new name:
Dominic, belonging to the Lord. The
evangelist, Luken,
has sent him back to
his hometown to tell
others of the danger
they are in. Dominic
returns, intent on
finding his friend
Cecilia.
20 The MESSENGER • February 2008 •
Mrs. Doreen Tamminga
is a teacher by
profession and a
mother-at-home by
vocation.
Mrs. Doreen Tamminga
2179 Governors Rd.,
P.O. Box 92
Copetown, ON
L0R 1J0 CANADA
[email protected]
“Want to see a movie?” Cecilia asked as the two
girls were dropped off at the mall.
“Nah,” Keera answered. “There’s nothing good
playing. I’ll go next week with you, though. There’s
a new movie coming out with Wylie Arden in it.
It’s going to be totally amazing.”
The two girls headed into a teen store and started
checking out the accessories and makeup. Keera
fiddled with the rings piercing her eyebrow, as she
examined the lipstick tubes.
“Isn’t this the ugliest colour?” Cecilia exclaimed.
“Who would wear orange lipstick?” She waved the
tube in the air, then stopped short as she saw Keera
slip a tube into her pocket.
The two girls left the store a moment later, but
neither mentioned the stolen lipstick. The rest
of the afternoon passed slowly for Cecilia. The
incident with the lipstick had taken the fun out
of shopping.
Before leaving the mall, the girls stopped at the
drugstore to pick out a new fashion magazine from
the checkout counter. Cecilia’s mind, however,
was not on the glamorous women covering the
front pages; it was back in the store at the makeup counter. It was just a tube of lipstick, she told
herself. No big deal. Then why couldn’t she stop
thinking about it?
It wasn’t until Friday that Cecilia bumped into
Dominic. She and Keera were just coming out of
the theatre, and Keera was raving about the new
actor. “Wasn’t he to die for? I’ve got to get his
poster for my room.”
Suddenly, Cecilia saw him. “Slade!” she
exclaimed in surprise.
“Hey, Cecilia!” Dominic said with a friendly
smile. “I figured I’d find you here.”
“Where have you been?” Cecilia asked.
“It’s a long story,” Dominic began.
“Alright,” Keera interrupted with a flip of her
long black hair. “If you two want to catch up, I’m
out of here. My mom’s picking me up in a few
minutes anyways.” And she strutted away.
Dominic frowned at Keera’s retreating form.
“You shouldn’t hang out with her all the time,” he
warned Cecilia. “Can’t you see she’s dark, like her
name? There’s no light in her.”
“She’s dark? There’s no light in her?” Cecilia
echoed. “You’re getting weird, Slade.”
“Dominic,” he corrected. “You can call it
weirdness, if you want, but give me a minute to
explain,” he said. And he led Cecilia out to a curb
at the edge of the parking lot.
“I have a new name, because I’m a new being.
I’m no longer Slade, child of the valley, but
Dominic, belonging to the Lord.” Dominic swung
off his backpack and sat down. “You see, it’s not
weirdness that has changed me,” he explained, “it’s
Truth. I’ve found out the Truth about this valley
and the Evil One who rules it, and I found out the
Truth about the evil inside me. And then I found
the One who could save me.” Dominic paused and
reached into his backpack.
Cecilia perched next to him on the curb, and
looked suspiciously at the book that he pulled out.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“It’s the Bible. The Word of God. I’ve been
reading and reading in it the last few days, and
learning how to serve the Righteous One.”
“Why would you want to serve someone else?”
Cecilia asked sceptically. “You and me, we’ve always
done our own thing – we knew how to have fun!”
“No, Cecilia!” Dominic said fervently. “We were
wrong! We weren’t out doing our own thing. We
weren’t free at all! We were actually serving the Evil
One, all along. We were doing his evil works.”
“No way,” Cecilia protested. “We weren’t doing
evil things.” But even as she spoke, she thought of
the tube of lipstick slipping into Keera’s pocket.
She hadn’t said anything at the time. Did that
make her a partner in crime?
“Alright, finish your piece,” Cecilia said when
Dominic didn’t argue. She leaned forward, folding
her arms across her knees.
Dominic appeared not to notice her attitude
and pressed on. He would not let this opportunity
slip by.
“You might not see the evil in you and around
you,” he said, “but you’ve got to see the emptiness
Tamin, back to the evil, back to destruction. Why hadn’t she
believed the Truth?
The next morning Keera called, asking Cecilia to meet her at
the mall. Glad of the diversion, Cecilia quickly agreed.
It was only an hour later that Cecilia wished she had stayed
home. The new fall jackets were out, displayed appealingly in
the store window. The price was well beyond the girls’ means,
but Keera insisted on trying one on.
When Keera told Cecilia to keep the salesperson busy, a knot
of dread formed in her stomach. “No,” she told her. “You’re
on your own for this one.” And she turned and walked out the
store.
Arms folded, Cecilia waited in the mall. Only a minute passed
before Keera sauntered out also. The bulk under her sweatshirt
told Cecilia that she was wearing the stolen jacket underneath.
Cecilia waited until they were out of earshot of the store, and
then turned to Keera.
“What are you thinking?” she hissed. “How can you stoop so
low?”
“Low?” Keera repeated archly. “Their stuff is way overpriced.
Besides, I needed a new jacket to go with the boots I bought.”
“It’s totally wrong, Keera,” Cecilia said. “And you know it.”
She could see that her words had no effect on her friend. Sick to
her stomach now, Cecilia could feel a headache coming on, and
she told Keera she was going home.
“Suit yourself,” Keera said and grinned.
“I’ve got some more shopping to do.”
Troubled and confused, Cecilia
headed out of the mall and
in your life.” He gestured behind him at the theatre, its entrance
framed with transfixing posters. He gestured around the plaza at
the stores bursting with new fashions. “Don’t you see? All this
following of actors and trying to keep up with the newest looks
is a ploy of the Evil One. He wants to keep you too busy to find
the Truth.”
Cecilia looked around at the stream of people leaving the
theatre, and the crowds swarming onto the parking lots and
plaza like a colony of ants scurrying here and there – busy,
always busy. She didn’t reply.
Dominic glanced at his watch and stood up. “Come with me.
I want to show you something.”
The afternoon sun was still high as the two headed out of
town. Dominic kept glancing over his shoulder, as though
expecting someone, but the road behind them remained empty.
The warm sun shining down gave a feeling of quiet and peace,
and Dominic’s escape last week seemed almost a dream.
They turned off when they reached the sign for Barlow, amid
Cecilia’s complaints. “This better be worth it,” she muttered.
“I’ve got a huge blister on my foot.”
The narrow path was dusty beneath their feet, and the two
trudged on silently, single-file.
“We’re almost there,” Dominic said, anticipation tingeing his
voice. “It’s just over this hill.” And he scrambled up, turning to
lend Cecilia a hand.
Dusting off her hands, Cecilia straightened up and looked up
at the rough wooden beams of a cross. She frowned. “What’s
this?”
“It’s the cross!” Dominic said eagerly. “The cross of the
Righteous One. See the ashes here below? They are from the fire
of God’s wrath that burned against Him here.”
“So?” Cecilia said with raised eyebrow.
“Don’t you see?” Dominic asked, gesturing to the cross.
“He died and paid the penalty for the sin and evil that
lives in your heart. All you have to do is believe, and your
sins will also be forgiven!”
He stopped and turned to catch Cecilia’s reaction. Her
expression was not what he had expected, nor were her
words, when at last she spoke.
“We hiked all the way out here to look at this?”
she asked. “You’re becoming strange, Slade, or
Dominic – whatever you call yourself – and if
you don’t snap out of it, you’re going to lose
any friends you have.”
Dominic felt like he had been punched
in the chest. He took a step backward, then
stood frozen to the spot as Cecilia slid down
the rocky hill and strode back down the path,
her back straight and head high.
What was going on? Why didn’t Cecilia see
her sin the way he had? Why didn’t she see the full
salvation and beauty in the work of the Righteous
One? Tears of disappointment filled his eyes as he
watched her disappear around the bend back to
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turned towards a nearby park. She followed
the path along a pond and dropped onto
a wooden bench. There, at least, amid the
quiet greenness, she could think.
Things would have been so much simpler
if Keera hadn’t stolen the jacket, Cecilia
thought. Why did she need the jacket,
anyway? She has a half dozen other jackets
at home. Why wasn’t she satisfied with what
she had?
Restlessly, Cecilia got up to walk around
the pond. Was anyone satisfied with what
they had? she wondered, and, unbidden,
Slade’s words came to mind. “Don’t you see?
All this following of actors and trying to keep
up with the newest looks is a ploy of the Evil
One. He wants to keep you too busy to find
the Truth.”
Could Slade be right?
Shoving her hands into her pockets,
Cecilia shuffled onto a wooden bridge.
She could see a little girl on the other side,
blowing soap bubbles and running to catch
them. The wind kept catching them and
lifting them just beyond her fingertips. At
last she squealed in delight as she finally
caught one, but no sooner did she touch
it, then it burst.
That’s my life, was the thought that
came to Cecilia’s mind. In her quest for
excitement and the keeping up with the
latest styles, she was that little girl chasing
the soap bubble. And just when happiness
seemed within her grasp, the bubble always
popped, revealing the emptiness that was
inside.
In her mind’s eye, Cecilia could
suddenly see the futility of it all. People
shopping the malls, emerging with bags
and boxes of things to wear and watch
and listen to – things that soon fell to the
side. Flyers, billboards, commercials and
advertisements sucking the people back
into the stores for more. Like a spinning
door, the cycle continues, pulling them in
and spewing them out, only to return for
more.
Cecilia could see the magazines that
topped her dresser at home, magazines full
of the dazzle and buzz of who’s who in the
world of stars and super models. All glitter
and glamour on the outside, and like the
bubbles, hollow within.
For the first time she saw the theatres
drawing millions through their doors,
promising the thrills and excitements
missing in one’s own life – empty pleasures
that left their viewers unsatisfied.
And in the background of it all, Cecilia
could see the Evil One, smiling.
Could Slade be right after all?
This curriculum is primarily intended for outreach,
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now, thanks to your hard work. Sincerely, Liz VandenBerg” (Dunds FRC).
(4) He delivered me from my strong __________. [Psalm 18]
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(4) The floods of ____________ men made me afraid. [Psalm 18]
M
Fill in the blanks with the missing word. Then use the number to circle one letter from each
blank. (Need help? See the January Youth Page for verse numbers.)
(2) The wicked shall be turned into ________. [Psalm 9]
(11) Is not ______________________ to the wicked? [Job 31]
(5) Let the ____________ forsake his way. [Isaiah 55]
(3) For the great ______ of His wrath is come. [Revelation 6]
(2) The ______________ of death compassed me. [Psalm 18]
(1)
________ from the wrath to come. [Luke 3]
(3)
God is __________ with the wicked every day. [Psalm 7]
(1) The wages of sin is __________. [Romans 6]
If you put the words in the correct blanks, the circled letters will answer this question:
Who is the Evil One? The __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
NEWS NOTES & COMMENTS
By Rev. H.A. Bergsma
most severe and uncontrolled persecution comes
by way of Palestinian Muslims.
CREATIONISTS SEEK FOOTHOLD IN EUROPE: “Evolution is a lie, and it’s being taught
in schools as fact, and it’s leading our kids in
the wrong direction,” said British cabbie James
McLean after a weekend service. “But now people
like Ken Ham are tearing evolution to pieces.” Ham,
founder of Answers in Genesis and northern Kentucky’s Creation Museum, is part of an effort to
bring creationist theory to Europe. McLean is one of
a growing number of British evangelicals embracing the message that the Bible, not Darwin, tells
the true history of Earth. According to ABC News,
Europeans have long viewed the conflict between
evolutionists and creationists as primarily an American phenomenon, but it has recently jumped the
Atlantic Ocean with skirmishes in Italy, Germany,
Poland and, notably, Britain, where Darwin was
born and where he published his, “Origin of Species” in 1859. (From Religion Today)
It is hard to believe that Europeans have been
ignorant of Darwin’s theory. But whatever the case,
it is good that Answers in Genesis is making inroads in Europe.
DOBSON ENDORSES MIKE HUCKABEE:
The Associated Press reported Thursday night that
evangelical leader James Dobson backed Mike
Huckabee’s presidential bid, giving the former Arkansas governor a long-sought endorsement. In a
statement first obtained by The Associated Press,
Dobson reiterated his declaration on Super Tuesday that he could not in good conscience vote for
John McCain, the front-runner, because of concerns
over the Arizona senator’s conservative credentials.
With Mitt Romney’s campaign suspended, Dobson
said, “The remaining candidate for whom I could
vote is Governor Huckabee. His unwavering positions on the social issues, notably the institution of
marriage, the importance of faith and the sanctity
of human life, resonate deeply with me and with
many others... I believe he is our best remaining
choice for president of the United States.” Dobson’s statement said he would “support Governor
Huckabee through the remaining primaries,” but
it wasn’t clear whether that meant campaigning
for him. A Huckabee campaign spokeswoman
said late Thursday he was unavailable for comment, but confirmed that he and Dobson had
spoken. (From Crosswalk)
Christian Renewal of January 30, 2008 featured an article on Huckabee by Emma Elliot, who
stated that, “Christianity is the central element of
Huckabee’s campaign.” When asked about his remarkable rise, he said, “There is only one explanation for it, and it’s not a human one. It’s the same
power that helped a little boy with two fish and
five loaves feed a crowd of 5,000 people.”
CANADIAN TEACHER MAY LOSE LICENSE FOR DEFENDING CHRISTIAN BELIEFS: According to LifeSiteNews.com, British
Columbia teacher Chris Kempling was cited in
2003 by the College of Teachers for professional
misconduct after he wrote to a local newspaper
outlining Christian teachings on homosexuality.
Kempling was found guilty of the charges, and
his teaching license was suspended for a month.
Kempling appealed that decision in the Canadian
court system, all the way to the Supreme Court
of Canada. In the process he spent “well over” a
hundred thousand dollars in legal fees, he says.
In the end, the Supreme Court denied his appeal.
And now Kempling has discovered that he is facing yet another citation from the College; and
this time around, says Kempling, it is possible
that he could lose his teaching license altogether.
Kempling told supporters that he received a letter informing him that he is being cited on numerous counts for conduct “unbecoming” of a
teacher. One of the counts on which he has been
cited, he says, is simply for being a candidate for
the federal political party, the Christian Heritage
Party. “They have cited me for participating in
a CBC radio interview where I quoted the Bible
saying that homosexual behaviour is a barrier to
salvation,” he wrote.
M
Rev. Bergsma is the minister of the Free Reformed Church of London, Ontario.
The MESSENGER • January 2008 • 23
MURDER OF GAZA CHRISTIAN UNRESOLVED AS THREATS CONTINUE: Palestinian Christian widow, Pauline Ayyad, gave birth
in Gaza City recently to a healthy little girl, four
months after the tiny infant’s father was kidnapped and shot to death by Islamist radicals
still at large. Rami Ayyad, 29, was serving as
manager of the Palestinian Bible Society bookshop in Gaza when he was kidnapped and found
dead on October 7 last year, less than a mile from
the bookshop. The bookshop was bombed last
April but no one was injured. Ayyad’s family has
yet to receive any concrete information on the
investigation that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
ordered, vowing to bring the murderers to justice. “At the beginning, the Hamas authorities
told us they had found the car Rami was taken
in, and also the people who were in the car with
him,” Pauline Ayyad told Compass Direct. “They
said they hadn’t captured the driver yet, but they
knew his name. And we heard that the murderer
had confessed, and the case was being taken
to the National Internal Security officials.” But
the widow said that a week later, “We started
to hear all kinds of contradictions. They claimed
they hadn’t captured anyone, and that they just
had suspicions to go on.” At the same time, an
evacuated Bible Society staff member told Compass that Christians “feel real pressures now between the Muslims and Christians in Gaza. Many
of the Muslims believe that Rami was evangelizing people, so it was OK to kill him.” Many
Baptist leaders have fled the Gaza Strip, taking
refuge in the West Bank. Pastor Hanna Massad
and his family are among eight families who relocated because they felt it was too dangerous to
remain in their homeland. “The Lord is teaching
us many things during this time. To follow Christ
is very real to us now,” Massad said. “There’s a
price to pay to follow our Lord. We see people
willing to give their life for Christ. Every day, Gaza
Christians are confronted with the question, ‘Are
you willing to follow?’” (From Crosswalk)
There are Christians in Gaza and there are
Christians in Israel, living in opposite sides of the
fenced border. Both face persecution. But the
Family Ads
anniversARY l
1983
April 15
2008
“But the mercy of the Lord is
from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear him, and
his righteousness unto children’s
children.” Psalm 103:17
With joy and thanksgiving to
God, we announce the
25th Wedding Anniversary
of our parents
Jim & Linda Pol
(nee Guichelaar)
With love from your children
and grandchild,
Christine & Hank (fiancé)
Daryl & Kirby
Luca
Richard & Jaclyn (friend)
Laura
An Open House will be held
on Saturday, April 19, 2008,
DV, from 2 to 5pm
at the Mitchell Legion,
175 St. Andrew St.,
Mitchell, ON
Best Wishes only please.
Home address:
5535, Line 49, RR #2,
Monkton, ON, N0K 1P0
obituARY l
January 22, 1928, Zuidewolde
February 2, 2008, Grimsby
“Send out Thy light and Thy
truth: let them lead me; let them
bring me unto Thy holy hill, and
to Thy tabernacles. Then will I go
unto the altar of God, unto God
my exceeding joy.” Psalm 43:3-4
The Lord has called to Himself
a beloved mother, cherished
grandmother and dear
great-grandmother,
Annie Zwiep (Otten)
on Saturday, February 2, 2008
She was a long-standing
member of the Free Reformed
churches and secretary of the
Vineland Dutch Ladies Society
‘Trifosa’. Her testimony of the
Saviour and walk with the
Lord has been a great
encouragement to all.
Beloved wife for 55 years of
Willem Zwiep (1927-2006)
She will be greatly missed for
everything she has done for
our society.
Father of
• Bill and Margaret
(Houweling) Zwiep
• Murray and Elly
(Schoeman) Zwiep
• Clarence Zwiep
• Alfred and Tina
(Werdekker) Zwiep
• Triva and Ed and Jansen
• Linda and John Zuidersma
• Ann and Ivan Pol
• Jean and Dick Koomans
• Ken and Wendy
(Kruitbosch) Zwiep
May the Lord comfort and
strengthen the bereaved
family.
Grandmother of 36 and
great-grandmother of
20 covenant children.
Dutch Ladies Society
of Vineland
The funeral was held Tuesday,
February 5 at the
Vineland Free Reformed Church
with Rev. Pieter VanderMeyden
officiating.
obituARY
The Lord has taken out of our
midst our dear member
Annie Zwiep
on February 2,2008.
PLANNING A TRIP TO
ALBERTA?
Come and stay in one of
our cozy farm cottages.
A CHOICE YOU WILL
NEVER REGRET!
Ernst and Louise Sluijmers
Tel. 403-329-8181
Website:
WWW.ELBAS.COM
“I am the resurrection, and the
life: he that believeth in Me,
though he were dead, yet shall
he live.” John 11:25
Corresponding Address:
4746 Spring Creek Road
Vineland, Ontario
L0R 2C0
Word & Deed seeks to help people in need by
bringing aid in the name of Jesus Christ.
This is done through spiritual and physical help.
WORD & DEED PROJECTS EMPHASIZE:
• A focus on the gospel and discipleship
• A reliance on indigenous partnerships
(they know the language and culture best)
• A goal of self-sufficiency (teach them to fish)
Word & Deed supports 5,500 orphans in Malawi,
child sponsorship in several countries (providing a Christian education, basic medical care, a
warm meal and a uniform), agricultural projects,
an HIV/AIDS hospice, vocational training, a home
for recovering substance abusers, disaster relief,
and much more.
There are opportunities to sponsor a child, or a
project. As well, business groups are being set up
to sponsor projects with representatives of those
groups visiting the projects. Please call toll free
to find out more (see below). With your help, we
can make a world of difference in thousands of
lives.
CANADA OFFICE: Toll Free 877.375.9673
PO Box 20100, St. Thomas, ON N5P 4H4
email: offi[email protected]
U.S.A. OFFICE: Toll Free 866.391.5728
PO Box 157 Hudsonville, MI 49426
email: usoffi[email protected]
Website: www.wordanddeed.org
anniversARY l
50th Wedding Anniversary
God has granted
Stoffer and Tina Otten
(nee Postma)
50 years of marriage
April 12, 1958 - April 12, 2008
We, their children, praise Him
for His faithfulness in preserving
them in their marriage,
and thank Him for the blessing
that they have been to us.
Home Address:
6716 Smithville Road
R.R.#1
Smithville, ON
L0R 2A0
THE CHRISTIAN
COUNSELLING CENTRE
Mailing Address:
7038 Longwoods Road
P.O. Box 503, Lambeth Station
London, ON N6P 1R1
Toll Free Telephone:
1-866-833-2741
Executive Director/Counsellor:
Henk C. Van Dooren,
MSW, Adv.Dip.SW, CSW
For an appointment to see a
counsellor, please call one of the
following offices:
Burlington
3425 Harvester Road, Units 20
& 21
Burlington, ON L7N 3N1
Tel. (905) 632-2317
Lambeth (near London):
7038 Longwoods Rd. (corner hwy.
2 & 4) • Tel. (519) 652-2770

Messenger The - Free Reformed Churches of North America

Transcription

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