What would you do you were given a bank account of eighty-six thousand dollars a day? If each morning there would be eighty thousand dollars on your bank account and each evening what you had not used that day would be gone? At the end of each day your account would be blank. Of course, […]
In the previous issue, I described the cautious stance with which Reformed churches in the Netherlands accepted the singing of anything but the Psalms in worship. Yet this is not to suggest that good Dutch hymns were lacking—far from it! In fact, some of the most beautiful expressions of Protestant faith emerged from Germany and […]
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and […]
The Duties of the Office The Duties of an Elder: The General Duties1 Concerning the office of elder, the biblical language of “overseer” summarizes the general duty of the elder to be the overseeing of the spiritual well-being of the flock. In overseeing the spiritual well-being of the flock, the elders are to engage in […]
Weddings are beautiful. The music, the flowers, the food, the dress. The joy on the faces of the bride and bridegroom. The joyful anticipation of many happy days together. The beginning of a new life together is worth a good celebration. Marriage can also be beautiful. The mutual delight of the spouses in […]
The Church’s Hope: The Reformed Doctrine of the End, Volume 1: The Millennium David J. Engelsma. Jenison, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2021. 350 pages. Paperback. $29.95. The discussion over a cup of coffee by the Lord’s people now often turns to Christ’s return, due to the events taking place all around us. Of course, […]
All Christians are apologists. All of us must be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Pet. 3:15). But God not only demands that we defend the faith, he also defines how we must defend it. By demanding confidence, […]
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created […]
William Bates was one of the most popular and esteemed preachers among the Nonconformists; a master of the Puritan plain style of preaching, his stress on piety earned him the name “silver-tongued.” Born in November 1625, he was the son of William Bates, gentleman of St. Mary Magdalene parish, Bermondsey, Surrey. He graduated from Queen’s […]
How many times, while filling out an income tax return or filling some sort of application have you written in under “Occupation” the word “housewife” or “housewife and mother” with a certain amount of reluctance and even perhaps a little shame? You can claim no real occupation; you’re “just a housewife.” Have you perhaps thought […]