Over the past year we have been looking at some of the distinctives of being a Reformed believer. These distinctives are rooted in the Scriptures, in history, and in our practice. It is important to evaluate our distinctives and practices from time to time to make sure that they are pleasing to the Lord and […]

Did your parents let you sleep in on Saturdays? Did your parents give you chores to do around the house or around the farm? Maybe you grew up on a dairy farm and had to be in the barn at 5:00 a.m. to milk before school. Your parents probably explained to you that this is […]

“God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” That statement is the starting point for much of personal evangelism.1 Is there a Reformed way to do evangelism? Yes. It relates to the principles recognized, the approach, the message, and the goal. But is it effective? Could we be more effective evangelists or […]

In his colossal work on the preaching and teaching of Jesus, Herman Ridderbos states, “The central theme of Jesus’ message, as it has come down to us in the synoptic gospels, is the coming of the kingdom of God. . . . It may be rightly said that the whole of the preaching of Jesus […]

Over the last seven issues we have been looking at the I AM statements of Christ as they are found in John’s Gospel. Each time we have looked at a new one, we learned not only something about Christ and his person and work, and about God and what he is doing, but also about […]

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 There are some human emotions which are easily and universally experienced. One of these is fear. There are things in our lives that can be a little bit scary. Children are often more […]

Psalm 137 begins, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept.” In 586 B.C. the southern kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity by Babylon. The Israelites were living as foreigners in a beautiful city; yet, they wept, for they were not home. The Psalmist writes that they sat and wept when they remembered […]

Psalm 99 There is a theme that runs through­out the entire Bible. It is evident in the creation of the world, in the calling of Abraham, the giving of the law, the sacrificial system, the tent of meeting, tabernacle and temple. It is evident with the death of Achan when he disobeyed the Lord and […]

This is an amended version of a paper I wrote as a student at Mid America Reformed Seminary for a Denominational History class with Dr. C. Venema. Introduction Generation after generation of Reformed Christians has had to defend their Christian schools. The influences and mentality over the last twelve decades or so of Christian education […]

We are up to our fourth of seven meditations on the seven “I am” statements of Christ in the Gospel of John. In each of these statements, our Lord reveals something about Himself. He has referred to Himself as bread (John 6:35), light (John 8:12), and a gate or door (John 10:7). In each of […]