How do you think of God? Is God, to you, a remote Being who is available to you when you think you need Him? Is He just a sort of institution or tradition in your home, a faraway Someone about whom you read and to whom you pray? If this is true of you and […]
The call to the ministry began before I was born. You see, it was a process, not some heavenly experience when an angel of light stood before me with oil to anoint. I can’t begin to designate a time when I first thought of the ministry. It was always with me. It all began when […]
Have you ever listened to a choral practice session where the members are just beginning to learn to sing a new song? The accompanist plays the new music so that the members are able to hear their each individual part. Many of us know that those who sing either soprano, alto, tenor, or bass do […]
For a thousand years in Thy sight Are but as yesterday when it is past. And as a watch in the night. —Psalm 90:4 Years to a thousand! that’s ages and ages Crowded with history for pages and pages. Ceaseless rise, reign and ruin of empires past; Dynasties, philosophies—they never last! Countless events […]
I have been asked to express my personal feelings toward the important pastoral work of family visitation. Family visitation is a Reformed Institution of long standing according to Church Order (commentary of Monsma and Van Dellen). It dates back to the Convent of Wezel. 1568. Also it belongs to the area of our church polity […]
Covetousness is a deadly sin against which every child of God must guard against, or it will envelop him in its tentacles. This is true, in the first place, because we live in a world which has ungodly mammon as its god. Its motto is eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. It […]
“And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.” Ruth 4:22 This is a great time of the year while I am writing these few lines to you from my “Study”. It is the time, when, in a special way, we pause to consider the coming of the Son of God in the flesh, the Wonder […]
There comes a time in the life of a young man that he goes out to seek a life mate for himself. This is quite natural, for when God created us He said, “It is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a help meet for him.’’ There is nothing sinful […]
Last time we talked a bit in general about the work of Revs. Hoeksema and Ophoff in the Seminary. In this and a couple of other articles, I want to talk a bit more specifically about some of the work which Rev. Ophoff did. You must understand that in a Seminary where there are only […]
We know a lot about Calvinists. We’ve heard of Calvin cadets or young male Calvinist-to-be, student Calvinists in training. We’ve heard of Calvinettes, little female trainees in Calvinism. At least that is what the names denote, although one wonders just how much, if any, training and practice in real Calvinism is involved. We, happily, rub […]