Covenant Reformed News August 2016  •  Volume XVI, Issue 4 God’s Longsuffering in the Psalms and Prophets In the last issue of the News, we considered God’s longsuffering (or His being slow to anger) in the Old Testament historical books: Exodus 34:6-7, Numbers 14:17-18 and Nehemiah 9:17. We turn now to three references in the Psalms: “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (86:15); “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (103:8); “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy” (145:8). These three texts have at least four things in common. First, they were all inspired by the Holy Spirit and penned by David, according to their headings, as the fruit of his meditation upon God’s law, especially Exodus 34:6-7 and Numbers 14:17-18. Second, only God’s “positive” attributes are mentioned in all three verses: His compassion, grace, mercy and truth are spoken of in connection with His longsuffering. Third, all three are references to Jehovah’s longsuffering to His beloved people (including us). Fourth, all three references to God’s longsuffering in the Psalms are found in songs of praise. There is a lesson here for us too! Moving to the twelve minor prophets, we come first to Joel 2:13: “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.” Again, we notice, first, that only God’s “positive” perfections are here mentioned: His grace, mercy and kindness are spoken of in connection with His longsuffering or being slow to anger. Second, like the three passages from the Old Testament historical books (Ex. 34:6-7; Num. 14:17-18; Neh. 9:17) and the three verses from the Psalms quoted in the second paragraph, Joel 2:13 is addressed to God’s people, Israel. Third, this text is a call to repentance in which the prophet appeals to part of God’s earlier self-revelation to strengthen his exhortation. For us too, God’s longsuffering, both in Himself and to us, is an encouragement to confess our sins from our hearts. The next minor prophet to refer to God’s longsuffering is Jonah: “And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil” (4:2). A pattern is emerging! First, along with God’s longsuffering or being slow to anger, we read here of His grace, mercy and kindness. Again, they are all “positive” divine attributes. Second, the prophet is referring to God’s people, this time (elect) Gentiles. Third, Jonah knew God’s self-revelation at Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:6-7) and Kadesh-barnea (Num. 14:17-18), and so understood that, since Jehovah had sent him to preach to Nineveh, God had His people there to whom He would show Himself longsuffering, gracious, merciful and kind. This is the reason why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh in the first place. He did not want to see the wicked Assyrians—Israel’s enemies—saved. Especially was this the case because Jonah knew, given the wickedness of the N. Kingdom, that God, in turning to the Gentiles, would turn away from the Jewish people whom the prophet loved. Our third and final passage in the minor prophets is from the vision of Nahum: “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet” (1:3). Like the two verses from the Pentateuch (Ex. 34:6-7; Num. 14:17-18), Nahum first mentions God’s “positive” perfection in saving His people (“The Lord is slow to anger”) and then His “negative” attributes (“The Lord is ... great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked”) in His mighty punishment of the impenitent wicked, as the One who “hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm.” Though Nahum 1 mostly concerns the judgment of the Most High upon Assyria, verse 3a (“The Lord is slow to anger”) is not the only bright note for His elect people in the chapter. We read that “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him” (7). We hear the gospel in Nahum 1: “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off” (15). Moving from the above three passages in the twelve minor prophets, we come finally to the only reference to God’s longsuffering in the four major prophets, Jeremiah 15:15: “O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.” Here only one divine attribute is mentioned: God’s longsuffering. In this text, it is not towards Israel as a nation, for the elect’s sake. Instead of being exercised towards a corporate body, God is longsuffering to an individual believer: Jeremiah himself. The prophet’s prayer is this: “Do not, O Lord, in Thy longsuffering over me, allow my persecutors to destroy me.” God is not longsuffering towards the wicked who afflict Jeremiah for he asks the Lord, “revenge me of my persecutors.” Rev. Stewart

The Theodicy and “Like a Dove” 1) The first of the two questions in this issue of the News was prompted by my three recent articles on the theodicy, God’s public justification of all His actions, especially His just wrath against the wicked in sending them to hell and His great grace in taking His elect to heaven, though they are sinners. A reader asks, “Will you please show us in Scripture where it says that all our iniquities will be publicly revealed?” The simple and short answer is Romans 14:10-12 and II Corinthians 5:10. According to these texts, “every one” will “appear,” “stand” and “bow” before Christ’s “judgment seat,” including believers (“we”). Each human being will “give account of himself [or herself] to God,” concerning all “the things done in his [or her] body,” “whether it be good or bad.” Thus the believer’s sins are included. God’s people from the early days of the Reformation believed this to be true and Reformed people have taught it through the ages till the present. The Belgic Confession(1561), only a few more than forty years after Luther began the Reformation, states that at the coming of Christ “the books (that is to say, the consciences) shall be opened, and the dead judged according to what they shall have done in this world, whether it be good or evil. Nay, all men shall give an account of every idle word they have spoken, which the world only counts amusement and jest; and then the secrets and hypocrisy of men shall be disclosed and laid open before all” (37). First, it must be shown that God alone is the author of salvation and that the vast difference between those in heaven and those in hell is due to nothing but His electing grace. God accomplishes this by showing that eternity in hell for the wicked displays His fury against man’s sin. And God will publicly show His wrath against sin so that His infinite holiness is shown to all. Those who deny hell lose God’s holiness that demands punishment of sin. Second, the Arminian will not be able to brag in heaven that he is there because he accepted Christ. If he could do that, the Arminian would take away from God His glory. The Arminian will show (if he could) his notebook full of all his good works and point out to everyone willing to look that he earned salvation and helped God along in the work of saving him. Then God does not receive all the glory that is due His name for He must share it with man (Eph. 2:8-9). Finally, a light can be seen only in the darkness. Turn on the world’s most powerful light in the dazzling brightness of noon and one sees no light. Turn on a small torch in pitch darkness and the light is visible to all. The dazzling light of God’s grace, mercy and love can be, and will be, seen against the background of our dreadful sinfulness and the darkness of evil into which we plunged ourselves. It will be the brilliant light of God’s grace against the dark background of our terrible sin. That light will be seen by us and the entire world, because our sins will also be revealed and the great power of grace will be shown to have saved us from the pit of hell. God’s grace will be magnified. That is also the idea of the antithesis. It is more important that God be glorified than that our sins be hid in the judgment day. 2) A reader asks about a possible revision of Belgic Confession 9: “For when our Lord was baptized in Jordan, the voice of the Father was heard, saying, This is My beloved Son; the Son was seen in the water; and the Holy Ghost appeared in the shape of a dove.” The reader proposes to make this more in harmony with Scripture, with the last part reading, “The Holy Spirit appeared in a bodily shape like a dove.” Before I answer this question, I want to go on record as being strongly opposed to any changes in the confessions of the Reformed churches, unless they are clearly shown to be contrary to Scripture and concern an important change in doctrine. If changes in the confessions are allowed, even minor and insignificant changes, there are many within Reformed churches who would pounce on the opportunity and, with smooth words, propose major changes in doctrines with which they do not agree. This change, suggested by the questioner, seems to me to be a minor change. The reader’s argument is as follows. “Like a dove” is not the same as the expression “as a dove” or, its equivalent, “in the shape of a dove.” “Nowhere in Scripture has the Godhead revealed Himself in the form of an animal—this actually is a pagan thought,” the reader adds. Luke writes, “And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him” (3:22).    The questioner is asking, therefore, if it would not be better to use the language found in Luke. I have not been able to ascertain the difference between “as” and “like.” Both words introduce a comparison. “As” introduces a simile or a comparison between two things, usually one thing from the creation and another thing that belongs to the spiritual world. “Like” often introduces a metaphor. Similes and metaphors are very much alike: a metaphor is an extended simile, such as in Christ’s parables. Matthew, in speaking of this event, uses a Greek word that literally means “as if.” I do not entirely agree with the statement: “The voice of the Father was heard ... The Son was seen in the water and the Holy Spirit appeared in a bodily shape like a dove.” In this remarkable incident in the life of our Lord, the Triune God (not the First Person of the Trinity) was speaking of His Son, the eternal God in our flesh, and publicly gave Him the Spirit to qualify and ordain Him for His work of accomplishing salvation for us. The voice of the Triune God, saying almost the same words, was heard twice more in our Lord’s ministry. Also, Christ was baptized with water that He might “fulfil all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). It indicated that He took our sins upon Himself so that He might earn for us everlasting righteousness. That the Spirit came upon Christ in a visible form was to demonstrate publicly that the Lord Jesus Christ was indeed the Servant of Jehovah anointed to do His Father’s will, as Isaiah had prophesied. The dove was a symbol of peace of which Isaiah spoke (Isa. 54:13; 55:12). It is interesting that in his marvellous book, Noah’s Ark, Rien Portvliet notes that the dove that left the ark and did not return was not seen again until the baptism of Christ. Taking all these things together, a change our creeds is not necessary. Whatever words the narrative of the three gospels use, they mean the same thing.  Prof. Hanko Covenant Protestant Reformed Church 83 Clarence Street, Ballymena, BT43 5DR • Lord’s Day services at 11 am & 6 pm Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live broadcast: www.cprf.co.uk/live Pastor: Angus Stewart, 7 Lislunnan Road, Kells, N. Ireland, BT42 3NR • (028) 25 891851   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. • www.youtube.com/cprcni • www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC

Save

A few PRC news updates may be provided today, all relating to ministers of the Word and the calling of ministers:

Rev. W. (Bill) Bruinsma was installed as Pittsburgh PRC's first pastor today (though he has served them for many years as missionary), with Rev. Ken Koole officiating. We rejoice with this sister congregation in God's good provision of a pastor, and pray for God's rich blessing on them as they continue to grow together under the ministry of the Word.

Rev. Cory Griess asked (Calvary PRC, Hull, IA) for a one-week extension on the answering the call from Doon PRC to serve as third missionary to the Philippines. Let us remember this pastor and his family in prayer as he weighs this call from the Lord of the harvest.

The Council of First PRC, Holland, MI has formed a trio made up of Rev. Allen Brummel (Heritage PRC, Sioux Falls, SD), Rev. Brian Huizinga (Hope PRC, Redlands, CA), and Rev. Rodney Kleyn (Covenant of Grace PRC, Spokane, WA). There will be a special congregational meeting after the morning service next week Sunday, August 28, with the purpose of calling one of these men.

PRCA FOREIGN MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
AUGUST 2016 NEWSLETTER

Rev. D. Holstege (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) Rev. D. Kleyn (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Greetings in Christ Jesus to our fellow saints in the Protestant Reformed Churches!

For the first time as an installed missionary of the gospel to the Philippines, the undersigned has the privilege to write to you about some of the developments pertaining to our work in that country.

MAY 2016

• Once the Lord made His will exceedingly clear to me and strengthened me to accept the call to be missionary in the Philippines, I preached my farewell sermon to our beloved First PRC of Holland on May 1 after five years of ministry in their midst.
• Many of you may be wondering what is next for one who accepts the call to be a foreign missionary. The Foreign Mission Committee (FMC) has a policy for the training and preparation of a missionary which recommends that he take 6 to 9 months “to familiarize, train and prepare himself for his labors in the Philippines.” Since May 1, I have been busy with the following: 1) Getting familiar with the field, in part by making a visit. We visited the Philippines already in January, just prior to receiving the call. But I intend to make a second trip, Lord willing, this October. 2) Reading a list of books on the science of missions, cultural anthropology, and other subjects related to missions. 3) Learning Tagalog, the language spoken in the Philippines, especially in Manila. I am doing this through Rosetta Stone and any other way I can find! 4) Taking courses related to missions, e.g. on how to do ministry in foreign cultures. I have signed up to take a course this fall at Calvin Seminary on “Cultural Anthropology and Contextual Ministry” and arranged an independent study at our seminary with Prof. Gritters on the history of missions.

JUNE 2016

• On June 13, Rev. Leovy Trinidad of the Maranatha PRCP submitted to and sustained an examination by the Classis of the PRCP. We rejoice with this brother and his family as he now, after many years of being a pastor, joins the official ranks of the pastors in the
PRCP! May the Lord Jesus use him still in these later years of his life to feed His flock and gather His church.
• On June 14 Rev. Daniel and Sharon Kleyn flew to the U.S. for their six-week furlough (June 14-July 28). They came first to Northwest Iowa to report to the calling church in Doon and to attend synod. Synod met in the church building of Hull PRC from June 14-17. In the absence of Rev. Kleyn, Rev. Richard Smit who served with him in the Philippines from 2009-2015 was released by his consistory (First PRC of Grand Rapids) to fill his shoes on the mission field for four weeks. The Kleyns came to Michigan on June 20 where they spent most of the rest of their furlough visiting family and friends and preaching in several area churches.
• Significantly, synod approved not only the work done in the Philippines in the past year, but also the calling of a third missionary to the Philippines with a view to one of the missionaries investigating the possibility of starting a theological school there for the training of Asian pastors. On July 24, Doon PRC extended the first call for the third missionary to Rev. Cory Griess.

JULY 2016

• On July 1, in the building of Calvary PRC in Hull, Iowa, I was officially installed as missionary to the Philippines. Rev. Josh Engelsma, pastor of Doon PRC, preached a very edifying sermon on Luke 5:1-11, “A Fisher of Men.” Rev. Engelsma directed us to the sovereignty of Christ in missions, to the truth that in ourselves we cannot catch one fish, and to the great truth that Christ is pleased to use us weak means for catching His elect out of the sea of nations. After the sermon, Rev. Engelsma read the Form for the Ordination of Missionaries found in the back of our Psalter (which I strongly recommend for you to read), and asked me the three questions to which I answered, by God’s grace, “Yes, truly, with all my heart.” He then gave me the concluding exhortation: “Go then, beloved brother, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. God our heavenly Father, who hath called thee to his holy ministry, enlighten thee with his Holy Spirit, strengthen thee with his hand and so govern thee in
thy ministry, that thou mayest decently and fruitfully walk therein, to the glory of his Name, and the propagation of the Kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ. Amen.”
• On July 3, in Doon PRC, I preached my inaugural sermon as a missionary to the Philippines on Matthew 28:18-20: “The Great Commission” – “…All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations…” I have also been taking the opportunity to promote the work of missions to our people by preaching this sermon throughout our churches as opportunity arises.

• Several times this month our two families – the Holsteges and Kleyns – were able to get together for fellowship and planning. On behalf of my wife and me, I say from the bottom of my heart that we are very thankful to God for the wisdom, zeal, assistance, and friendship of the Kleyns that we are already enjoying and expect to enjoy in the years ahead. We also eagerly look forward to enjoying the fellowship of the saints in the Philippines as we begin our labors in their midst, Lord willing, next January.

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you” (II Thess. 3:1).

Rev. Daniel Holstege

With a new season of instruction set to begin soon at the PRC Seminary, the following updates may be given:

Our first semester schedule for the 2016-17 school year has now been approved by the faculty and the Theological School Committee. It is attached here as a pdf download, but the schedule may also be found on the Seminary calendar on the Seminary's homepage. Classes will begin on Monday, August 29, D.V. On that day we will be following the FRIDAY schedule of classes (see the schedule for details).

Once again the Seminary is inviting those who are interested to attend selected classes this coming school year.  The first semester begins Monday, August 29 and three classes are open to auditors:  Dogmatics –Ecclesiology (doctrine of the church, including the essence, attributes, and marks of the church, as well as the government of the church and the sacraments), by Prof. R. Cammenga; Hermeneutics (interpretation of Scripture), and Reformation Church History by Prof. R. Dykstra. If you are interested in attending any of these classes, please call the Seminary at 616-531-1490 to find what times they meet (or check the class schedule below).  Please register for these classes by this Thursday, August 25.

The annual Seminary Convocation will be held Sept.7, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grandville PRC. Prof. R. Dykstra will be speaking on "The Ezra Model: Having a Heart for the Lord’s House." All PRC members and friends of the Seminary are cordially invited to join us as we mark the beginning of the new school year.

Lest we forget, the seven senior seminarians are now in place for their internships, which run from July 1 through Dec.31, D.V. These are the churches in which they are currently serving:

• Matt DeBoer in Georgetown PRC (Hudsonville, MI), under Rev.C. Haak
• Brian Feenstra to Loveland PRC (Colorado), under Rev.S. Key
• Joe Holstege to Calvary PRC (Hull, IA), under Rev.C. Griess
• Jonathan Langerak to Edgerton PRC (Minnesota), under Rev.D. Kuiper
• David Noorman to Hope PRC (Redlands, CA), under Rev.B. Huizinga
• Justin Smidstra to Faith PRC (Jenison, MI) under Rev.C. Spronk
• Stephan Regnerus to SE PRC (Grand Rapids, MI), under Rev.W. Langerak

Also of significance for our members and especially our young men is this statement approved by this year's PRC Synod for publication in the PR churches concerning the ongoing need for ministers of the Word:

The 2016 Synod of the PRC is conveying to the congregations through its Stated Clerk the future, urgent need for seminary students.  Although we currently have ten students (7 seniors; 3 sophomores), 13 of our pastors are over the age of 60, we have one vacant congregation, Doon PRC is authorized to call a third man to the Philippines, and Byron Center PRC is authorized to call a home missionary. This represents 16 present and future openings, without factoring in the possibility of larger churches having daughter congregations. Let us pray that the Lord of the harvest send forth sufficient, qualified laborers into His harvest, and incline their hearts now to that work.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Dear saints in the Protestant Reformed Churches,

BRF Conference

The fourteenth biennial British Reformed Fellowship (BRF) Conference was definitely the biggest (and many would say the best). A total of 125 people stayed at the conference centre at least one night, with the vast majority of them there for the whole week (16-23 July). On top of that there were a record 47 day-visitors. Some came for a lecture or two or more, with one family camping only a few hundred yards away for five days of the conference.

This was also our most international conference, with saints from Northern Ireland (44), USA (41), Singapore (12), England (6), Wales (6), Australia (4), Republic of Ireland (4), Canada (4), Hungary (3), and the Philippines (1). Does this make it the most catholic meeting led by Protestant Reformed ministers?

The subject was a great one: “‘Behold, I Come Quickly’: The Reformed, Biblical Truth of the End.” Prof. David Engelsma's three main speeches treated the Lord's second coming and the precursory signs, the Antichristian kingdom and the beast from the sea (Rev. 13), and the two witnesses in Revelation 11. Rev. Andy Lanning covered the rapture and Antichrist, Christ's coming as a thief and the great apostasy, and living in the light of the final judgment and life eternal. Our two main speakers also delivered the Sunday sermons: “The Hope of Creation for Christ's Coming” (Rom. 8:19-22) and “Methuselah” (Gen. 5:25-27), respectively.

Rev. McGeown provided the opening address: “Disorderliness and the Second Coming of Christ” (II Thess. 3). Pete Adams, East Side's retired Christian school principal and an elder at First PRC in Grand Rapids, delivered a Sunday afternoon speech on “The Renaissance and the Reformation,” highlighting their eschatological implications. I delivered the special lecture on “Dispensationalism, J. N. Darby and Powers-court.”

BRF Conference Chairman, Brian Harris, introduced the meetings; various brethren led the morning and evening devotions; and BRF Treasurer Ivan Reid delivered the concluding remarks and gifts to our two chief speakers and their wives.

There were also the two day-trips. First, we had a guided tour of the Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland at Hillsborough, plus the gardens, fort, lake, and village. The second day-trip marked the first BRF conference trip to the Republic of Ireland, which took in the Battle of the Boyne (1690) site at which William III, Britain's only Dutch king, was victorious, and the largest Norman castle in Ireland at Trim, dating back to the 1170s. Those on one of the coaches for the latter trip learned about the 99-foot granite obelisk erected in Rostrevor to Major-General Ross, the Northern Ireland man who burned down the White House two centuries ago.

The conference centre itself was beautiful: a Victorian castle above an 80-acre lake in about 1,300 acres of forest. The gorgeous view out the main lecture room also included the Mourne Mountains in the distance. To crown it all, the weather was glorious: sunny and warm (at least, for us!). Especially in the first part of the week, people were buying and applying sun lotion! The Lord gave us the best weather of our summer.

But I have only provided you with the “bare bones” of the conference. The fellowship, the friendships, the discussions at meal times, the singing of Psalms in the evening—all and more were important parts of the week.

At the Biennial General Meeting, Prof. Engelsma and Rev. Lanning were unanimously voted back to be our two main speakers at the 2018 conference. The chosen subject is the family. The venue is to be Hebron Hall in South Wales. Brian and Sian Harris, who live in that area of the United Kingdom, will arrange the two day-trips. You are warmly invited to join us in the principality of Wales on 21-28 July, 2018!

Before and After the Conference

The evening before the conference, we hosted a barbecue at the manse, as a sort of welcome to the international visitors to the conference and a get-together including the saints in the CPRC and friends of the congregation. With people from as far west as Virginia Beach and Spokane and as far east as Manila and Brisbane, there were 99 people present.

 Several visitors from the Grand Rapids area brought with them copies of the two new RFPA titles (God's Goodness Always Particular by Herman Hoeksema and A Spiritual House Preserved edited by Cal Kalsbeek) plus the excellent new BRF book, Be Ye Holy by Profs. Hanko and Engelsma. This work consists of the speeches of the previous BRF conference in Scotland on sanctification. We sell it for £5 and, though we have had it in stock for only about a month, it has already become our best-selling title in 2016.

Most of the people at the conference stayed in the Ballymena area for at least a couple of days afterwards, either with members of the CPRC or in other accommodation. The saints here did not have enough spare beds and air mattresses for everyone!

The church building was well filled for the two Lord's Day services led by Rev. Lanning (24 July). This was the first time the minister from our sister congregation, the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church, has preached for us. It was good for our people to fellowship
with him and his family and other saints from Singapore, as well as with our sister churches in North America. After the evening service, we had tea upstairs.

The videos of all the speeches and the question and answer sessions can be watched on the CPRC YouTube channel (www.youtube. com/cprcni). They have already received a good number of hits. At the time of writing, the audios of the lectures should be online very shortly. Both the videos and the audios will soon be available via the BRF website (www. britishreformed.org).

Attractive box sets of the conference are being produced in both CD and DVD. Including postage, the cost is £12 for those in the British Isles and £15 for everyone else. E-mail me if you are interested in buying the box sets (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Others

The youngest member of the CPRC is now Sophie Lyn Crossett, the daughter of David and Kristin. Four members of Kristin's family and Trinity PRC were present for the happy occasion of the baptism (10 July).

Mrs. Callender, our oldest member, recently had open heart surgery to replace a leaky valve. The operation has been successful and she is recovering well by God’s grace.

The last couple of months have seen 23 new translations added to our website (www.cprf. co.uk/languages.htm), including 9 Spanish, 8 Indonesian, 5 Hungarian, and 1 Portuguese. The last is a translation by a Brazilian of Prof. Engelsma's fine book Christ's Spiritual Kingdom, published by Hope PRC in Redlands, CA. This is an important work to get online to set forth the truth regarding the end times against the postmillennial reconstructionist ideas which swirl around in parts of Brazil.

The Bible's teaching on leprosy is the subject in our current Tuesday morning classes. Recently we concluded a 10-sermon series on “Complete in Christ” (Col. 2)—a beautiful and comforting subject!

Though we have been very encouraged by all of the visitors and the activities, it is im-portant always to remember that the service of the Lord is not about numbers and admits of no triumphalism. He is the God of the still, small voice who dwells with him who is of a humble and contrite spirit. May our covenant God be with you all!

In Christ,
Rev. and Mary Stewart

"Covenant Keepers", the youth ministry of the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church of Singapore (our sister church), recently released the JULY 2016 issue of "Salt Shakers" (#38),their youth magazine.

Once again, the "SS" is filled with interesting and profitable articles, and our PRC young people especially are invited and encouraged to make it part of their reading content.

Below you will find a note from the "SS" Committee introducing the contents of this issue and images of the cover and table of contents. The entire issue is also attached here in pdf form.

Beloved Readers,

The Salt Shakers is pleased to bring you Issue 38 of Salt Shakers! Join us as we consider the theme for the rest of this year, "A Pilgrim's Path". We begin this journey with the article Certainty in an Uncertain World, written by Matthias Wee. May the Lord give all his children His sure assurance in such times as we live in.

In other news, Aaron Lim will be taking over from Paul Liu as the Editor of Salt Shakers from next issue onwards. We are thankful for Paul and his faithful labours, and he will continue to be involved in the magazine in an advisory capacity.

Once again, we are thankful for the Lord' grace in sustaining the continued publishing of this Reformed youth magazine.

In Christ,

Chua Lee Yang, On Behalf of the Salt Shakers Committee