The Outlook Preview for May June 2024

MAY/JUNE

2024

And HE LED them out as FAR as to BETHANY , and He LIFTED UP His HANDS , and blessed them. ...WHILE HE BLESSED THEM , HE WAS PARTED FROM THEM, AND CARRIED UP INTO HEAVEN . –LUKE 24: 50-51

The Eternal Purpose of Christ’s Ascension

Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Our Elder Brother, and Our Lord

Something My Dad Could Teach You

The Task of Re-Membering Reformed Fellowship

Marriage as Mirror Talk to Yourself

Stubborn Traditions

Family

Why You Need a Suffering Savior

Why Did Christ Have to Suffer Death?

Church Order Articles 19 and 20

Prayer Requests Help Grieving People

The Good Portion

Recovering the Totality of the Gospel

Book Review

Contents | May/June | Volume

3 | The Eternal Purpose of Christ’s Ascension

Mr. Cornelius VanKempen

God must receive all the glory. Man is the beneficiary of this triune love.

4 | Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Our Elder Brother, and Our Lord (3)

Rev. George van Popta

This is the third of ten songs based on the Heidelberg Catechism’s explanation of the Apostles’ Creed.

6 | Something My Dad Could Teach You

Rev. Wes Bredenhof

A lesson in self-discipline from the author’s dad.

8 | The Task of Re-Membering Reformed Fellowship

Dr. Michael R. Kearney

Why should you be a member of Reformed Fellowship in the year 2024?

12 | Marriage as Mirror (12)

Rev. Peter H. Holtvlüwer

What makes marriage unique? What was God’s purpose in establishing marriage? How are married couples to live as husband and wife in a way that accomplishes this purpose?

14 | Talk to Yourself

Mrs. Annemarieke Ryskamp

It’s God honoring to direct your thoughts away from sin and it helps to talk to yourself.

17 | Stubborn Traditions

Mrs. Elisabeth Bloechl

What is the fruit of the still prevalent practices among Eastern Africans of bride price and polygamy?

19 | Family

Mrs. Ryskamp

The meaning of the word “family” has officially changed!

20 | Why You Need a Suffering Savior

Rev. William Boekestein

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 13, Q&A 37–39.

22

| Why Did Christ Have to Suffer Death?

Rev. William Boekestein

Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 14, Q&A 40–44.

24 | Church Order Articles 19 and 20

Rev. Greg Lubbers

Article 19: The Officers and Order of Assemblies.

Article 20: The Duties and Supervision of Clerks.

26 | Prayer Requests

Reformed Fellowship prayer requests and thanksgivings.

27 | Help Grieving People

Rev. Joel Beeke

Cultivate a shepherd’s ear to hear the cries of the distressed, to recognize their diseases and sorrows, and to lead them to green pastures where their needs can be met and their suffering relieved.

29 | The Good Portion

Rev. Steve Swets

Prayerfully consider Luke 10:38-42 and this article as an encouragement to serve others as you walk with the Lord.

33 | Recovering the Totality of the Gospel

Rev. Steven R. Martins

In a religiously pluralist culture, why do we need to recover the totality of the gospel in the place of the fragmented one many churches present?

36 | Book Review

Rev. Jerome Julien

In Holy Service: Essays on Office—Personal and Ecclesial - Cornelius Van Dam.

The Eternal Purpose of

CHRIST’S ASCENSION

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

—Matt. 28:18–20, KJV

Having finished His work as the humble servant, all the promises of the past ages were fulfilled. God the Father showed His approval in His Son’s resurrection, thereby setting the stage for Him in His human body to ascend to the right hand of power as head of His body the church. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Col. 1:18–20). Oh, the grace of God in Jesus Christ for His elect people!

The gates of heaven were opened for the conquering King. The eternal, begotten Son of God holds sway over all things and people. “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall

come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:7–10). He is on the throne today.

But eternal wonder: this throne is still the throne of grace today. “But [he] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:7–11). This is love personified. Jesus Christ the King will never rest until all those the Father has given Him are safely with Him forever. “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zeph. 3:16–17).

To the Lord, such might revealing, let us come with rev’rence meet, And, before our Maker kneeling, let us worship at His feet. He is our own God and leads us, we the people of His care; With a shepherd’s hand He feeds us as His flock in pastures fair. Psalter 255:3 (Psalm 95)

known as Case, has been married to Susan for fifty-nine blessed years. They attend and are members of Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, MI.

Mr. Cornelius Van Kempen

Meditation: Jesus Christ: God’s Son, Our

Elder Brother, and Our Lord

In Lord’s Days 13 and 14 of the Heidelberg Catechism we confess several great mysteries. First, there is the mystery of Jesus Christ’s unique relationship with the Father. He is not merely a child of God by adoption like we are, but the eternal and natural Son. His divine origin transcends our human understanding. Yet, in His grace, He invites us into His family. We, who were once estranged, find our place as beloved children through Christ’s sacrifice. What a marvelous divine exchange: His sonship for our adoption. Let that comfort you. Often we feel alone and lonely. You are never alone, for the heavenly Father is your Father, and His eternal Son is your brother.

But not only is Christ our elder brother. He is also our Lord. He ransomed us with the most precious thing in the universe: His precious blood, more precious than silver or gold. All of the blood that was shed in the time of the old covenant pointed forward to Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. As John the Baptist said when he saw Christ come onto the scene at the beginning of His public ministry: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, English Standard Version).

We also confess the incarnation, the profound mystery of God becoming flesh. The Holy Spirit’s creative

In Jesus, divinity and humanity converged. He shared our frailty, our joys, and our sorrows. Yet, unlike us, He remained sinless. As we contemplate this union of God and man, let us worship the triune God who orchestrated our redemption through the Son’s humble birth.

May these reflections, and this song, deepen our awe and gratitude for the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in our salvation.

Rev. George van Popta

Rev. George van Popta is minister-emeritus of Jubilee Canadian

Jesus Christ alone is God’s

Jesus Christ alone is God’s eternal Son

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Text based on Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Days 13 & 14, vers G eorge van Popta,

G er tim Alberda, 2019

SOMETHING MY DAD COULD TEACH YOU

My dad spent thirty-five years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), most of them in the cockpit. While he started off his career as a regular Mountie working out of a detachment, in 1975 he started flying RCMP aircraft out of Regina, Saskatchewan. Most of his flying life was spent in the captain’s seat of the venerable DHC6 Twin Otter. This nineteen-seat twin turboprop was the hardy Short-Take and Landing (STOL) backbone of the RCMP fleet for many years.

Most of the time, my dad flew single pilot. However, whenever I had time off from school, Dad would often let me tag along. Usually sitting in the right seat, I flew with my dad all over western Canada. During these flights, I was able to watch how Dad did his piloting.

Dad was the safest pilot I’ve ever known. I never felt in danger when I was with him. He finished his career with tens of thousands of hours and an immaculate safety record. Dad was always strictly by the book. He never cut corners, never took shortcuts, never took risks, never broke the rules

just because no one was looking. What I saw in the cockpit was selfdiscipline.

Let me give just one example of that. One of the key ingredients for aviation safety is the checklist. In the old RCMP Twin Otters, the checklist was mounted in the middle of the yoke. It was low-tech, just a little black box with rollers at the top and bottom. You would twist the knobs of the rollers to make the paper checklist inside go up or down. In two-pilot operations, the co-pilot would read off the checklist items while the captain would action them. However, the RCMP seldom did two-pilot operations on the Twin Otter. So, if he wanted to, a single pilot could fudge on the checklist. He could just try doing it from memory or skip certain items if he thought they were unimportant. No one would know. But Dad never did that. Even when he was flying single pilot he always rigorously followed the checklist routine. I’m convinced this self-discipline is what helped him have the good safety record he did. There’s a saying, “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots.”

If you were flying somewhere, wouldn’t you want a pilot like my dad in the cockpit? If someone you love was boarding an aircraft, you’d want to have a pilot with the greatest measure of self-discipline.

...remember how Jesus was and is the ultimate self-disciplined man. He was always in control of Himself and that’s part of the gospel. There’s safety in His self-discipline. In the eyes of God, all His righteous self-discipline is credited to me.

The safest pilots are the most selfdisciplined pilots.

There’s safety in learning selfdiscipline. God says in Proverbs 26:28, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Self-discipline or selfcontrol is like a wall, providing safety and security.

One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:23 is “self-control.”

The opposite of self-control is found in the dangerous works of the flesh in the preceding verses, things like sexual immorality, fits of anger, drunkenness, and orgies. These things are like a demonic form of the explosive C-4, highly destructive. If we’re Christians, the Holy Spirit can grant us this gift of spiritual selfdiscipline to keep us safe. We ought to pray for it, but we’re also to strive for it. This is why 2 Peter 1:6 says we’re to make every effort to supplement our faith with self-control. We’re called to do it. But how?

Sinclair Ferguson once said that the hardest word for Christians to learn is “no.” We have to learn to say “no” to our sinful desires, to control them and rein them in. One of the

ways we can do that is by developing healthy spiritual disciplines, like reading and memorizing Scripture. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to help us grow in self-discipline. When you say “no” to a sinful desire, you can apply God’s Word to reinforce your renunciation of that desire. For example, if you struggle with sinful sexual desires, you can memorize and apply 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body.”

Finally, let’s remember how Jesus was and is the ultimate self-disciplined man. He was always in control of Himself and that’s part of the gospel. There’s safety in His self-discipline. In the eyes of God, all His righteous self-discipline is credited to me. And—this is so wonderful—all my lack of self-discipline was nailed to the cross with Him. I’m forgiven. Now because I love Him, I want to live as a self-disciplined disciple of His. It’s safest for me, but also safest for everyone I’m called to pilot as a leader in my home and in my church. Pray it with me: “Lord, with your Holy Spirit, please give me more self-discipline. Your way is always the safest way. Amen.”

This article was posted on Facebook October 4, 2022

Rev. Wes Bredenhof is pastor of the Free Reformed Church in Lauceston, Tasmania.

The last Twin Otter of my dad’s career, C-FMPN, based out of Edmonton, Alberta. Photo credit: Michael Ody.

(ISSN 8750-5754) (USPS 633-980)

“Exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” —Jude 3

Journal of Reformed Fellowship, Inc.

Send all copy to:

Editor, Dan Van Dyke

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Website: www.reformedfellowship.net

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Al Rumph, President; Rev. Casey Freswick, Vice President; Rev. Doug Barnes, Secretary; Dr. Andrew Compton, Marv Mingerink, Treasurer; Vice-all; Glenn Hop, Michael Kearney, Tom Kooienga, Dr. Brian Najapfour, Dr. Daniel Ragusa, Rev. Mark Vander Hart, and David Vander Meer, Directors

Editor: Dan Van Dyke

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This periodical is owned and published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc., a religious and strictly non-profit organization composed of a group of Christian believers who hold to the biblical Reformed faith. Its purpose is to advocate and propagate this faith, to nurture those who seek to live in obedience to it, to give sharpened expression to it, to stimulate the doctrinal sensitivities of those who profess it, to promote the spiritual welfare and purity of the Reformed churches and to encourage Christian action.

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Dorr, MI 49323 (616) 532-8510 Organ improvisations on 21 beloved psalm and hymn tunes from the Trinity Psalter Hymnal performed by Michael R. Kearney. This all-instrumental album is perfect for church and school events where live music is impracticable, or for background music in Christian ministries and organizations--and it’s great for personal listening enjoyment too.