We are to be thankful for temporal blessings, but to know the Giver and His salvation is the true and eternal blessing.
4 | A Second Look at Thanksgiving
Dr. Michael R. Kearney
Is gratitude for a comfortable life all Christians can say about thanksgiving?
7 | Jesus Christ: The Word Became Flesh
Dr. Joel R. Beeke
The Scriptures reveal Christ’s real human nature from birth to burial. The Puritan John Flavel shows us how Christ’s incarnation produces many affections for Him in a believer, including adoration, wonder, delight, consolation, happiness, and comfort.
9 | Walking With Job Through Miscarriage: Lessons I Learned While Preaching Through Job (1)
Rev. Ryan Swale
Reflecting personally and pastorally on his family’s experience of miscarriage while preaching through the Book of Job, Ryan Swale offers ten encouragements from Job about early infant loss.
12 | The Discouraged Believer: When Everything Goes Terribly Wrong
Dr. Bryce Bartruff, Ph.D.
We must stay close to our God during the tough times and trust that His path is far better than whatever we could have devised for ourselves.
15 | Two Seeds
Rev. Peter Holtvluwer
Mankind has been removed from Eden’s garden—now what? When will the promised seed of the woman arrive? What does “enmity” between the seeds look like in reality?
18 | Divine Providence Article 1 of 6
Mr. Daniel Olaska
The first of a six part series exploring the doctrine of divine providence from a very unique point of view.
21 | God is For Us: The Gospel in Ezekiel’s Messages of Hope
Dr. R. Andrew Compton
This article surveys Ezekiel’s message of hope, illustrating four key themes from chapters 36–37 that give hope to exiles then and now that God is for them in the gospel of His Son.
About the cover image: “Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) layout concept by Jeff Steenholdt.
25 | You Must Be Converted
Rev. William Boekestein
Lord’s Day 33 – Q&A 88 – 91
27 | You Can Be Freed from Idolatry
Rev. William Boekestein
Lord’s Day 34 – Q&A 92 – 95
29 | Why Children
Matter
Mrs. Elisabeth Blochl
Our culture has a low view of children. But what does the Bible have to say about children? God’s Word challenges our presuppositions about children, their purpose, and their place in our lives.
32 | Church Order Articles
Rev. Greg Lubbers
Article 37 – Corporate Worship and Special Services.
Article 38 – Regulation and Nature of the Worship Service.
34 | Why Bavinck For Kids?
Mrs. Simonetta Carr
Like us, Bavinck lived in a quickly changing world; his Biblical teaching is particularly important in our highly polarized society, where cultivating wisdom and treating others with respect and humility are becoming rare virtues.
35 | Why Kids’ Books at Reformed Fellowship?
Mr. Al Rumph
It is our prayer to engage a younger generation of readers to glorify our Maker.
36 | Book Review
Rev. Jerome Julien
Review of The Protestant Reformed Churches in America.
ThanksgivingTrue
“Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
—Revelation 7:12
We have a wonderful day set aside every November called “Thanksgiving” for the many blessings received from God, and indeed it should be so. The world comes together and is satisfied with material blessings, but God’s people are thankful for them as from the hand of their Father in heaven. The hymn line “Count your many blessings, count them one by one” describes the abundance. But why are we so blessed while so many live in poverty?
Asaph in Psalm 73 was envious at the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the
Mr. Cornelius VanKempen
known as Case, has been married to Susan for sixty blessed years. They attend and are members of Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, MI.
wicked. Yes, we must be thankful for our blessings, but are they deserved? No! We are to give thanks for all things because God who is the Giver is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving, as commanded in Psalm 150.
Consider the accusations hurled at Jesus on the cross; they show us what our hearts are full of. Instead of thankfulness, hate and unthankfulness boil over. “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth” (Matt. 27:42–44). This was after they heard the prayer of Jesus: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34a). This is man by nature. But Christ’s prayer is answered as the Spirit of Christ opens the heart of the one thief. “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42b). He asks for a thought, he did not dare to expect more. But hear Jesus’ rich answer: “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43b). The thief is still on the cross. He is still suffering pain, but he says no more. The saved thief is full of true thankfulness. The
world is not his home, and he could say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
This can only be learned by the working of the Holy Spirit, who takes our unthankful hearts and reveals the love of God in Jesus Christ. God’s unspeakable gift of salvation makes His people rejoice with thanksgiving. The world does not understand this; but at death all their physical blessings will be gone. They will hear, “You have your good things on earth, but His people, though they may have had few earthly blessings, are now experiencing true blessedness forever.”
I waited for the Lord my God, yea, patiently, drew near,
And He at length inclined to me, my pleading cry to hear.
He took me from destruction’s pit, from out the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and steadfast made my way.
O truly blessed is the man that on the Lord relies,
Respecting not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Psalter 108:1–2 and 5 (Psalm 40)
Jesus Christ
WORD
Flesh
It would be disastrous to only affirm the deity of Jesus Christ and ignore that the divine “Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Scriptures affirm equally that Christ was both divine and human. For the Christian, Christ’s humanity holds tremendous significance, beyond even the supreme necessity of salvation. Indeed, as John Flavel notes regarding this doctrine, we can lay the world upon it. Christ in His divine nature assumed humanity. This means He took upon Himself a nature that was truly human. He remained what He was (divine) while He took to Himself that which He had not yet been (human). He became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh in all respects, yet without sin.
Dr. Joel R. Beeke
The Scriptures reveal Christ’s real human nature from birth to burial.
• He was born (Luke 2:7).
• He grew to maturity (Luke 2:40).
• He was hungry (Luke 4:2).
• He labored (John 5:17).
• He was tired and slept (Luke 8:23).
• He ate and drank (Luke 24:42–43).
• He was sorrowful and wept (Mark 14:34).
• He experienced pain and suffering (Luke 22:44) both in body and soul (Matt. 26:38; 1 Peter 2:24).
• He died (Mark 15:37) and was buried (v. 45–46).
There are at least six reasons why Christ had to become truly man:
• To meet the demand of God’s righteousness that the nature which had sinned must also be the nature to pay for sin.
• To be able to suffer and die for His elect.
• To be able to be our self sacrificing and sympathetic High Priest.
• To be subject to the law in His obedience.
• To be our nearest Kinsman to redeem us.
• To be the Second Adam who restores us from our fall.
There are many applications of Christ’s incarnation for the believer. In volume one of his Works, John Flavel outlines several of these affections for Christ that the believer experiences.
• Adoration. “Adore the love of the Father, and the Son, who bid so high for your souls,” Flavel quips. He then notes that the love of God is expressed chiefly in this: that Christ took upon Himself the form of a servant and became obedient unto death. Flavel concludes that the Father so earnestly “willed our salvation, that he was content to degrade the darling of his soul to so vile and contemptible a state” as humanity. The Son became of no reputation—“how astonishing is the love of Christ, that would make such a stoop as this to exalt us!”
• Wonder. Gaze at the wisdom of God at devising such a means for His people’s salvation. Flavel says that this even “chains the eyes of angels and men to itself” as unimaginable. That the Word should become flesh, and dwell among us—“oh, how wisely is the method of our recovery laid!”
• Delight. Taste the “incomparable sweetness” of Christianity that allows us to rest our “trembling consciences” upon a sure foundation. Though the misery of his state and the distress of his soul overwhelms him, the believer can safely rely on the incarnation. Christ united His divine Person with our flesh; hence, Flavel comments, “It is easy to imagine what worth and value must be in that blood; and how eternal love, springing forth triumphantly from it, flourishes into pardon, grace, and peace.”
• Consolation. Assuming a human nature and experiencing the suffering and misery of humanity, Christ is now touched with the feelings of our infirmities (Heb. 4:15). He is a merciful High Priest (Heb. 2:17–
18). Flavel writes: “God and man in one person! Oh! Thrice happy conjunction! As man, he is full of an experiential sense of our infirmities, wants, and burdens; and, as God, he can support and supply them all.”
• Happiness. Christ’s incarnation was to bring many sons to glory (Heb. 2:10). Flavel articulates: “Hence we see, to what a height God intends to build up the happiness of man, in that he hath laid the foundation thereof so deep, in the incarnation of his own Son.” The soul of man joys in salvation, but the body also will be glorified. Christ assumed the flesh to demonstrate “how God intends to honour and exalt it” in eternity.
• Comfort. Flavel concludes with this last point: “How wonderful a comfort is it, that he who dwells in our flesh is God?” The struggling Christian can say: “But let me be a sinner, and worse than the chief of sinners, yea, a guilty devil, I am sure my well-beloved is God, and my Christ is God. And when I say my Christ is God, I have said all things, I can say no more. I [wish] I could build as much on this, My Christ is God, as it would bear: I might lay all the world upon it.”
is chancellor and professor of homiletics and systematic theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has served as a pastor since 1978 and currently ministers at the Heritage Reformed Congregation of Grand Rapids, MI. He is a prolific author and frequent conference speaker.
Dr. Joel R. Beeke
Why Bavinck?
Why Bavinck For Kids?
The last few years have witnessed a revival of interest in the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck (1854–1921). On a scholarly level, this might have been sparked by John Bolt’s English translation of Bavinck’s four-volume Reformed Dogmatics1 at the turn of the century. But the interest has quickly moved beyond the confines of academia. James Eglinton’s Bavinck: A Critical Biography2 has made Bavinck’s life and thought accessible to many.
At a recent women’s retreat, a few women shared how frequently their pastors quoted Bavinck. When I mentioned his name, young and old nodded their heads. Those who had read his writings noted how relevant his words are for today.
This relevance is probably what today’s Christians most appreciate. Like us, Bavinck lived in rapidly changing times and had to face questions and challenges scarcely entertained in previous centuries. His significance lies in the way he responded.
Why Bavinck for Kids?
Bavinck’s writings are weighty and require careful study. At first glance, his life may seem mundane—the life of a faithful pastor, teacher, and writer, without the adventures of other Christians in my in my biographies for young readers such as Athanasius, Martin Luther, or John Newton. And yet, it is exactly in his seemingly ordinary life that children can find answers to important questions they may face now or later.
For example, Bavinck’s decision to attend the University of Leiden—a historical school famous for questioning traditions and for reading all texts, including the Bible, in a critical manner—was surprising to some people in his
Mrs.Simonetta Carr
Reformed circle. Why would he deliberately expose himself to such challenges? Even his best friend from high school, Henry Dosker, questioned Bavinck’s decision, since, he said, young people are “tender plants that are bent in the storm and can easily take a misshapen form.”
Reading about Bavinck’s quandary, the reasons behind his decision, the opposition and support he received, the challenges he continued to face, and the importance of his faithful church attendance will help children to think carefully about similar situations and and to better evaluate their own decisions—as well as hold a more charitable attitude toward the decisions of others.
As they survey Bavinck’s encounters with various teachers, children may learn to admire, with Bavinck, an atheist’s passion in fighting injustice—even injustice committed by nominal Christians—without concluding that Christianity should be abandoned. Rather, they can learn from Bavinck why the answer to injustice lies in a revival of true Christianity.
Children can also learn from Bavinck’s lifelong friendship with Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje, who studied with him at Leiden. The two friends continued to correspond even after Snouck converted to Islam, sharing the experiences of their lives and valuing each other’s opinions. Bavinck even sent Snouck some of his writings, in the conviction that his friend’s different point of view could help him to see different sides of each question.
These are just some of the many lessons that children can learn from Bavinck’s life and thoughts—lessons that are particularly important in our highly polarized society, where cultivating wisdom and treating others with respect and humility are becoming rare virtues.
And when they come to the end of Bavinck’s life story, children can see what a legacy a faithful Christian can leave behind, as Bavinck’s teachings were passed on and bore fruit in his own family, through his students, and by those who read his writings today.
After Bavinck’s death, his wife Johanna Adriana BavinckSchippers, besides negotiating to have his works translated, continued his support of women’s rights and education as women adapted to their changing roles in society. Their
daughter Johanna Geziana and her family bravely took part in resistance against Hitler’s occupation of the Netherlands and genocide of Jews. This heroism cost the lives of two of the Bavinck’s grandsons, and is an example of what Bavinck taught about respecting all human beings as made in the image of God and fighting for the wellbeing of others despite personal sacrifice. The importance of these lessons for our children was confirmed to me during a recent recording of the Kids Talk Church History podcast. While coming from different backgrounds, its young hosts agreed that what impressed them the most from their exploration of a time in church history was the ability of Christians to act in different spheres of life to the glory of God, respecting the differences and demands of each situation. I realized that it is essential for young people who are about to launch into the world to learn to live their faith in an honest and holistic manner, day by day, reflecting deeply about their choices without resorting to pre-set formulas. In this, they could not find a better example than Herman Bavinck.
1. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. John Bolt, Baker Academics, 2011.
2. James Eglinton, Bavinck: A Critical Biography, Baker Academics, 2020.
Why Kids’ Books at Reformed Fellowship?
We recently put out a survey at Reformed Fellowship asking our readership to give their opinion on a wide range of areas. We were encouraged by the results and will use these to fine tune our organization. One of the repeated comments was the need to focus attention on our young readers. And we admit, our readership has been geared to a mature audience. Knowing that there is a younger generation who also have a desire for God’s truth and will certainly have trials unique to current and upcoming times, we will be focusing some of our attention on these younger readers.
To begin, you can read articles by young people in The Outlook magazine. Check out recent articles by Mr. Joseph Dick and by first and second place winners of our undergraduate essay competition, Miss Sophie Memmelaar and Miss Jillian Fisher.
In God’s providence, as we were contemplating how to better engage younger readers, an opportunity became available to publish the newest volume
in the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series by Simonetta Carr. This is an outstanding manuscript telling the story of the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck. Beginning November 1, our bookstore will include 24 of the beautifully bound books from this series with very captivating visuals. Watch upcoming issues of The Outlook for more news regarding these and other upcoming materials for our young readers.
It is our prayer to engage a younger generation to glorify our Maker.
Mr. Al Rumph
President of the Reformed Fellowship Board Albert Rumph worked as an airline pilot for 35 years and has been flying planes for 50. Al serves with the Costa Rica Reformed Missions Partnership (CRRMP) and on the Synodical Committee for Foreign Missions. He is an elder at Bethany URC, father of 4 and grandfather of 11, and resides in Dorr with his wife Sue.
Call for Collaborators
Award-winning author Simonetta Carr was born in Italy and has lived and worked in different cultures. A home-schooling mother for many years, she lives in San Diego with her husband Thomas and one of their eight children. Simonetta is a member at Christ United Reformed Church.
Are you a book lover with a heart for the youth of the church? Are you an author, librarian, artist, school teacher, homeschooler, pastor, grandparent...? We covet your prayers and support as we build resources for this initiative, and we are looking for input from our readership. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for our kids’ books, or in joining us for focused roundtable discussion, please reach out to Hope Staal at office@reformedfellowship.net. We would love to hear from you!
Mr. Al Rumph
Mrs. Simonetta Carr
(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
3718 Earle S.W. Grandville, Michigan 49418
Email: djvan1951@gmail.com
Website: www.reformedfellowship.net
Board of Trustees
Al Rumph, President; Rev. Casey Freswick, Vice President; Rev. Doug Barnes, Secretary; Marv Mingerink, Treasurer; Dr. Andrew Compton, Vice-all; Glenn Hop, Dr. Michael Kearney, Tom Kooienga, Dr. Daniel Ragusa, and Dr. Ryan Swale, Directors
Editor: Dan Van Dyke
Contributing Editor: Dr. Cornelis P. Venema
Art, Design & Production: Jeff Steenholdt
General Manager: Hope Staal
Distribution Manager: Emily Postma
Bookkeeper: Mindy Toonstra
Outreach Specialist: Ashley Hoekman
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.
The publishers of this journal express their adherence to the Calvinistic creeds as formulated in the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Westminster Confession and Catechisms.
Reformed Fellowship holds the copyright to all material published in this magazine. All contributions represent the personal views of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the members of Reformed Fellowship, Inc.
Subscription Policy
The Outlook (USPS 633-980) is published six times per year (bi-monthly) by Reformed Fellowship, Inc. Annual subscriptions are $30.00 per year in the United States; outside the US, $36 per year (foreign subscribers please remit payment in US Funds; Canada add GST). Digital download subscriptions are $12 annually, and are included FREE with a print subscription. Unless a definite request for discontinuance is received, it is assumed that the subscriber wishes the subscription to continue without the formality of a renewal order and he will be billed for renewal. Anyone desiring a change of address should notify the business office as early as possible in order to avoid the inconvenience of delayed delivery. Zip code should be included. Periodical postage paid at Grandville, MI and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to The Outlook, 1988 140th Avenue, Dorr MI 49323
Advertising Policy
1. The Outlook cannot accept announcements or advertising copy inconsistent with the stated purpose of RFI. All advertisements and announcements must be approved by the RFI board prior to publication. We reserve the right to reject, edit, or request resubmission of announcement text or advertising copy. Books, pamphlets, or CDs to be advertised are to be screened as to author and content prior to publication of the advertisement, and such material should not conflict with the stated purpose of RFI. We reserve the right to limit the size of all
announcements and advertisements, and to limit the number of issues in which they appear.
2. All advertisements or announcements are to be submitted via email to office@reformedfellowship.net or to the business office at 1988 140th Avenue, Dorr MI 49323, and must be received at least two months before the publication date.
3. Fees for B&W/grayscale ads: $190 for full-page, $115 for half-page, $65 for quarter-page.
4. Fees for full-color ads: $235 for full-page, $140 for half-page, $80 for quarter-page.
5. Fees for preparing artwork for ads (in addition to advertising costs above) are $140 for full-page, $115 for half-page, $90 for quarter-page. These fees are waived if advertising art is print-ready. Please submit manuscript in an email or as an MS-Word.doc attachment. If you have pictures or images, please include as JPG files.
6. Preferred final file format for print-ready ads: High Quality Print PDF.
7. Ad sizes specifications: 8.75 x 11.25, trim 8.5 x 11"
Full page non-bleed: 7.25 x 9.75"
Half page horizontal bleed: 8.625 x 5.25"
Half page horizontal non-bleed: 7.25 x 4.5"
Quarter page (non-bleed) 3.5 x 4.5"
8. This Advertising Policy supersedes all prior policies, resolutions, or other statements.
Editorial Office
Dan Van Dyke
3718 Earle S.W. Grandville, Michigan 49418
Email: djvan1951@gmail.com
Circulation Office
1988 140th Avenue, Dorr MI 49323 (616) 532-8510
Business Mailing Address
1988 140th Avenue, Dorr MI 49323
Email: office@reformedfellowship.net
Reformed Fellowship, Inc.
1988 140th Avenue
Dorr, MI 49323
(616) 532-8510
HERMAN BAVINCK
From the award-winning series Christian Biographies for Young Readers.
In this beautifully illustrated biography, Simonetta Carr introduces young readers to one of the most influential Reformed theologians of modern times. Through engaging storytelling and vivid historical detail, children will discover how Herman Bavinck’s love for Biblical truth and his devotion to Christ shaped his work as a teacher, pastor, and writer.
Complete with maps, photographs, and a timeline, this book invites readers to explore how deep thinking and steadfast faith can work together for God’s glory.
Perfect for ages 7–12, families, homeschools, classrooms, and church libraries—and for anyone who wants to inspire young minds to think deeply and love God fully.
Printable worksheets and discussion questions will be made available to help readers reflect on what they learn.
