JULY/AUG 2024
From Maintenance to Missional: A Plea for Reformation
Selfless Oneness
Wife and Mother (Proverbs 31)
Small Offerings
Needed: Your Prayers and Perspectives
Considering Zion with Jodocus van Lodenstein: A Spirit of Self-Denial
Jesus Christ Suffered Death, Burial, and Hell for Us
Jesus’ Resurrection Is Our Story-Changer
Believer, Your Flesh Is In Heaven
Church Order Articles 21 and 22
Good Question
The Film 1946: Hollywood Gets the Bible’s Teaching on Same-Sex Acts Wrong
A Biblical Theology of Sickness
3 | From Maintenance to Missional: A Plea for Reformation (1)
Rev. Paul T. Murphy
What is a maintenance and a missional church?
5 | Selfless Oneness (13)
Rev. Peter H. Holtvlüwer
What does God think about sexual desire? Does being a Christian make any difference for sexual intimacy as husband and wife?
8 | Wife and Mother (Proverbs 31)
Mrs. Annemarieke Ryskamp
Encouragement for the wife and mother in Proverbs 31.
10 | Small Offerings
Mrs. Elisabeth Bloechl
Do our small works done in service to Christ make any difference? Can they transform hearts or encourage the saints? Or are these the wrong questions?
Cover: Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
—Genesis 1:20 NKJV
12 | Needed: Your Prayers and Perspectives
Reformed Fellowship board asks for readers’ input as we plan for the future.
13 | Considering Zion with Jodocus van Lodenstein: A Spirit of Self-Denial (3)
Dr. Michael R. Kearney
The third in a series of articles commenting on seventeenth-century theologian Jodocus van Lodenstein’s book on the health of Reformed churches.
16 | Meditation: Jesus Christ Suffered Death, Burial, and Hell for Us (4)
Rev. George van Popta
This is the fourth of ten songs based on the Heidelberg Catechism’s explanation of the Apostles’ Creed.
18 | Jesus’ Resurrection Is Our Story-Changer
Rev. William Boekestein
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 17, Q&A 45.
20 | Believer, Your Flesh Is in Heaven
Rev. William Boekestein
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 18, Q&A 46–49.
22 | Church Order Articles 21 and 22
Rev. Greg Lubbers
Article 21: The Consistory.
Article 22: Instituting a New Church.
24 | Good Question
Rev. William Boekestein
Good Question 82. How Can I Work to God’s Glory?
25 | The Film 1946: Hollywood Gets the Bible’s Teaching on Same-Sex Acts Wrong
Dr. Jeffrey A. D. Weima
A critical review of a recent documentary on Bible translation and same-sex activity.
29 | A Biblical Theology of Sickness
Dr. Brian G. Najapfour
This article is an excerpt from the new book Mental Health and Soul Care Considered Biblically, Pastorally, and Practically, edited by Brian G. Najapfour and Paul W. Wagenaar.
A Plea for Reformation
This is the first article in a new series entitled From Maintenance to Missional. The title might perplex some readers, so allow me to state at the outset my intentions. Conversion growth in Presbyterian and Reformed churches is virtually nonexistent. In my opinion that should, can, and must change. Hence this call for reformation in the mission of the church.
What is meant by the terms “maintenance” and “missional” with respect to the church? Allow me to illustrate the term “maintenance” with a story. Many years ago, I served a church in the Midwest. I discovered that a fellow NAPARC denomination had plans to plant a church less than a quarter mile away from where I served. I was surprised and somewhat perplexed by this because of what we read in Romans 15:20 (New International Version): “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.” This is something agreed upon by NAPARC churches.
I called the person responsible for that effort and introduced myself as the pastor of an existing church in the same neighborhood. I said, “I thought I should call because I’m wondering why you’re starting a new church when there is an existing Reformed church next door?” His response was that his was going to be a different kind of church, an outreach church while we were a maintenance church. I replied that I thought every church was to be an outreach church, reaching the lost in the community.
It was the first time I heard that language of a maintenance church used. He explained to me that ours was a church that had been in the
community for generations, an established church (as we might refer to it). They were going to be all about reaching those in the community who are lost. In my experience that distinction in nomenclature has become standardized in Reformedville and elsewhere. A church is either a maintenance or a missional church (whose primary purpose is outreach). While it may accurately reflect the current situation, I suggest it is a lamentable and problematic distinction, one in need of a remedy. The remedy should come about by a reformation of mission.
Typically, in a maintenance church evangelism and outreach is one of many other ministries in the church. There is the preaching ministry, diaconal ministry, and numerous others. But evangelism and outreach (seeking and saving the lost) is but one of numerous line items on the church’s budget of ministries.
Rev. Paul T. Murphy
In my experience, and I travel the country visiting our North American churches, evangelism and outreach is either neglected or is relegated to typical programs such as Vacation Bible School, prison ministry, nursing home ministry, and others. That is not to deprecate any of those ministries. They all have value, and the Lord uses all of them and those people devoted to them. Yet there is a lack of intentionality in seeking the lost in the local community. That is a maintenance church.
What do I mean by a missional church? I realize the term has become a buzzword associated with all sorts of causes and defined in various ways. What I do not mean by the term is not just doing evangelism or doing more evangelism, either personal or programmatic. It is not just doing more of what may have been done. Nor is it more missionaries or more staff to conduct evangelism. Nor am I talking about a method of doing evangelism. Rather I am talking about something that
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is essentially theological. Being a missional church is to be a church where evangelism, outreach, mission is the identity of the church. It is not one among many aspects of the church’s life. Mission is to be the raison d’etre of the church, the reason for which it exists.
Consider what we hear in Acts 1:8: “You [plural] will be my witnesses.” And then the field of mission is to be “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”1 Note that the first part of the verse is not a command, an imperative. Rather it is an indicative, that is, being Christ’s witnesses is not something one does but is something one is, one’s identity. A comparable passage is Matthew 5, where disciples are told they are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Those are being, not doing, statements of identity. Christians are to be the witness.
What that means is that evangelism and outreach to the lost is not an
add-on to the life of the church. It is not just a line item on the budget. It is not one among many ministries. It is the reason the church exists. It is the church’s identity.
What is the mission of the church? It is to make disciples by proclaiming the gospel. But, returning to the assertion at the beginning of this article, conversion growth in our churches is virtually nonexistent. We must move from maintenance to missional. Ecclesia Reformata, semper reformanda.2
1 One of many ways in which the book of Acts can be outlined is geographically.
2 The Reformed church is always reforming.
Rev. Paul T. Murphy
is the emeritus pastor of Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship in New York City. He has been asked to stay on as a fulltime evangelist for the congregation.
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Selfless Oneness
Meditation Text: Genesis 2:24–25
Suggested Reading: Proverbs 5
Rev. Peter H. Holtvlüwer
It is no secret that we live in a sex-crazed world. From magazine covers at the checkout counter to television commercials to what the algorithms at YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok feed us, sex is constantly being used to sell us something. On top of that, in many movies, Netflix series, and paperback novels sexual pleasure of whatever kind between consenting adults is portrayed as highly desirable, the thing to be on the lookout for, a highlight in a person’s life. The picture we’re shown is one of blissful intimacy, where there’s nothing but fireworks and thrills for both parties, with virtually no challenges, down side, or negative effects.
As Christians who were created with the same sex drive as everyone else, we can feel powerfully drawn to what the world offers and wonder: Can I have that too? What does God think about sexual desire?
Sexual Satisfaction
It turns out that God thinks quite highly of sexual desire, for He created it. After forming the woman from Adam’s body and joining them together in a marriage covenant, God stated “and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24, English Standard Version). The “holding fast” of a man to his wife finds its highest expression in the physical union of their two bodies or, as we more often say, in making love. The Lord absolutely wants His people to enjoy the wonder of sexual intimacy but to do so within the setting of holy marriage—and only there.
The world has turned this upside down, hasn’t it? Our culture promotes “having sex” as something light and casual, no marriage required. One-night stands or hook-ups are common. You just meet for some kind of sexual interchange and then go your way. No
relationship, no bond, no love—just an exhilarating experience and then you move on. To say it plainly, for many the act of becoming one flesh has become a way to satisfy personal lust.
And lust is something we all can relate to, for it arises naturally in our sinful hearts. The temptations to indulge our sexual appetite in one way or another before we become married are real and powerful. We catch ourselves dreaming of ways to satisfy our cravings. As Christians we can even view getting married as a solution to this yearning—Now I can have sex whenever I want! Isn’t that what marriage is for, at least in part? Sure, other responsibilities come along with marriage but, we may think, At last I can indulge myself.
Selflessness
But that’s not what God intends for sex or marriage—not at all. Not only does the above view make marriage a vehicle to slake one’s lust, but also it turns sex into a selfcentered, self-pleasing activity. How can this be true when, as we saw in the last article, God designed our marriages to reflect His own spiritual marriage to His people? Does God’s relationship with His bride involve lust of any kind? The very thought is blasphemous. And is it conceivable that the Lord would act in a selfish manner toward His bride or desire her to be self-focused? The opposite is the case: in the most incredible act of selflessness, God sacrificed His only-begotten Son to save His church. In turn, He calls His bride to be devoted to Him in selfless love (Luke 10:27). In the same way, husbands and wives must enter marriage not to get but to give; not to be served but to serve the needs of the other.
Adam knew this from the start when, upon seeing the woman for the first time, he exclaimed with gratitude,
“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23). He received her as his equal, as God’s precious gift to be treasured, not as an object to be used. He and she were to become “one flesh,” which certainly points to sexual union (1 Cor. 6:17) but also symbolizes a deeper unity of commitment and purpose. Husband and wife are not to be two individuals living separate lives under the same roof. Rather, having been joined together by God in a solemn marriage covenant, the couple forms a new family unit. They now serve God together, side by side as head and helper, in harmonious unison. Jointly they exercise dominion over the earth and raise up godly offspring. As the Lord Jesus later affirmed, the two have become one (Matt. 19:6).
Oneness
Oneness implies that each is for the other. You cannot be one if each is for himself or herself. Later in Scripture the Lord commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. He becomes even more pointed through Paul: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Phil. 2:3, New International Version). If this is our calling toward all people in general, how much more toward the spouse God has gifted to us! As husbands and wives we must repent of selfishness and in the Spirit of Christ seek to serve, bless, and bring pleasure to the other.
Let’s not overlook this: God has created sexual intercourse for our enjoyment and pleasure as man and wife. People sometimes think that sex is merely functional, that love making serves one purpose only, to produce children. Any pleasure one gets out of that act is just a side benefit and not really the main point, but nowhere does Scripture suggest that the two are mutually exclusive. Nor does it teach that sexual
intimacy should not be sought when there is no prospect for conception. On the contrary, in Proverbs 5:18–19 the Holy Spirit exhorts husbands and wives to take delight in one another, using a mix of metaphor and plainspeak: “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.” Sexual intercourse is not to be a chore but a joy. Do not the eight chapters of the Song of Solomon ring out with the same message? By all means, husband and wife, take time to enjoy this beautiful calling from God.
And the key to this delight is to enter the bedroom with the aim of pleasuring the other. Selfish lust must give way to a generous giving of yourself for the satisfaction of the other, and all to the glory of God. Remember that the Lord has His eye on our whole life, including what we do in the marriage bed (Heb. 13:4). It’s good to pray together about this, for as in all areas of life, unless the Lord blesses our intimacy, it will not flourish. It’s also very helpful for a husband and wife to speak about their love making in order to better understand one another at all levels. A lack of communication can easily lead to unnecessary frustration and alienation.
Husbands, are you taking time to know your wife’s needs in this area so that you can tenderly serve her for her fulfillment? Your calling is to put her ahead of yourself. And wives, are you seeking to know your husband intimately so that you can bless him with sexual satisfaction? Love making is to be a mutual enjoyment, a time of union and communion that transcends the physical experience to something spiritual, a sharing of one another that is difficult to put into words but is an amazing gift from God (see Prov. 30:19).
If you are unmarried and hear the message to stay away from sex before marriage, don’t be discouraged. That is God’s will for your life, but it’s not meant to take away pleasure but to preserve it. God is protecting you from perverting and emptying an act that is rich and meaningful in its proper context. The Lord is keeping you from lust in order to preserve you for love, true Christ-like love with your future spouse where you together may experience pleasure without shame.
Naked and Unashamed
Moses writes in Genesis 2:25, “The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” Instantly we perceive this to be a foreshadowing of dark things soon to take place. In Genesis 3 we will read that when the man and his wife broke God’s commandment, their eyes were opened, and they both realized they were naked. Shame will soon fill their lives, and that’s something we all know about. We all have sin, we all are sinners by nature, and before the purity of the Lord we all are ashamed of ourselves.
But before man sinned, husband and wife were both naked and felt no shame. In their holy marriage bond, in their intimate union of one flesh, there was only honor. In the past some have thought that intercourse even in marriage was a shameful thing not to be talked about, but Scripture says that God gives it to husband and wife as something noble. It wasn’t nakedness itself that brought the shame, nor was it the act of becoming one flesh, but it was rebellion against God’s commandments. Only after that could Adam and Eve no longer look at each other without some sense of shame, and so they covered up their bodies.
But now what has our Lord Jesus Christ done but remove our sin and shame by His suffering and death? When we trust in Him our sins are forgiven and our shame before God falls away. Likewise, we have no need to be ashamed before our wife or husband with whom we have covenanted in the Lord. Christ was sent to wash away also this shame, and that’s why the Lord placed the Song of Solomon in the Bible, and why we find the apostle Paul instructing the churches about marriage and sexual intercourse (1 Cor. 7). What was lost in Paradise has been recovered on Golgotha. Christian husbands and wives, you may freely take joy in the spouse God has given you, without shame, for through the blood of our Savior your union is holy and honorable before God.
Do we not also in this aspect of marriage reflect God’s covenant with His people? True, God is spirit and has no physical union with His bride, but does He not have an intimate spiritual union with His church? Are we not one with Christ through the Holy Spirit who lives in our bodies just as He lives in Christ (1 Cor. 6:17)? The coming together of husband and wife shows a glimpse of that mysterious and wonderful union we have with Christ our husband.
Are you single and hope to be married? Keep your sexual desire for the one God has in mind for you. Are you married? Glorify the Lord as husband and wife by giving and receiving pleasure in a union without shame.
Rev. Peter H. Holtvlüwer is minister of Ancaster Canadian Reformed Church (ON) and editor of Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms.
Proverbs 13:13–31
13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates
Wife and Mother (Proverbs 31)
The excellent wife and mother as described in Proverbs 31:10–31 sounds discouraging to many women. You would want to follow her shining example, but everything she’s doing sounds unachievable. In this article I would like to encourage you by giving a contemporary flavor to this chapter, showing you that you are probably doing most of this work already, but you do have to do it with the right attitude.
There are a couple of underlying principles without which the pursuits of the excellent wife will not happen, at least not to the glory of God. Here are three prerequisites for the wife and the husband.
Principles
Fear of the Lord
The description of the “excellent wife” is part of Proverbs 31, which are words that King Lemuel’s mother spoke to him. So, we are not reading this man’s description of his dream wife but the characteristics of a God-fearing woman the way an older woman knows she can exist. Proverbs provides both men and women with advice for a good spouse. Proverbs 20:6 is about finding an excellent man, but here we find advice on how to find a good wife and what kind of qualities she should have.
The overarching theme of the book of Proverbs is wisdom. True wisdom is seen as a life lived in wholehearted obedience to God’s revelation in His Word and world, which is called “the fear of the Lord.” How this is applied to the wife and mother we read in verse 30 (English Standard Version): “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” What King Lemuel’s mother wanted to get across to him about the importance of a God-fearing wife and mother we find here in Proverbs 31:10–31.
Trust
In marriage there is another requirement without which the situation depicted in Proverbs 31 would not be possible, and that is mutual trust. The husband trusts his wife completely (v. 11), and the wife will do him good, and not harm, all the days of her life (v. 12). Because of our sinfulness this principle can get distorted, and it is of utmost importance that if trust is broken, it is restored first and as soon as possible.
Trust needs to be earned (or earned back), and goodwill toward the other needs daily practice; both can be truly and permanently restored only with God’s—that is, the Holy Spirit’s—help. If both spouses place themselves
Mrs. Annemarieke Ryskamp
under God and work on maintaining trust, for example, by having prayer time together regularly, they both can stay in Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Mutual trust will follow.
Working at Home
In the typical passage about mentoring (Titus 2), we read the advice of older women to younger women, which is to be (among other things) “working at home.”
This advice is misinterpreted a lot, as though a woman shouldn’t work outside of the home, ever. I think what is meant here is that she is not lazy. She is working and not sitting still. She does what her hand finds to do and “does not eat the bread of idleness” (Prov. 31: 27). It implies that all of her work and what she gains with it is to the benefit of her household and not just herself.
Pursuits
With all the underlying principles in place, what are the pursuits of the excellent wife? I will give some modern suggestions about Proverbs 31:13–31.
The good wife and mother wants the best for her husband and children and therefore works hard to provide everything necessary. All of her work is well planned and meant for the good of the family. No task is below her, and she does work when it needs to be done, considering their needs at all times (v. 13).
For example, she makes a list of what is needed (e.g., food, diapers, special detergent for the allergic child) and takes her land ship, usually a minivan, to go buy food and other things for everybody (v. 14a). If necessary, she’ll drive all the way to the store in the next town for better quality or better prices (v. 14b).
She gets up early in the morning when it is still dark to make breakfast (and lunches) for everybody (v. 15). She prepares healthy meals and brings food to the elderly widower across the street or to the young woman who just had a baby (v. 20).
She keeps the house reasonably clean and well organized (v. 19) and maintains a regular schedule for the children as much as possible (v. 27), especially if she’s home schooling (v. 26). She tries to be home when the children are home. She is also a fair disciplinarian (v. 28a).
If she likes to garden, she starts a vegetable garden (v. 16a) and later cans or freezes produce for the long winters (v. 19).
With her God-given talents for commerce or crafts, she can supplement the family income (v. 24), or she works outside the home (vv. 16, 17) to help pay for Christian school. She keeps the books if her husband is too busy and is happy to see that the family prospers (v. 25) and can pay all the bills (v. 18).
She attends a Bible study (v. 30) but has no time to sit around and gossip with the other women (v. 26a). However, she will make time to have coffee with and encourage a younger woman or the widow who just lost her husband (v. 26b).
She takes her children to the clothing store when they have (again) outgrown their clothes and makes sure they have a good winter coat and snow pants and boots before winter starts (v. 21).
She also takes care of herself, both for good health (e.g., exercise) and for what she wears, so she looks like the God-fearing, prosperous woman that she is (vv. 17, 22b, 25). Because she planned for the near future, she has nothing to fear from the world or the evening news (v. 25).
When the children are grown, they call her blessed (v. 28a), because they
are starting to realize that she not only took good care of their physical needs, but they also had the privilege of her attention and wisdom, always being willing to talk and pointing them to the great Comforter and Helper (v. 26). She is always concerned about the spiritual welfare of her children and passes on the same wise advice that King Lemuel’s mother gave him.
Because of her dedication to take care of her family, her husband is free to do all the work he has to do outside of the home (v. 23), knowing that his wife is a good planner (v. 21) and that she will make sure everyone in the household and the house itself is well taken care of (v. 15). This makes her well respected in the community (vv. 29–31), and he is generous enough to praise her in public (v. 29) and trusting enough to give her free rein to run the household (v. 31). She in turn is concerned also with his spiritual welfare, and both will sharpen each other in their faith as iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27:17).
Now, every woman is different. Not everyone possesses boundless energy or a conspicuous talent, but we all have been given the same ability to be faithful. We are called to be faithful first to Jesus Himself and next to our earthly family. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). If we keep God’s honor at the forefront of our thoughts, we all will be excellent wives and mothers.
graduated with a master’s degree in
Language and Literature from Utrecht University and worked for the Dutch l’Abri and as a secondary school teacher at United World College in Singapore. She attends Dutton United Reformed Church (MI).
Mrs. Annemarieke Ryskamp was born and raised in the Netherlands. She
Dutch
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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
