Faith in Focus . Feb 2005

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

Song of Songs 2:11-12

2

faith in focus Volume 32/1, February 2005

All correspondence regarding editorialcontent and advertising should be sent to:

The Editor:Sjirk Bajema17 Phoenix Place, Papatoetoe,Auckland.Ph/Fax: +64 9 277 9360Email: [email protected] Churches Home Pagehttp://www.reformed-churches.org.nz

Copy Deadline:Six weeks preceding the month ofpublication.

All correspondence regarding distributionand payment of subscriptions to:

The Secretary:Mrs Nicola Wharekawa79 McLeod StreetUpper Hutt

Subscription per volume:$40.00 (eleven issues)Bulk Rate: $35.00Overseas: $60.00Electronically Mailed (overseas only): $40

Production Staff:Distribution: M. & D. van der ZwaagDesign & Layout: Matrix TypographyPrinted by: Flying Colours

Editorial

The opinions expressed in this magazine are not to be considered the official positionof the Reformed Churches of NZ unless they expound the Biblical system of doctrinecontained in the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dordt,or the Westminster Confession of Faith, or reflect the successive Acts of Synod of theReformed Churches of NZ. On the other hand, care is taken to ensure that articles andopinions do not directly contradict the official position of the Reformed Churches ascontained in the above sources without attention being called to that fact.

CONTENTS

Back to BabelThe same old story 3The New Zealand Psalter Hymnal 6World in focus 9Home mission in focusReflections on Nelson’s situationLaying a firm foundation 10Mission in focusHelping out for a couple of weeks 15A feminine focusThe feminine virtue of gentleness 14Children in focusSonshine Korner 16Silver threads among the goldThe dignity of experience 18Letter to the EditorPiety isn’t only a feminine virtue 19Focus on homeGleanings in focusOne of our students in GeelongPresbytery reportsAuckland Training Day 20

We have begun a new year. A year which will have many challenges and changes.But a year where we may also grow more in the likeness of our Lord JesusChrist. May it be to Him and our heavenly Father that the glory and honour goes!

As we go into this new year let’s not be ashamed of the heritage we have.This world denigrates anything to the Christian faith. It quickly labels us so as tomake us appear inadequate and certainly prehistoric. But let’s take comfortfrom the past. Let the facts of what have happened before strengthen us to putit all in God’s hands. Because what is happening now is not new. Societies havereached such selfish pits before. Times when God particularly gave them over totheir sinful desires, as Romans 1:18-32 describes. And so this is such a timewhen living a simple biblical faith will shine out more and more the light of thegospel.

And, in particular, let’s not be ashamed of our Calvinism. Let’s not take theattitude that being Reformed with a small “r” is a satisfactory balance but let usbe big “R” Reformed-Presbyterians. As much as our believing witness should bestanding out in society so should our biblical stand be making us that muchmore different than the worldly direction many churches are going.

We are pleased that one of those areas we were seeking to fill within thepages of our magazine has been filled. Mrs Jolanda Nugteren has offered totake over the children’s column (‘Sonshine Korner’). We pray for her the Lord’sblessing and guidance.

“A man with God is always in the majority.”

John Knox

3

faith in focusVolume 32/1, February 2005

Sjirk Bajema

It was quite a headline in the local newspaperlast year: “Woman who played God”. It wasthe story of how Leslie Martin had taken itinto her own hands to end the life of hermother. An action which has manysupporters. For they think it should be thechoice of individuals what they do with theirlives.

In ‘The New Zealand Herald’ Martin wasquoted, “I’m actually anti-abortion and pro-voluntary euthanasia because my personalbelief is that once life is conceived, it belongsunto that life.”

An interesting quote. But then you needto ask the question: Who is actually makingthe choice? With the attempted death of JoyMartin it was Lesley who made that choice.Because it became quite clear in the courtcase that neither of her siblings had beenconsulted in any part of that process. In fact,

Back to Babel!The same old story

in the newspaper and television interviewsshe is quite disparaging of her sister’s ability,in particular, to constructively be involved insuch a process. While she doesn’t say it,it’s quite clear she regards her sister as oneof life’s losers - one of those who just hasn’tmade anything of her life, someone whodepended too much on the psychological andmaterial resources of her mother. Thatcomes from a woman, by the way, who hashad a multiple number of relationships, isinto her second marriage, and has two sonsout of previous relationships, commentingon someone still with her husband and threechildren.

But don’t let any of that get in your way!Being a modern made-for-media drama, ithas all the emotions. Lesley Martin isphotographed wiping away the tears off herface. She appeals to the anguish of manywho have gone through a similar crisis intheir lives. She was, she claimed, trapped

between legislation and love, like thosethousands of others; the dying who want apainless end, and the friends and familiesdesperate to help them. Meanwhile her sisteris described as a chain smoking, whiningwoman, desperate to tell all-and-sundry herside of the story.

The heart of the struggleMartin’s case goes far beyond her, though.It even goes further than those around thisworld who are promoting euthanasia. Whatwe have here is heart of the struggle betweenman and God. A great struggle that goes backto the beginning of the Bible. Because theretoo we meet people who were playing God.

That’s what the story of Babel is all about.In fact, this great battle of the ages is shownin the name ‘Babel’.

Now, you might wonder about this.Because as Christians we are familiar withhow the word has become used in our

Leslie Martin

4


language. When people talk about a ‘babble’they mean a confusing speech. That’s whatthe word ‘babel’ has become a synonym for.It was at that place that God confused theone language into many languages. But whatthe word ‘babel’ meant for those people thenwas ‘gate of the gods’. It was made to bethe way through which man himself wouldhave access to god and indeed be able tobe as god.

This story shows the extent to whichmankind will go to try and show that he’snot really what he is after all.

The same old storyThis is the truth of what is in Ecclesiastes1:9. There it says that there is nothing newunder sun. So what mankind is going throughnow is what he has been through before.

It’s an important point to note. Becausethere is an idea about that the people wholived a long time ago were quite primitive. Ina world full of evolutionary teaching peoplethink of the technological advances that havehappened and think that equates to peoplepersonally, too. That’s quite untrue! In fact,to study the lives and times of people fromthe past is to realise a depth of culture andknowledge which many people don’t havetoday. It’s also to realise that man’s natureis still exactly the same.

Two misunderstandingsIt is this misunderstanding about people fromancient history which has shown up in twokey aspects of the ‘Tower of Babel’ story:

1. The tower going all the way up to GodA common perception that many have about

‘The Tower of Babel’ is that here is a groupof people demonstrating an innocent,scientifically-naive, primitive effort to reachthe highest heavens. They point to verse 4,that statement about making a tower thatreaches to the heavens and they say thatjust simply couldn’t have happened.

This thought was shared by many of theartists throughout church history. Take, forinstance, the example from the medieval ageshown with this article.

But what happens when the Hebrewwording is translated literally? We then have“a tower whose top [is] into heaven.” Andthis is exactly what ancient Mesopotamianziggurat temple-towers were for! The topcompartment represented heaven.

2. All the people in the world joining inmaking this towerIn the world-wide migration occurring afterGenesis 9:1 this was a major movementtowards the east under Nimrod, a grandsonof Ham. But it was not the only movement.Major migration had also gone north andsouth-west from the final resting place of theark, which was around Mt. Ararat.

Why this story?But answering these two questions couldvery well bring out another. And that questionis this: Why then is this story brought out ofall the possible stories from that time?

Chapter 10 of Genesis is essentially thetable of the Nations. It outlines, as we seein this map, where Noah’s descendants wentto. So we can see that the word of God toNoah in Genesis 9 verse 1 is being fulfilled.For mankind was being fruitful and increasing

in number and filling the earth.There are two footnotes that occur in

chapter 10 and 11. There are two passageswhich appear in amongst these family linesand which at first we may think are simplyinteresting interludes along the way. Just asa footnote may be used to specially focuson an example which supports what is in thetext itself so we think that the storiesconcerning Nimrod in chapter 10 the verses8 till 12 and Babel in chapter 11 the verses1 till 9 are examples of what’s happeningthroughout mankind.

But I would like to put forward a differentview. For while this is reflecting what’shappening within mankind it actuallydemonstrates what happens when mankindspecifically goes against what God hascommanded for them. What we see here, inan early form, is the spirit of the antichristhimself!

The first of these footnotes is Genesis10, the verses 8 till 12. There we read whatwe is essentially the story of Nimrod.

The kingdom of NimrodSo what is significant about Nimrod? Well,he is said to have established cities and builta kingdom. But there is something else. Forhow does this passage describe Nimrod?Which adjective appears three times in twoverses? It’s the word “mighty”. Why“mighty”? Is it a positive or negativeattribute? The NIV seems to put it in a goodway. It says “He was a mighty hunter beforethe LORD.” But looking a little deeper showsthat in fact this attribute is used becausehis empire is an affront to God and man.The word “hunter” isn’t primarily speakingof his being someone who like hunting downanimals but rather he’s a hunter of men. Sothe NIV is quite right to use the word “warrior”in verse 8. As Martin Luther comments, itwas through Nimrod’s ability to fight and killand rule ruthlessly that his kingdom ofEuphrates valley city states wasconsolidated.

It is said of Nimrod’s kingdom, at the endof verse 12, that it “is the great city”. Nowthe word “city” is not new. It has appearedin Scripture before. It is this earlier passagewhich makes the description of what Nimrodwas doing very clearly set against the LORDGod. For that previous occasion is in Genesis4 verse 17. There we read of when Cain builta city. It is there that the mention of a city,with its structure being a protection from athreatening environment, brings in the themeof kingship. Cain called his son, Enoch. Thismeans “consecration”. But consecrated forwhat? It’s clear in that context it’s a passionto establish man’s own name on the earth.

Going against God’s commandSo Nimrod’s setting up of these chain ofcities under his direct command is a clear

5


stand against God’s command to Noah togo and spread out across the earth. He isactually gathering in and entrenching hispower in certain places. In some places itseems he’s even conquering other peoples.

Of all these places Babel seems to bethe focus point. This is where he began. Thisis his capital. This is where he stamps downhis claim to fame!

The wider contextThis is the immediate context to the storyabout ‘The Tower of Babel’. And we have toadd to this the wider background. This bringsout the lineage Nimrod is descended from.For that is the line of Ham.

Now we have a further reason for believingthat here is someone who has an axe togrind, because here we remember how Godcursed Ham. His disgracing of his fatherNoah while he was naked resulted in theLORD’s curse against Ham’s oldest son,Canaan. By implication that is a mark againstthe whole family of Ham.

The details in this storyWith this setting let’s now consider thedetails in the story of the ‘Tower of Babel’.Details which we’ll consider in two parts; twoparts which are tied in with the two timesthat the word “come” appears in this story:

1. When people make it for themselvesThe first part I shall place under the heading‘When people make it for themselves.’ Thiscovers the verses 1 till 4.

These verses begin by stating what wascommon across the face of the earth at thattime. For verse 1 notes that there was onelanguage and a common speech. They werethe word Noah would have spoken.

But then let’s note what happens here...

a) A discontented crowdWhile the previous footnote in chapter 10was especially about Nimrod here we havethe perspective from the people with him.

Verse 2 tells of how the people are“settling” there. So there is an underlyingunhappiness with the way of the Lord. Thuswe come to the first “come” in verse 3. Forhere this whole group is joined together intaking it up against God.

6


EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST WANTED

If you would like to teach English in ayet to be established language schoolin China please contact PaulGoodenough Ph (09) 4731270 oremail [email protected] you will have (any) degreeand a CELTA or TESOL qualification.However, all enquiries are welcome.

b) Use of new technologyVerse 3 notes that they made bricks andbaked them thoroughly. So they used bricksinstead of stone and tar instead of mortar.Interestingly, while they may have beenimpressed that they had found new buildingmaterials - materials which they couldproduce on the spot and make into a finelooking structure - they were actuallymaterials that would not last as long and beas strong as stone and mortar. It’s one ofthose times in human history where asupposedly great discovery has ended uptaking us a step backwards.

Many of us will recall that in the late1950’s and early 1960’s there was thewonder drug thalidomide. It was the drug tosignificantly reduce nausea in pregnantwomen. But we know what the end resultwas! Interestingly, it took a British journalist,Harold Evans, several years and an appealto the European Court of Human Rightsagainst the House of Lords before the truthwas revealed about that!

c) Self-made religionHenry Morris comments that in his desire tobuild a great empire Nimrod realised that thepeople needed a religious motivation strongenough to overcome their knowledge thatGod had commanded them to scatter acrossthe earth. This would explain why in verse 4this tower is described as being in theheavens, because that’s what it wasdedicated to.

James Montgomery Boice believes thisupper level had a representation of theheavens upon it. In other words, it has zodiacpictured there. So the inner walls would havebeen probably decorated with blue glazed tile,with the sun, the moon, and the five knownplanets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter andSaturn) lined up along the plane of thezodiac. In the centre of the room would betheir ‘god’ seated upon a throne!

How can we know this? Well,Nebuchadnezzar later rebuilt such a towerin Babylon. A tower the Sumerians had called‘e-temen-an-ki’, which translated is ‘thebuilding of the foundation-platform of heavenand earth. So historically it can be shownthat there is a line of such ziggurat towerswhich goes back to this time. The ziggurat I

have shown, for example, is from the reignof Ur-Nammu, king of Ur in 2100 B.C..

d) Their destinationNotice what David Atkinson says aboutwhat’s happening at Babel: “When God, theLord, disappears from the centre ofcommunity life, then the seeds of everythingwhich breaks down relationships are sown.There is no unity of fellowship in humancommunity endeavours, unless they arebound together around a centre outside ofthemselves. Human societies which organisethemselves without reference to God, andbuild up power structures of their own inplace of God, are always prey to thedemonic.”

So we have a situation with every potentialfor real breakdown. In fact, if it continueslike this things will fall apart - and they’ll fallapart in a terrible way.

2. Then God will make them wear itWe turn now to the second part of the storyof Babel. This is God’s response shown inthe verses 5 till 9. Here we find the 2nd“come” in Genesis 11:7. This is where it isthe LORD Himself speaking. While before ithad been the people together using this wordfor “come” now God uses the word as Heassembles His heavenly council and movesto confuse their language.

a) Things in divine perspectiveIn verses 5 and 6 we see it from a differentperspective. For here it’s looking down uponit. And so we note that the LORD has to comedown to it. That’s important to remember,because when we move into verse 6 we canget to thinking that perhaps God is feelingthreatened by what’s going on.

That’s not true at all. In fact, it’s theopposite. What God does here is actually tosave these people - from themselves. Verse6 is the LORD recognising what they will doto themselves.

b) Communication disruptedGod moves in a miraculous way here to havepeople do His will and so continue to receiveHis care. For what does the confusion of theirlanguage do? It scatters them! It shatters topieces Nimrod’s selfish dream of world-widedomination.

Here, though, we might wonder how theirlinguistic unity could provide the possibilityand potential for immense iniquity? JohnWhitcomb says, “Perhaps we can find theanswer by looking at the vast English-speaking world today. Almost instantly,demonic perversions and poisons canpenetrate and permeate the minds ofmillions through the Internet, as well as viaavalanches of morally hideous films, videos,books and magazines. Now, “ he goes on, “what would happen to this Satanic sewerage

if the more than 300 million people whospeak English suddenly discovered that theirlinguistic unity was shattered? The blow toSatan and sinful men would be staggering.God’s intervention at Babel, dividing andseparating people from each other, had aholy and loving purpose.”

Those who pray to God!Babel showed the ultimate futility of manmaking a name for himself. It stands as astark reminder of what happens whenevermankind makes a god out of who he is orwhat he does. That’s why we often go ‘Backto Babel’!

So Lesley Martin and those with her - thePhilip Nietschke’s and Jack Kevorkians ofthis world - are putting up the monuments tothemselves. Their ego’s are up there foreveryone to see! Their disregard for God’slaw is blatant. Like those in Babel they thinkthey are the enlightened ones whereas theyare living a terrible lie. In fact, their wholepresentation is a lie because there is a betterway than murder - the way of lovingly caringfor the dying with modern medication,equipment and human care.

And it’s no surprise really, is it? Theirfather is the father of lies. Satan is at backof it all - he will continue to building his Babelsuntil the truth finally wins in the coming againof our Lord Jesus Christ.

So while it may seem at times that Satanis winning the day that will only be for a day.The Lord Jesus Christ has won the greatestbattle of them all. And so there is a greatand coming day when judgment will come.As it came for those Babylonians when theLORD turned them into a blithering mess soit will be much, much worse for Satan andthose with him on that Day. But until thatday the Lord is also preserving. His rain isfalling on the righteous and the unrighteous,as Jesus says in Matthew 5 verse 45. Thisis so that He proclaims the Gospel still.

The warning is not to play at God. Instead,we must be those who pray to God! In allyou do work that those who seek theirsalvation in themselves may be humbled tosee that it’s only when they realise they don’thave in themselves that they are saved.

Adapted from an address to the AucklandLadies Presbyterial of the ReformedChurches - 15th May 2004

7


Berwyn Hoyt

It is not yet born, but the New Zealand PsalterHymnal is certainly alive and kicking. The lastyou heard from us was a request forsubmissions. This time we can also reportsignificant progress.

This Psalter Hymnal is a work in progressby a committee appointed by the 2002 Synodof the Reformed Churches of New Zealand.The committee’s mandate is to:1. Select poetic Psalm versions faithful to

Scripture.2. Select hymns in significant quantity for

the various preferences in our churches.3. Solicit contributions from a wide cross-

section of our membership.

We are well on our way through part oneof this mandate, and part 3 is also full steamahead, with submissions piling in — but fromonly a few of you.

In its first year the committee madepreliminary selections of Psalms 1-50, andhas now moved beyond that point. We aimto select most of the Psalms before the 2005Synod. We have begun to publish preliminaryselections on the New Zealand ReformedChurches website, and will add more as weare able. Look up hymnal.rcnz.org.nz .

FeaturesSo, what’s new about this proposed PsalterHymnal? Here are a number of features thatstand out in the Psalms Section to enhanceour appreciation of the Psalms:• Number the songs by Psalm number: 1,

1b, 2…• Choose words which follow Scripture

more closely, while maintaining thepoetry.

• Use up-to-date language in mostselections (unless the older one is well-loved).

• Retain the good tunes from our currenthymnal and replace the poor ones.

• Choose one main tune that covers thewhole Psalm, with a summary psalm oralternate tune where appropriate.

• Most of these changes help withmemorising Scripture (more on this later).

In the Hymns section we plan to:• Retain good and well-loved hymns and

replace the poor hymns.• Add hymns to make up a sizeable

selection of good quality words andmusic, covering the breadth of Christiandoctrine and experience.

The New Zealand Psalter HymnalA report from the Committee

• Update language where necessary formeaning.

Scripture MemoryOur intention is that the new Psalter Hymnalwill have a ‘Scripture’ section, including(especially) the Psalms. Look again at theabove list of features of the Psalms section.Notice how each of these features will aidour memory of Scripture while we sing —‘on the fly,’ as it were.

These features help to associate onespecific tune with each Psalm, and the moreaccurate, and up-to-date language, withmemorable tunes, will aid our memory ofScripture and the Psalms.

We will get this ‘for free’ as we sing thesesongs, but this can also become a valuableresource for purposefully teaching ourchildren the Scriptures. For example, someChristian schools have used songs as ameans of easy Scripture memorisation. Thisis commendable. On a personal note, I cantestify to the value of this myself, as my ownwife knows her Psalms this way. I can quotea snippet and she’ll tell me what Psalm it is.I must say, her ability sure does come inhandy when we need to find a verse to put ina card, or to comfort someone in need!

It’s in a BookBut what does it look like? Well, for starters,you will have a real product that you can holdin your hands, leaf through, and take home.The synod required that we aim to publishthis as a book. This may seem perfectlynormal to most of you, but having ourhymnody in a single book has severaladvantages:• It will have words and music — which is

of great value for congregational singing,especially for our denomination wheremany people love to sing in parts.

• It lets us take our worship music homewith us. No other form of presentation isas well suited for use in the home. Manyof our families maintain singing traditionsat home, which we hope the new bookwill encourage.

Our culture separates life into ‘religion’and ‘real life.’ By contrast, biblical Christianityaffects our whole life. Being able to easilybring the songs of God home from Churchcan help us worship God outside of Sundayservices, and help us to:

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell withinyou, with all wisdom, teaching andadmonishing one another with psalms andhymns and spiritual songs, singing withthankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

ResourcesThere is a vast array of resources that wehave been drawing on to compile this hymnal.We take an array of more than 10 differenthymnals to each committee meeting, andthat is only a selection of what we keep athome. In addition there are a number ofonline hymnals to which we refer to obtainthe best possible tunes.

We have been mandated to use primarilythe sources that are provisionally approvedby our Synod. You will be familiar with these:

The Psalter Hymnal (1987)The Psalter Hymnal (1957)The Book of Worship (1990)The Trinity Hymnal (1961)The Interim (Red) Hymnal (Spiral Bound).

In addition to these, some significantsources (so far only for the Psalms) are listedbelow:• Sing Psalms - a very new (2004) and

high quality Psalm production by the

8


Free Church of Scotland.• The Complete Book of Psalms for Singing

– by Rowland S. Ward of the PresbyterianChurch of Eastern Australia.

• The Cyber Hymnal (a good source oftunes)

• Individual submissions and privatesources.

ContributionsSo far we have had submissions from only afew. However, these few have been veryvaluable. Some have suggested just one

song, while others have pointed us to anumber of songs.

One very easy way for you to contributeis to help get the word around by telling yourfriends about our website athymnal.rcnz.org.nz .

Besides personal submissions to thecommittee, below are some other significantways you can contribute.

Contribute StatisticsA valuable contribution was submitted byone of our sessions which asked theirchurch members to list songs they wouldlike to keep from our current hymnbookand from other approved sources. Theyprovided us with a summary of theresponses. If you could organise suchsubmissions from your own church it wouldbe valuable.

We would like you to help us make thisa denominational hymnbook. If you canprovide us with lists of songs andpopularities, that would be helpful. A formfor reporting this information is available onour website (see below) together with anexample of one congregation’s plan of howto do this.

Contribute by Careful SelectionAnother way to contribute would be to gettogether in a group with others to carefullyselect songs from a wider variety of sourcesthan the ones we already sing.

Correspondence regarding submissionsmay be made by email to the committeesecretary: [email protected] .

Website http:\\hymnal.rcnz.org.nz

In order to keep you informed of ourprogress, and give you a forum where youcan interact, we have put together a projectwebsite. Significant additional information isavailable there, including:• Music selected so far (preliminary

selections) — you can view and play itonline!

• A feedback form.• Submission forms and contacts.• The full synodical mandate for the hymnal

committee.• The committee’s membership and a

contact.• Any other information that becomes

available.

Please take the time to browse the songson our website. We will be updating themregularly as we progress through the project.

The web address is hymnal.rcnz.org.nz .

ConclusionThis New Zealand Psalter Hymnal is for theglory of God and the service of His people.Consequently, we would like you to be up todate and supportive of us by means of ourwebsite. It is also a project that is happening.The committee is at work flat tack, and thingsare progressing very quickly to produce a highquality, and accurate production with manyvery positive features. It will certainly not bea half-pie job.

So, all that remains is for you to get up-to-date, interact with the online material,become enthusiastic about the project, andcontinue to send those contributions in thisdirection!

Bible clubs upheld in threeStatesLiberty Counsel President Mathew Staverreported that after-school Bible Clubs forelementary age students have won majorvictories in Michigan, Ohio, and Connecticut.The US Supreme Court has upheld the rightof Christian clubs to use public facilitieswithout discrimination. Staver said he expectsmore and more schools to “capitulate,”because federal court precedent is beginningto go in favor of such clubs. Law suits helpschools “see the light.”+ Liberty Counsel, PO Box 540774, Orlando, FL32854 (407) 875-2100

Brian O’Connor releasedInternational Christian Concern has beeninformed that Indian Christian, Brian O’Connor,has been released by Saudi officials. O’Connorhad been jailed and charged with selling

alcohol, possession of Bibles, andpornography. This is typical in cases ofreligious persecution in Saudi Arabia, wherethey do not wish to bring attention to theirzero-tolerance policy towards other religions.

“Brian’s release highlights the power ofadvocacy and we thank all the individuals thatmade calls on his behalf to the Saudi embassyand to members of Congress.”+ International Christian Concern, 2020 PennsylvaniaAve. NW #941 Washington, DC 20006+ Dan Wooding, ASSIST News Service, PO Box 2126,Garden Grove, CA 92842-2126 [email protected]

Judge rules in favour of TerriSchindler-Schiavo’s familyA Florida probate judge has ruled that TerriSchindler-Schiavo’s feeding tube cannot beremoved until her parents, Robert and MarySchindler, have exhausted all avenues opento them in their quest for a new trial to

World in focus

determine whether the 40-year-old, brain-disabled woman would want to be starved todeath or be allowed to live.

Judge George Greer rejected a motion byattorney George Felos on behalf of Terri’sestranged husband and legal guardian,Michael Schiavo, who was seeking permissionto remove Terri’s feeding tube following afavorable ruling by the Florida Supreme Court.In a three-page order Greer revoked the stayhe issued 22 October that was scheduled toexpire at midnight, 6 December. In his newruling, he dismissed Schiavo’s second requestand extended the stay indefinitely.+ George W. Greer, 315 Court St., Rm. 484,Clearwater, FL 33756 (727) 464-3933

Fear of euthanasiaAn official Dutch report in 2001 showed thatabout 1,000 people were killed by doctorswithout their explicit request. Dr Nigel Sykes,

9


Medical Director of St Christopher’s HospiceLondon, stated that only 3.5 percent of peopledying from cancer are in favor of euthanasia.Even in the Netherlands, where euthanasiahas been legal since 1984, over 90 percentof people living in nursing homes are opposedto euthanasia.

They know from experience andobservation that once euthanasia is legalised,even in very carefully defined circumstances,it is impossible to regulate. In a Dutch poll ofelderly people, 60 percent were afraid thattheir lives would be terminated against theirwill. So great is the fear that some Dutchpatients have even taken to crossing theborder to go to German hospitals whereeuthanasia is illegal.

A recent poll of British doctors showed that76 percent would refuse to performeuthanasia.+ Charlotte Vincent, Public Policy Analyst, Lawyers’Christian Fellowship, UK+ Mark Mullins, Regional Chairman (London),Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, 1 Harcourt Buildings,Temple, London EC4Y 9DA

Moral values most importantissue in casting votesIn nationwide exit polls, one of five voters saidmoral values were the most important issuein casting their votes. Those “values” voterswent for President Bush over Senator JohnKerry, 79 percent to 18 percent. Bush wonamong frequent church-goers, and polled evenwith Kerry among people who attend once amonth or less. Bush drew 60 percent ofweekly attenders, compared to Kerry’s 39percent, while Kerry led Bush among non-church-goers, 64 percent to 34 percent.

Bush drew 75 percent of whiteevangelicals, 58 percent of Protestants and24 percent of Jews. Kerry had 41 percent ofProtestants and 76 percent of Jews. The exitpolls, conducted by Edison Media Researchand Mitofsky International for major mediaorganizations, did not include Muslim voters.+ Edison Media Research, 6 West Cliff St.,Somerville, NJ 08876 (908) 707-4707+ Mitofsky International, 1776 Broadway, Suite1708, New York, NY 10019 (212) 980-3031

Evidence supports the Biblicalrecord“Let the debate continue, but let the evidencebe admitted. Ever since scientific archaeologystarted a century and half ago, the consistentpattern has been this: the hard evidence fromthe ground has borne out the Biblical recordagain and again—and again. The Bible hasnothing to fear from the spade,” writesLutheran Church-Missouri Synod Second Vice-President Dr Paul Maier in the ChristianResearch Journal 27.3 (2004). Maier’s articletitled “Archaeology - Biblical Ally or Adversary?”was reprinted in the Summer, 2004 Bible andSpade, published by the Associates ForBiblical Research.

Maier responds to “Biblical minimalists”who see little or no correlation betweenarchaeological and Biblical evidence, and thusno reliable history in the Old Testament.+ Associates for Biblical Research, PO Box 144,Akron, OH 17501

Georgia evolution case headsto CourtA sticker in a suburban Atlanta sciencetextbook says: “This textbook containsmaterial on evolution. Evolution is a theory, nota fact, regarding the origin of living things. Thismaterial should be approached with an openmind, studied carefully and criticallyconsidered.” This is being challenged in courtas an unlawful promotion of religion.

The lawsuit which was filed by six parentsand the Georgia chapter of the American CivilLiberties Union is expected to last four days.

Cobb County school officials adopted thedisclaimer after science textbooks it adoptedin 2002 were criticised by some parents forpresenting evolution as fact. More than 2,000people signed a petition opposing the biologytexts because they did not discuss alternativetheories, including Creationism. The USSupreme Court ruled in 1987 that Creationismwas a religious belief that could not be taughtin public schools along with evolution.+ The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, 70Fairlie St., Suite 340, Atlanta, GA 30303 (404) 523-5398

Rev. Rinaldy Damanik walksfreeThe Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, an Indonesianpeace worker who was imprisoned on whatmany believe were trumped-up charges, will bereunited with his family a year ahead of hisscheduled release. Daminik was a prominentfigure in peace efforts on the island ofSulawesi in Indonesia, where violencebetween Muslim and Christian communitieshas been prevalent since the late 1990s.+ Ecumenical News International, PO Box 2100,Geneva 2, Switzerland

Chinese Protestant leaderarrested in crackdownCai Zhuohua, minister to six unofficialcongregations, was arrested as part of arenewed crackdown on religious activitiesoutside the Communist Party.

The China Aid Association relies on anindependent network of Christians in Chinaand overseas for information aboutdevelopments in the underground church. TheAssociation said Mr. Cai’s case drew attentionfrom authorities after the discovery of200,000 Bibles and other Christian literaturein a warehouse under his control, the originsof which were unknown.

China’s government allows worship only inthe Communist-controlled Protestant Church,which claims more than 10 million followers.+ China Aid Association, PO Box 8513, Midland, TX79708 (432) 689-6985

Wiccan priestess studies atPresbyterian seminaryUnion Theological Seminary in Richmond,Virginia, has admitted “to a non-degree”status a student who describes herself as aWiccan priestess.

John Carroll, dean of the faculty, said thestudent is one of about 25 non-degreestudents in the seminary.

Wicca is a pagan religion that combines anumber of elements, including earth worship,diversity, radical feminism, shamanism, andDruidry.+ Union Theological Seminary, 3401 Brook Rd.,Richmond, VA 23227 (804) 355-0671

Presbyterian staff membersfiredKathy Lueckert, the deputy executiveassociate director of the General AssemblyCouncil (GAC), the church’s mission programagency, and the Rev Peter Sulyok, coordinatorof the Advisory Committee on Social WitnessPolicy (ACSWP), have been fired by ExecutiveDirector of the General Assembly Council, JohnDetterick.

Lueckert supervised Sulyok and both weremembers of an ACSWP fact-finding delegationto the Middle East last month that includeda televised meeting with Hezbollah, anorganization that is on the US government’swatch list of terrorist groups.+ Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon St.,Louisville, KY 40202, (888) 728-7228

Westminster Anniversary andConference celebrationOn 17-18 Jan. 2005, Westminster Seminary(California) will celebrate 25 years of trainingmen and women. The conference will includeguest speakers Dr Sinclair Ferguson, Dr DerekThomas, Dr W. Robert Godfrey, and Dr MichaelHorton. The celebration will conclude with abanquet on the evening of the 18th. WSC’sBoard of Trustees will be meeting during thisweek.+ Westminster Seminary California, 1725 Bear ValleyParkway, Escondido, CA 92027.

Muslim guardian still fightingfor custodyAbdullah al-Muhtadi, the Muslim guardianfighting for custody of Christian widow SihamQandah’s two minor children, appeared beforeJordan’s Islamic courts on 9 November.Abdullah al-Muhtadi presented receipts to thejudge proving that he had paid out US$16,500in lawyers’ fees during his legal battle to takecustody of his sister’s two children.

These documents will be examined and thenext hearing on the case is set for 23November.

Qandah’s problem began after herChristian husband died in 1994, while asoldier in the UN Peacekeeping Forces inKosovo. When she went to claim her children’s

10


orphan benefits, an Islamic court produced anunsigned “conversion” certificate, claiming hehad secretly converted to Islam three yearsearlier. So even though the children werebaptised Christians, Islamic law declared themMuslims whose financial affairs must behandled by a Muslim guardian.+ Compass Direct, PO Box 27250, Santa Ana, CA92799-7250 (949) 862-0314

Nazarene’s sue city for use ofpublic schoolsA conservative law group has filed a federallawsuit against the city of Peabody inMassachusetts on behalf of the Living HopeChurch of the Nazarene. The lawsuit was filedon Friday 19 Nov. in US District Court andclaims it was unconstitutional for Peabody todeny a request by the Living Hope Church ofthe Nazarene to rent a school to hold Sundayservices.

The US Supreme Court ruled three yearsago, that religious groups that contribute tothe “general welfare” of the community mustbe granted access to schools if othercommunity groups are given similar access.

Larry O’Keefe, a lawyer for the city, saidthat the city currently allows a handful ofcommunity groups to rent its public schools,

and has allowed religious groups, including alocal synagogue, to use its facilities.

The church is a ministry of the BeverlyChurch of the Nazarene, both of which areaffiliated with the national Nazarene church.+ Beverly Church of the Nazarene, 556 Cabot St.,Beverly, MA 01915 (978) 927-9979

Pagan rituals rile EpiscopaliansThe “Eucharist,” subtitled “A Celebration ofthe Divine Feminine,” was posted 8 Octoberon the denomination’s Office of Women’sMinistries page at www.dfms.org. The rite wasattributed to the Rev. Glyn Lorraine RuppeMelnyk, the pastor of St Francis-in-the-FieldsEpiscopal Church in Malvern, Pennsylvania.She and her husband, Bill Melnyk, rector ofSt. James Episcopal Church in Downington,Pennsylvania, posted several ceremonieswhich invoked pagan gods and goddesses, onwww.tuathadebrighid.org.

The Rev Margaret Rose, director of thedenomination’s Women’s Ministries office,said the divorce and women’s eucharist riteswere not approved Episcopal liturgies, butwere listed only “to spark dialogue, study andconversation and ponderings around womenand our liturgical tradition.”+ St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church, 689Sugartown Rd., Malvern, PA 19355 (610) 647-0130

ACLU’s anti-Boy Scout agendaTraditional Values Coalition Chairman Rev.Louis P. Sheldon said that “The Anti-ChristianLiberties Union (ACLU) has succeeded inforcing the Pentagon to issue a warning tomilitary bases round the world to avoidsponsoring Boy Scout troops.” The reason forthis is that the Scouts require a belief in Godfor membership. The ACLU also wants topunish the Boy Scouts for its policy ofexcluding homosexuals from membership orleadership positions.+ Traditional Values Coalition, 139 C. St., SE,Washington, DC 20003

Presbyterian Church ofAustralia leaves the ReformedEcumenical CouncilIn its September 2004 General Assembly thePresbyterian Church of Australia (PCA) votedto withdraw from the Reformed EcumenicalCouncil (REC) and to join the World ReformedFellowship (a conservative Reformed-Presbyterian ecumenical body founded inOrlando, Florida USA in 2000). The REC is thebody which the RCNZ left in 1989 because ofthe continued membership of the GKN (nowpart of the Protestant Church of theNetherlands). The Christian ReformedChurches of Australia continue to be membersof the REC.+ The Presbyterian Banner, November, 2004

Divided TaiwanesePresbyterians repent and uniteOn 14 Nov. the Kaohsiung and LongevityMountain Presbyteries of the PresbyterianChurch in Taiwan (PCT) met for a mass festivalof repentance and reunion. Over 10,000members of the two presbyteries attended theevent held on the campus of NationalKaohsiung University.

The event was prepared by a jointcommittee and featured a sermon preachedby PCT General Secretary William J.K.Lo.

A division occurred in 1972 which wascaused by friction between leading clergy ofwhat was then a single presbytery.Disagreements on policies regarding plantingof new churches, the election of presbyteryofficers, and other aspects of mission life ledto an intractable situation. On the 4th of July,1972 the Longevity Mountain Presbytery wasformed by official transfer of thesecongregations out of Kaosiung. Bothpresbyteries continued to be part of the PCT.

The event celebrated the unity of spirit andpurpose in the hope that administrative issuespreventing complete union can soon by workedthrough.+ The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, 3, Lane 269,Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 3, Taipei, 106 TAIWAN

IN TOUCHSubscriptions to the IN TOUCH magazine areavailable. This is an opportunity for those interestedwho do not have access to or have joined a Cadet andCalvinette Club (Cadets and Calvinettes will continue tobe supplied through their clubs). The costs is $15 peryear for four issues.

This is a ReformedChurches of New Zealandchildren’s magazineespecially written for 8 - 15year olds.

It is filled with stories,photographs, puzzles,Bibles studies, Cadet &Calvinette Club news,competitions, poetry,crafts, cooking and CampNews.

If you would like to receive IN TOUCHplease forward your $NZ15 (or $AU15), with your details,to the National Board Secretary N.Z.C.C.C. & C.,7 Winchester Avenue, Pinehaven, Upper Hutt.(Make cheques out to N.Z.C.C.C. & C.)

IN TOUCH

11


Home mission in focus

Reflectionson Nelson’ssituationRalph Adams

People looking at our congregation may seeour painfully few members. Empty places inour pews represent former members whohave left us, to go on to other things…someto eternal glory, some to other churches, andsome to no church at all. What catches theeye is perhaps a remnant of a former vibrantcommunity. What we see now in place of thatformer community are our fewresources…and the realisation that we can’tdo much in the way of great things. In thewords of Harry Reeder we could well be “adying church.” (Harry L. Reeder III in an essayRevitalizing a Dying Church in The Pastor-Evangelist, ed. by Roger S. Greenway, P&R1987) .

Well, some of the things Reeder lists inhis “prevailing dynamics in a dying church”are evident in our situation, but then so tooare several of his “principled dynamics of aliving church.” So what do we make of oursituation? Are we to think of ourselves as acongregation without much future?

And to that we have to say, “Never!”…notso long as Scripture encourages us to see afuture in Jesus Christ and what He says aboutHis church. Jesus has said, “…I will buildmy church, and the gates of Hades will notovercome it.” (Mt. 16:18)

May we claim that Christ means thisabout our congregation? Of course wecan…until He tells us or shows usdifferently…for “the Word of our God standsforever.” (!sa. 40:8) We ought to act asthough God is in control of our lives, andthat He will work out His purposes even inour situation.

We are in His hands, like the dogmentioned in a local newspaper column:‘Lost: one dog, with short brown hair, muchof it missing due to scrapes and scratches;blind in one eye; only three legs; a bit wobbly;goes by the name of ‘Lucky.’ (anonymous)

In a man-centred age we cannot afford tolose sight of Whose business it is to buildthe church. Didn’t Paul remind theCorinthians: “God chose the weak thingsof the world to shame the strong.…so thatno one may boast before Him.” And if thisis so, why should we stop expecting God to

continue to use our small and weakcongregation in the building of His church.Hence our vision ought to be of an importantfuture for our congregation.

What can we do in Nelson?Naturally we have questions about how wecan move from a vision of no future, to oneof an important future in the Lord. If JesusChrist is the builder of churches…what canmere men and women…boys and girls…beexpected to do…to bring about this excitingfuture? In fact, do we in the Reformed Churchof Nelson have to do anything at all?

Nelson has never been short of well-intentioned advice as to how we might turnthe vision around. After all, so-called expertson Church Growth visit Nelson every otherweek, or so it seems. And every secondChristian can point us to Rick Warren’spurpose-driven church model, or to the Alphacourse, or to the contemporary worshipscene, and ask us why we aren’t followingsuch successful trends. In the face of suchpressure we have to remind ourselves, often,that first and foremost we are a Reformedcommunity, that exists not for our owngratification but for the glory of God. Ourworship as a covenant community is notreally open to negotiation.

But that doesn’t mean we should ignorethe advice of at least one expert on thesubject. Jesus often spoke in parables aboutthe growth of God’s kingdom. And while‘God’s kingdom’ and ‘Christ’s church’ arenot exactly the same thing, they areconnected. So in the parable of the sowerand the seed mentioned only in Mark’sgospel, we find a clue as to what we in the

Reformed Church of Nelson must do.Mark 4:26-29: ‘He also said, “This is

what the kingdom of God is like. A manscatters seed on the ground. Night and day,whether he sleeps or gets up, the seedsprouts and grows, though he does not knowhow. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the fullkernel in the head. As soon as the grain isripe, he puts the sickle to it, because theharvest has come.”’

Christian Schwarz says, “This parableclearly shows what we can and should do,and what we cannot do.” Ideally, we shouldfirst prepare the ground…and withoutquestion, we must go on to “sow andharvest…” and we “may sleep” and get up.“What [we} cannot do”…ever…is “bring forththe fruit.” (Christian A. Schwarz, NaturalChurch Development, ChurchSmartResources, p.12) Compare Paul’sexplanation in 1 Corinthians 3: “I plantedthe seed, Apollos watered it, but God madeit grow.” (1 Cor.3:6)

Both Jesus and Paul are pointing out thatan important aspect of our place in thekingdom of God…just as in the naturalworld…is that we are fellow-workers with Godin building His kingdom. And while the resultsof our work depend hugely on God,nevertheless we have our parts to play. Weshould expect that God can and will doamazing things with the ‘seed’ that we sow,provided that we carry out what Jesus impliesis our responsibility. This is a threefoldresponsibility:

a) Preparing the ground;b) Sowing the seed;c) Harvesting the crop.

The front of the Nelson church

12


Preparing the groundJesus said, “you will be my witnesses inJerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Andagain in John 20, “As the Father has sentme, I am sending you.” (Jn 20:21)

Especially relevant to each one of us,Peter says in his first letter, “you are achosen people…belonging to God, [so] thatyou may declare the praises of him whocalled you out of darkness into his wonderfullight.” (1 Pet. 2:9) So evangelism is inherentto the overall mission of the church. It’s whateach individual believer is called to do.

But evangelism is more than just givingsome money to our Overseas Mission Board.It is more than just popping a pamphlet intoa letter box. These things have a part to playin spreading the gospel, but before we cantell others about Jesus Christ, we will havehad to do some preparation ourselves. I wantto call this ‘preparing the ground.’

It stands to reason, if we’re to witness topeople in our community, we’ve got to havesomething to witness with. If we believe theBible, and allow it to mould our outlook onlife, we have plenty to witness with. God’sword is alive and cuts to peoples’ hearts.People need to hear God’s word applied totheir personal circumstances. It alone hasthe power to convert unbelievers, and to buildbelievers up. So if our attitudes are firmlygrounded in a Biblical faith, we are in thebest of possible positions to witness toothers.

But before we can effectively share theGospel with anyone, we have to own it forourselves. We have to know in our own heartsthat Christ has given us the words of eternallife.

Charles Spurgeon had this to say, “surely,

if you have been saved from the damningpower of sin by Christ, you will want to betelling [others] that there is a ‘balm inGilead...’ Perhaps you can’t preach... Butyou can talk to a neighbour. You can speakwith your children.” (sermon)

This is not about the technical details ofvarious Biblical doctrines, as such. Of coursewe have to know some doctrines... but we’veheard this stuff since kindergarten... so weshould already know enough. What we mustown for ourselves is the simple JOY ofknowing that Jesus is ‘my Saviour.’

This is about a personal relationship withJesus Christ. You can’t introduce anyone toa Jesus whom you’ve never met. So beforeyou can effectively share your faith withanyone, you have to own a personalrelationship with Jesus. It has to come outin your daily life…so that it affects how yourelate with your wife or husband and yourkids…how you leave home in themorning…how you walk on the street…howyou greet people during your day…how youdo your work. The question is, can you goout into the world each day, and demonstrateby your attitude that you enjoy having Christwith you?

This is the first and most important aspectof “preparing the ground.”

Sowing the seedYou don’t need to be a Billy Graham to tellsomeone about Jesus Christ. Francis ofAssisi was born into a wealthy merchantfamily. He renounced his wealth and wenton to found the Franciscan order of preachingfriars. Most notably, Francis chose to‘preach’ with his hands and feet, which is agood way to communicate the love of Jesusto others.

Any of us can do this, but so too cananyone tell the stories of Jesus’ life. Whynot learn some of these stories byheart…maybe some parables…then whenthe opportunity comes you can tell yourfriends what Jesus did or said about theirsituation. The blind man in John 9…hewasn’t any great theologian…he simply toldfolks what Jesus did for him. And Andrewdidn’t have a lot to say, but when he metJesus, he ran to his brother Simon and said,“You’ve got to come and see this guy!”

In Acts 9, Dorcas “was always doing goodand helping the poor” (Acts 9:36), so muchso that when she died, all the widows werecrying and showing Peter the clothes she hadmade for them. God raised her from the deadthrough Peter and she was the cause of manypeople believing in the Lord.

Perhaps we can’t raise the dead, but wecan do the simple things these folks did.We can help our neighbours…we can invitepeople to church…or to a Bible studygroup…or we can introduce them tosomeone who can speak to them about theChristian faith. By whatever means we areable to do it, ‘sowing the seed’ simply means‘spreading the word’ of Jesus.

The foregoing is essentially addressed toindividuals. On a corporate level we in Nelsonhave initiated an activity dedicated to‘spreading the word’ among primary schoolaged children. Our Friday Friendzy after-school activity targets primary children at anearby school, and has enjoyed somesuccess since its inception. A number ofattendees have gone on to become membersof our Cadets/Calvinettes Club. But whilethis is so, our attempts to reach the parentsof these children has not been successfulat all. The same can be said of our ratherspasmodic attempts to break through topeople in our neighbourhood.

In thinking of this, it is comforting toremember what God says about His wordgoing out into the world: “My word is likethe snow and the rain that come down fromthe sky to water the earth. They make cropsgrow and provide seed for planting and foodto eat. In the same way, the word I speakwill not fail to do what I plan for it; it will doeverything I send it to do.” (para. Isa 55:10-11)

Harvesting the cropIn the minds of many people these days,evangelism “smacks of wanting to changethe way another person is.” (Michael Green,Evangelism Through the Local Church, p.3)And society holds that for us to thinksomeone needs to be changed in some wayis an insult to that other person. In our so-called age of ‘tolerance,’ this sort ofmotivation is unacceptable. No doubt it’s oneof the reasons why most of us shy away fromevangelising our neighbours or our friends.

A scene at Nelson’s famous ‘Flea Market’

13


Laying a firmfoundationIt all started with a weekend of training withJanice Reid. A group of seven or eight peoplecame together for practical workshops withJanice on producing Christian radioprogrammes. We were all pretty uncertainas to what radio broadcasting would involve,and just how, if at all, each of us might beuseful in such an undertaking.

By the end of the weekend we wereconvinced that it looked like a pretty big task,but with Janice’s help we made plans forhow our programmes could be put together,and what they would include. And now ourradio programme has been going for well overa year. Let me tell you a bit about what wedo.

FoundationsAfter tossing around several ideas, we chosethis as the name for our programme: wewanted to tell people about the Truth, whichis the foundation for all of life. Foundationsis broadcast once a week. It’s a fifteen-minute programme, which centres on amessage of Bible teaching. Our pastor, JimKlazinga, writes and records the messages.The topics covered in the HeidelbergCatechism provide the framework for themessages, even though Jim doesn’t referspecifically to the catechism in his talks.

We have one person, Esther Smith, whohosts the programmes, providing anintroduction to the programme each week

And it’s also why so many of us have guiltyconsciences because of our lack.

But we can’t let societal opinion stop usfrom sowing the seed that may lift someperson from an eternity in hell. Researcherssay the spiritual hunger out there is as greattoday as it ever was. People are searchinghigh and low for God. But their search is futileunless they come to God through JesusChrist.

We have to speak about Jesus. “Salvationis found in no one else, for there is no othername under heaven given to men by whichwe must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) And this istrue whether a person is a Jew or a Buddhistor a Hindu or a Muslim or a new age convert.If they want to be right with God, if they wantto enjoy His presence in their lives…and Hisglory in eternity…then they had better cometo him through faith in His Son.

For this reason, Jesus said to hisdisciples, “The harvest is plentiful but theworkers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,therefore, to send out workers into hisharvest field.” (Mt 9:37-38) How are we to

reap the plentiful harvest?Chuck Swindoll tells of a young man who

once described going astray from God “likehe was at sea in deep water, deep trouble,and all his friends were on the shorelinehurling biblical accusations at him aboutjustice, penalty and wrong…but there wasone Christian brother who actually swamout to get me and would not let me go. Ifought him, but he pushed aside my fighting,grasped me, put a life jacket around me,and took me to shore. By the grace of God,he was the reason I was restored. He wouldnot let me go” (Swindoll p.195).

Why does Swindoll say this? One wiseman has said, “You can…almost truly…onlyevangelise friends.” And if you’re not exactlyfriends, it does help to be on a first-namebasis. We can invite friends into our homesfor dinner. Our children invite friends over toplay. We do this without a second thought.Inviting people to church should be just asnatural.

Philip met Jesus, and he wanted to sharehis experience with Nathanael. He didn’t try

to convert him. He didn’t wave a scroll in hisface extolling the virtues of Reformedtheology. He simply invited Phillip, “Comeand see for yourself.”

This is like when we find a new restaurantand enjoy a meal there. The service is good,the food is excellent, and the price is right.So we tell our friends, “You’ve got to try thisnew restaurant. It’s really great.” We do thesame thing with a movie we might see... wetell our friends, “You’ve got to go and seeit.” If you joined a local football club wouldn’tyou tell your friends: “Hey, I’ve joined thefooty club. They’re a great bunch of guys.Why don’t you come with me next week.”

If you consider coming to church everySunday important, and you derive pleasureand joy from the fellowship... why should youshy away from inviting others to come: “Hey,I go to a really great church. The people arenice... and you should come and try it out.”

Only in this way will WE see something ofthe crop being harvested.

and linking the various parts of theprogramme together. Besides the Biblemessage, the programme usually includesa song. This might be some contemporaryChristian music, or it might be a secularsong, but it’s chosen to tie in with Jim’smessage. On occasion we’ve been moreadventurous, and interviewed people on atopic related to Jim’s message.

We’ve also had a couple of totally differentprogrammes: for example, we interviewed amember of the TEAR Fund board, and weinterviewed Dr. Pipa when he came to NewZealand for the Reformation Conference lastOctober.

With a team of six or eight people tryingto get a handle on what they were doing, thefirst few weeks of our broadcasts were fairlychaotic! (Not the broadcast itself, mind you,but the preparing of it.) Mini-discs and CDswere flying around from person to person,and never seemed to be at the studio at thetime when they were most needed. We pre-record all our programmes, which means thatthose involved don’t all have to be at thestudio at the same time. Pre-recording alsohelped the nerves of beginning broadcasters.The recording and putting together of theprogramme is greatly assisted by thecomputer software at the studio. Ourtechnician Ben Post can do all kinds of magicto erase mistakes, make alterations, etc. Sonow things are pretty streamlined andprogrammes can be put together quickly andwell.

Would you like to start a programme onyour community radio station?

Your area will have a community station,

as there are 11 of these stations aroundthe country. They are government-subsidised,and so broadcasting charges are a pittancecompared to commercial radio.

One reason for writing this article is to letall of you readers know that our programmesare recorded on CD. Perhaps you, or yourchurch, has thought about broadcasting onyour community radio station, but you aren’tsure you have the resources or skills to getthis going. Our programmes are available forre-broadcast (at a small cost, charged by theradio station). Or, if you want to put togetheryour own programme but would likemessages to use, we have full transcriptsof all of Jim’s messages. If you’d like to findout more about these possibilities, pleasecontact us! You can write to me [email protected], or at 62 SapphireStreet, Casebrook, Christchurch.

Liana Havelaar,For the Foundations team,Reformed Church of Christchurch.

14


In 2004, Craig van Echten from Foxtoncongregation went to Papua NewGuinea. He spent two weeks therehelping the Hagoorts, and doingconstruction work for the MapangMissionary home and the ReformedChurch that meets at 9 Mile, in PortMoresby. Here is the first of two reportsthat Craig has sent to Missions inFocus.

Mission in focus Janice Reid

We have been blessed in the way thatHagoorts are successfully running theMapang Missionary Home, which providesthem with food and accommodation. Thisarrangement enables our churches to havemissionaries on the ground at a minimalcost. Half of the Hagoorts‚ time is requiredto run the Missionary Home, but this ismainly done by Jeanette, which leaves Wallyfree to serve the needs of the ReformedChurches of PNG.

The RCPNG continues to flourish.Currently, Wally‚s time is spent setting up anew church in Vanagi. The first servicestarted on the 15th of August. I attendedSunday school there one morning to find thatabout forty children attended! There arefurther opportunities that currently exist inPNG for the establishment of new churches,but these still need to be explored.

There has been good progress in the workwith which we are involved in PNG. Along withStephen ‚t Hart and the Hagoorts there arenow two more missionaries to help "reap theharvest". Wayne and Cheronne van de Heidehave arrived from Australia and are living inPort Moresby. They have a teachingbackground and they will be instrumental inhelping Stephen train leaders within thechurch and helping educate its members.

It won‚t be long and the church manse,funded in a large part by RCNZ, will befinished for the 9 Mile church. The mansehas been built in a new area away from wherethe church meets: the church building iscurrently situated within a village. Since PNGis still very tribal, it means people from othervillages do not attend the 9 Mile church whichis made up of mainly refugees from Irian Jaya(now called Papua). That is why the RCPNGdecided to purchase some land in a neutralarea so that people from different tribeswould not feel intimidated and would feelsafe to attend. This is where the manse has

nearly been completed and is where thefuture church of 9 mile will be built (D.V.).

Craig van Echten

MIF prayer notesRev Stephen and Dorinda ’t Hart continue tohead up the work of the Reformed MinistriesTeam in Papua New Guinea. Pray for safetyin travel, for good health, and for muchwisdom as decisions are made that willdetermine the strategy for outreach and themeans of helping the Reformed Churches ofPapua New Guinea. Pray for spiritual andnumerical growth of members of thecongregations. Pray for Wayne and CheronneVanderHeide, recently arrived from WesternAustralia, who will have a teaching ministryamongst congregation members and churchleaders. Pray for Walter and JeannetteHagoort, who continue to be a Reformed lightto the wider missionary community throughtheir involvement at the Mapang MissionaryHome. Pray also for their work with 9 Milechurch, and with the establishment of thefledgling but growing congregation at Vanagi.

Rev. Barry and Mrs. Anne James are servingwith the Orthodox Presbyterian Church ofUganda (OPCU) at their small seminary.Please pray for good health, for wisdom indeveloping course materials, and for strengthto cope with the stress of having half of theirhouse (and most of their privacy) given overto students who come to study.

Janice Reid is in Cambodia, working ontraining materials for radio announcers whowork in small Christian stations in developingnations. She is continuing to work on thetwo courses developed last year, and expectsthat she will teach them several times againthis year. Pray for good health, for creativityand diligence in her work, and fortitude duringthe many power-cuts which come withoutwarning and make it difficult to concentratein the heat.

Our short-term missionaries are also in needof our prayers. Hayden Bosgra in Ecuador isbusy with his English programme and otheroutreach activities. Jared Berends and HeidiPosthuma are both teaching English insensitive countries. Pray that each of themwould grow ever closer to the Lord, wouldenjoy good health (it’s VERY cold where Jaredand Heidi are right now!), and would developgood relationships that allow them to explainGospel truth to people in a clear andmeaningful way.

TheHarvest isplentifulDuring my two week stay in PNG, I waswitness to five new people from differentfamilies attend the 9 mile church. Only onehad gone to church before and they all havecontinued to attend, what a blessing! In aReformed Church in NZ it might take a wholeyear or more to see five new faces comethrough the door who have not shifted fromanother church.

It was only two years ago that AntonMeister and Derek Cressy submitted a reportto the 2002 Synod explaining theopportunities for the RCNZ to be involved inPNG. Since then the Lord has blessed thework of the RCNZ in that there are now twomissionaries serving in PNG representingRCNZ: Wally and Jeanette Hagoort.

15


A feminine focus

Sally Davey

Gentleness is one of my favourite virtues; itencompasses so many wonderful qualities.The woman who is truly gentle is not onlyadmired; she is genuinely loved. It is for thisreason that gentleness was often called“amiability” (loveable-ness) by nineteenthcentury people. Think of Mr Darcy in JaneAusten’s Pride and Prejudice. At the end ofthe novel, he has asked Mr Bennet forElizabeth’s hand in marriage. Mr Bennet,incredulous, says to his daughter, “We allknow him to be a proud, unpleasant sort ofman…” but Elizabeth, who now knows himto be an exceedingly good and generousman, replies, “Indeed he has no improperpride. He is perfectly amiable.” I don’t thinkshe had a better adjective to describe theman she loves and respects. However,amiability—or gentleness—was a quality thenineteenth century writers especially lovedto portray in women. And they drew someenchanting pictures. Think of Jane Bennet,Elizabeth’s sister, or Agnes Wickfield, DavidCopperfield’s second wife. They are definitelygentle women. These two characters seemto embody all the calm sweetness and softselflessness that made nineteenth centuryreaders admire and love them. Women likethese were depicted as a kind of ideal—onethat we seem to have lost somewhere. Ifyou haven’t read either Pride and Prejudiceor Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield latelyyou might like to have a look, taking specialnote of the way feminine character is drawn,and what ideals are clearly set out. This willhelp you gain a clearer picture of femininegentleness.

A biblical qualityBut of course, gentleness doesn’t just belongto the nineteenth century. It is a very basicbiblical quality; and one we should explore..First of all, it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians5:22). It comes after kindness, goodnessand faithfulness—and is second-to-lastbefore self-control. This word is oftentranslated as “meekness”—and it is asmeekness that we usually remember it best,because this is how the King James Versionhas rendered it in two famous NewTestament passages! The first of thesepassages is found in the Sermon on theMount, where Jesus teaches that “blessedare the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

What is this meekness, this gentleness? Asa fruit of the Spirit, William Hendricksen (inhis commentary on Galatians) identifies itas the opposite of vehemence, violence andoutbursts of anger. This is significant.Because it comes from a love of others ratherthan of self, gentleness is characterised bya consistent habit of putting the interests ofothers before one’s own. It gives, rather thangrabs or demands. Selfishness expectsothers to acknowledge, praise, and give—and when it is thwarted it produces anger,rage and violence. Don Carson, writing onthe beatitudes, calls meekness “a controlleddesire to see others’ interests advanceahead of one’s own… “ He also quotesMartyn Lloyd Jones, who has observed that“the man who is truly meek is the one whois amazed that God and man can think ofhim as well as they do and treat him as wellas they do.” Many people have commentedthat the only truly meek person was the LordJesus, who “though he was in the form ofGod, did not count equality with God a thingto be grasped, but made himself nothing,taking the form of a servant… He humbledhimself by becoming obedient to the pointof death”(Philippians 2:6-8).

The truly gentle personThe second famous New Testament passageon meekness is Matthew 11:28-9. In one ofHis most memorable, compassionatestatements, Jesus said, “Come to me, allwho labour and are heavy laden, and I willgive you rest. Take my yoke upon you, andlearn from me, for I am meek and lowly inheart, and you will find rest for your souls.”(Matthew 11:28-9) Why is Jesus so able togive us rest, peace, refreshment,encouragement, and new hope when westruggle? Because He is gentle and humble.Have you ever wondered why some peopleare so approachable and helpful in time ofneed? Why they are such good friends, andwhy they are the ones we automatically turnto when we are in trouble? These are thepeople who are less preoccupied withthemselves, and have more time and energyto give to others. As someone once said,they are the people who seem to come intothe room saying, “There you are!,” not “HereI am!”

Not a modern qualityDespite the fact that we all love a gentle

person when we come across her,gentleness is one of the last qualities theage we live in seems to encourage. On everyfront we are urged to think for ourselves,speak up for ourselves and behave in sucha way as to leave no one in doubt of oursignificance. We are to assert ourselves,promote ourselves, develop ourselves andmake sure we get what we want out of life. Itis all, we are told, up to us. Well—almost.Other people are supposed to treat us well,to help us feel good about ourselves. Peopleconsidered to suffer from low “self-esteem”are told to love themselves more and treatthemselves better—but apparently otherpeople are to blame as well. It is assumedthat part of the sufferers’ problem is thatother people haven’t met their needs foraffection, affirmation, and so on. Well, allthis sounds like it is: selfishness. Our troubleis that we love ourselves too much—not toolittle!

What are some ways this thinkingpresents itself? We could begin with the waywe bring girls up. The philosophy todayseems to go something like this: encourageyour girls to be confident, motivatedachievers. Have a look at the advertisementsfor girls’ schools. They usually emphasizeacademic excellence. Great! But you also findstatements like “ we will encourage her toset personal goals, strive to succeed andthus attain her true potential.” Or, “girls areencouraged to develop within themselves theskills and confidence to pursue theirindividual goals, the courage to try new thingsand the curiosity to explore their individualabilities.” Or, we want to ensure girls “arekeen to come to school, that they are keento learn and extend themselves, and thatthey feel secure enough to do so. We placegreat emphasis on preparing girls for theworld of opportunities that await them.” Allthis, of course, rests on the presumption thatyour girl is great, and we will help her realizethat. I am often amazed that such thinkingever produces anything other than arrogant,boastful, thoroughly selfish young women.This philosophy certainly does not preparethem for disappointment, setbacks, or loving,lasting, committed relationships in whichthey will put the other first. It may producehighly successful businesswomen, capableof achieving numerous goals in a well-organized way. But it will not produce gentlewomen, humble of heart, capable of loving,

The feminine virtue of gentleness

16


serving, being patient, forbearing, andpersevering with the failings of others. Girls,what do you want to be like in twenty years’time?

It’s a career directionThe profession we choose may also have agreat effect on the kind of people we become.If gentleness is our aim, then perhaps weshould choose a type of work that enablesus to be gentle to the full. I do genuinelywonder about women slaughtermen, fighterpilots, prime ministers and managingdirectors. While it is possible to be a femininewoman in many professions (and I’m wellaware that two of Britain’s best monarchsand one of her best prime ministers havebeen feminine women), any job that involvesviolence, or taking command (in a life-determining way) over the lives of others,would seem to make the cultivation ofgentleness a very difficult thing. Funnilyenough, this is not a new problem. (In fact,we women have been at it—the desire todominate—since the beginning). Eve beganthe power struggle between husbands andwives that has been with us ever since. Inthe “olden days” (up to about thirty yearsago) girls were encouraged to join the“helping” professions—to go teaching,nursing, or become secretaries. Manythought a woman could be truly gentle andsweetly submissive in such roles—as wasfitting for women men would really want tomarry. However, as my father wryly notedonce, these are the very occupations in whichyou often spend much of your time tellingother people what to do. Teachers have totell their pupils to sit down, be quiet, andconcentrate on their lessons. Nurses haveto order (at times) very cantankerous patientsto do all manner of uncomfortable things theywould much rather not. Who, married toeither a teacher or a nurse, has not felt likea pupil or a patient at times at home? I guessmy point is that whatever our calling in life,we need to take care that we do not allowthe demands of that role to rob us of a gentle,humble character. If it threatens to, then weneed to think carefully what we need to doabout it. (Of course the same principleapplies to men, though there is a sense inwhich they are called to exercise authoritymore directly.)

In ourselves personallyWell, having made some observations aboutthe wider world of work, I think it isappropriate to turn our attention to ourpersonal behaviour—thoughts, words andactions. The truly gentle woman is anunselfish woman: self is not at the centre ofher heart’s desires and inclinations. Sheloves other people, and her thoughts aredirected to ways of doing them good. She isnot inclined to dwell on the faults of others:

their irritating habits and manners, or theways they have wounded or offended her.She is definitely not inclined to plan ways of“getting even.” She would prefer to drawthem back, lovingly, into friendly relations.She is not one to give offence easily, butneither is she quick to take offence. Whatcharacterises her thoughts of others? Shethinks along Philippians 4:8 lines—dwellingon whatever, in others, is true, honourable,just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent,and worthy of praise.

If a woman’s thoughts are gentle, herspeech will be as well. She will be trying withall her power to build up rather than teardown. This naturally rules out maliciousgossip. But there are many other ways inwhich our speech needs to be gentle. Selfprotrudes itself into our speech when webecome annoyed, and decide (albeitunconsciously) to exert our will over otherpeople. We interrupt them, raise our voice,and keep going, louder and louder ifnecessary, until we have cowed them intosubmissive silence. Maybe I’ve become alittle over-conscious lately, but I find myselfnoticing how often other people do this.We’re all familiar with aggressive, upstartinterviewers who interrupt their subject, talkover them and really deny them theopportunity of explaining themselves. But wewomen, Christians and all, do it too. Whenwe raise our voices and demand (without, ofcourse, saying so) that others stop speaking,we are exposing our selfish wills in a veryugly way. It is selfish and rude to preventanother person finishing what they weregoing to say. It shows that we’re notsufficiently interested in what they have tosay—and are definitely more interested inhaving them hear us. No matter how brilliantthe thought that popped into your head whenthey were speaking, there is no excuse forrudely interrupting with it! (It indicates, afterall, that you weren’t listening to them). Bycontrast, have you ever noticed how the mostattractive people usually listen to others asif all their attention were focused on whatthey are saying? They are being gentle.

It’s heardGentle women are quiet and humble in theirspeech. Do you tend to hear one woman’svoice overpowering everyone else’s at acoffee morning, or some other gathering?You are probably not hearing a gentle woman.People who are loud often want to dominateothers; again, their self is protruding. Mymother remembers, very long ago in her localcountry church, one lady who tended todominate the hymn singing by her loud,insistent voice. She set the timing, and theorgan and all the rest of the congregationfollowed. One Sunday morning anotherstrong-willed woman happened to be visitingand there ensued a battle between the two

to set the tempo of the singing. If it had notbeen somewhat humorous, it would havebeen sad. Definitely, it was embarrassing towitness such a battle of two strong wills.Gentleness is never bossy, and we shouldtake care not to push others around to getour way—whether it is in our homes, at work,or over the way things are organised in ourchurches.

It’s seenGentleness is also part of our witness toChrist. When we cultivate gentleness we arelearning to be like Christ, and this is oneway we bring His sweetness and lovelinessto the lost around us. The Apostle Peter tellsof the ways a believing wife may be used towin an unbelieving husband to Christ. Theseinclude being submissive, pure andrespectful, so that such a wife’s conduct maypoint him to the Lord without even a wordbeing spoken. Peter also contrasts thewearing of expensive, elaborate clothingwith—so much better—the possession of agentle, quiet spirit. How endearing, and howlovely, is the woman who is gentle and quiet!She is modest and unassuming, and alwayslets others take the limelight. Even better,her character is “very precious” in God’ssight. I love that passage in 1 Peter (3:1-4).But even so, I am mindful of a brief commentSusan Hunt made about it when she washere in 2002. We tend to think, she said,that gentleness and quietness of characterprimarily involve soft speech. But sometimes,she added, a shy exterior (which looks likethat of a gentle person) may simply be hidinga boiling spirit underneath. How are ourhearts? Are they as quiet as our exteriors?Do we fume underneath? Are we truly gentle,through and through?

It’s shownBut in case you are wondering, gentlenessdoes not involve being a drippy doormat.Gentle Christian women have been amongthe most courageous soldiers of the cross.True followers of Christ, imitators of Hismeekness and lowliness, are women ofconviction as well. And they will be faithfulin taking up His cause, even though it coststhem much in terms of friendship with theworld, popularity, and the praise of others.In fact, giving up of self takes more courage,and more character, than allowing self torule. Jesus’ giving up of self was a deliberate,conscious action. For the joy that was setbefore Him, He went to the cross andendured all its shame. Dare we be differentfrom our gentle Master?

17


Children in focus

Welcome to the NEW “Sonshine Korner”, a page that’s just for you.My name is Mrs Jolanda, and I hope you’ll join me every month astogether we learn about God and how He wants us to live for Him.

The Bible tells us that we become NEW when Jesus is our Saviour.So…..

What’s NEW when we know Jesus?

We become a NEW Creature:The Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Saying you are a Christian means that you have chosen to followJesus and let Him be boss of your life. Jesus wants us to makesome changes; we may need to change the friends we have, theway we talk or the way we spend our time. If we are NEW Creaturesin Christ, we will listen to Him and do what He says.

We have a NEW Beginning:The Bible says: “His great love is new every morning. Lord, howfaithful you are!” Lamentations 3:23

Each morning when we wake up, we can know that God’s love neverchanges and each new morning, He gives us a New Beginning.

SonshineKorner

We need to have a NEW Attitude:The Bible says: “So, I say, live by the Spirit. Then you will not dowhat your sinful nature wants you to do.” Galatians 5:16

God wants us to change our bad attitudes for better ones. We needto remember that God wants us to act like Jesus, so we need to askourselves “What Would Jesus Do?”, what would His attitude be?

We are given a NEW Direction:The Bible says: “Teach me your way. O Lord, and I will walk in yourtruth;” Psalm 86:11

The NEW Direction we must follow is the plan God has for our lives.He wants us to use our talents to serve Him and other people.

We are given NEW Life:The Bible says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John14:6

We receive a NEW Life when Jesus lives in our hearts. He will forgiveus our sins and show us how to live. Jesus is our greatest gift andGod wants us to share Him with others, so we need to tell themabout Jesus and the New Life that only He can give.

God’s Gift to us:Unscramble the tiles and discover the Bible verse (clue: It startswith the word ‘For’)

18


Hans Voschezang

Many years ago my Math teacher, a dignifiedsilver-haired man close to retirement, toldus a story I’ll never forget. He told us, “Whenmy children were little I took them by thehand to safeguard them from harm when wecrossed the road, and taught them about thedangers of the traffic. I recently visited myson, who lives in London. He picked me upat Heathrow Airport, and as we walked to

the parking area he held me by the handand warned me to watch out for the traffic.“That”, he said, “is a definite sign that I’mgetting older.”

I’ve fond memories of this wise old man.He not only taught us Math but he alsopassed on to us, the younger generation,his own life’s experiences and the lessonswe could learn from it. We respected him.He could rule the classroom with his eyes.There was discipline: we didn’t dare tomisbehave. But times have changed and not

Silver threads among the goldfor the better. The younger generation showno respect at all.

A loss of respect for those olderMr. Jackson is a retired principal, and oneday he decided to visit his old school to findout how much had changed. And as hewalked into the school’s hallway he cameacross a lady who asked him “what hewanted.” He explained what he came for, soshe directed him to the principal’s office.

Upon meeting this principal they shookhands, and straight away the principal “toldhim” that he should have made anappointment so that he would have had sometime to spend with him. They talked a littlebut it was obvious this principal was toomuch in a hurry to have any discussion atall. It was awful!

He came away thinking what had becomeof “his school” and how much had changed.He too had been teacher and principal forover 30 years, but he had always time for

people to talk. His office was always openfor someone to drop in. As he was leaving,the noon bell rang and the children (or shouldI say students) ran out of their classroomsnearly bowling him over, shouting all sortsof rude remarks at him in their haste to getout of the door.

In his days as teacher the children wouldstep aside, take their little caps off and say,“Good morning, Mr. Jackson.” The childrenshowed respect and admiration for their

teachers and for the elderly in general. Hewent home bitterly disappointed.

The youngsters of today are no longertaught how to behave: there is no respect ordiscipline. They have to discover bythemselves how to respond to multiplechoices in society, presented to them by wayof individual development. There are nolonger role models for them to look up to. Intoday’s family, often the father is not present.The TV has taken over as the primary meansof entertaining the children. Children are

19


LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Piety isn’t only a feminine virtueSir,–Your November 2004 issue, mainly on the theme of marriage, the family and theproper roles for parents of both sexes, was an excellent and timely one with severalgood articles; but I don’t agree with how one’s heading was worded, since piety isn’tonly a feminine virtue.

With us humans, it’s generally agreed that “the female of the species is morereligious than the male,” as a rule of thumb, mainly because females are more ruledby emotion and sentiment than males are, and less prone to gross and violentbehaviour. However, they are no more likely to be born-again Christians than malesare, not to mention that females in turn are more addicted to some failings than aremales.

I both agree and disagree with the great Doctor Samuel Johnson’s opinion ofpiety in the two sexes: He had said that women are less wicked than men, to whichhis biographer James Boswell had subjoined that women are more pious. Johnson,contradictory as usual, said, “No, hang it, they are not more pious! A really wickedfellow is the most pious when he take to it. He’ll beat you all of piety.”

Possibly he knew about John Newton’s conversion. Anyway, what he said wastrue in itself; but it is also true that women in general are more pious than men -exceptions don’t disprove a general rule. For all that, piety is a virtue common toboth sexes, even if more often found in the female sex!

H. WestfoldHataitai, Wellington

educated at school according to aGovernment-prescribed curriculum. Theylearn on computers, they interact with otherschools by video link. There is no interactionbetween other groups of children. Parentsdon’t have the time anymore to watch thekids. They send them to daycare centers andafter school, to after-school care. Childrenlearn that the elderly have no place in theirlives.

A loss of place for those olderIn the meantime, the old people are keptaway from families. Age is looked upon asan incurable disease. They are viewed as aburden to family and society. Often the elderlyare dumped in an institution, so that the restof the family can get on with their life.

But like it or not, the youngsters of todaywill get old one day, unless they die young.

So, how do you deal with the problem ofgrowing old?

You may be trying not to think about it.After all you were not taught at school howto deal with old people, Maybe you are evenavoiding old people as much as you can. Butyou cannot avoid mirrors.

And one day you too will notice, when youlook in the mirror, that your hairline is gettingthinner and you will start pulling one or twohairs. Than you will notice a wrinkle or two.Your shoulders will start to stoop, and yourjoints start to creak and ache. Then the realitywill sink in that you too are not so younganymore. The senior in the mirror shows youthat you can’t avoid old people anymore—you are one! You are now part of a society inwhich the elderly are not held in high regard.

But the Bible says to respect and honourthe elderly: “Rise up in the presence of theaged, show respect for the elderly and revereyour God”. (Lev.19 vs 32)

“Grey hair is a crown of splendor.” (Prov.16 vs 31)

Nowadays grey hair is often seen as asign of being out of touch.

In particular in the industry, older andexperienced people are taken for granted.After many years of faithful service theytrained up the younger ones and then findthemselves relegated to the side lines. Whenthe opportunity comes for management to“rejuvenate” the workforce, the older peopleare made redundant. How do you handlethings like that, when you lose your job thatway and find yourself growing older, startingto feel more and more alone? The Bible says:“Remember your Creator in the days of youryouth, before the days of trouble come andthe years approach when you will say: “”Ifind no pleasure in them”” (Eccl.12 vs 1)

A loss of faith for those olderIf you don’t trust God’s goodness when youare young and life is good, it will becomeharder to trust Him when you are old. Without

trust in your Creator you may reach old agebut you will be very alone, living in the past.So, remember your Creator in the days ofyour youth.

A relationship with God will transform yourlife and will carry you through even the worstproblems of old age. To know the Lord JesusChrist as your Saviour and Friend, is neverto be alone.

Life and beyond will have meaning. Jesusis the best Friend you could ever have.

If you have not reached retirement ageyet—don’t miss out on what the elderlypeople can pass on to you, the youngergeneration! The seniors in our midst reallycare about you, and want you to know whatit means to live in close relationship withJesus Christ.

If you really want to be blessed, then visitthe elderly. Talk with them and listen to them.They have a wealth of knowledge and alifetime of experience that is deeply rootedin their faith in Jesus Christ.

Remember how Timothy learned from theApostle Paul, an old man teaching the young.What would have happened to Timothywithout Paul’s guidance? The church mighthave been hurt or even destroyed, as far asTimothy was concerned. The elderly shouldnot be viewed as the squeaky wheel thatneeds the grease: they ought to be viewedas the gears that get things moving!

It has often been said by the elderly when

they are asked to be involved, “We have tomake room for the younger generation.” Butmaking room for the younger generationdoesn’t mean checking out altogether! Theelderly people still have a lot to offer in thechurch.

“Remember your Creator in the days ofyour youth” and you can be sure He willremember you when you’re not so younganymore. Trust Him who is always faithful,no matter what age you are. God says:“Listen to Me….you whom I have upheldsince you were conceived, and have carriedsince your birth. Even to your old age andgrey hair I am He, I am He who will sustainyou…” (Isaiah 46 vs 3 – 4)

On my desk calendar the other day Ispotted a “saying of the day” at the bottomof the page. This saying sums it upbeautifully; it’s a fitting tribute to the elderly.It goes like this:

“Our dignity is not in what we do, butwhat we understand”. The author isunknown, but it must have been a wiseperson. Listen to the elderly among us. Youwill be surprised what they can tell you.

(For further reading: Psalm 71 and 92;Grey hair and prayer by David Feddeshttp://www.backtogod.net ;Ripe ol’ age byJack de Vries http://www.crcna.org ;TheBible and the treatment of the elderlyhttp://www.bible.ca)

20


Gleaningsfrom ourbulletins…Andrew Reinders

AvondaleCongregational Barn Dance evening thisSaturday 20 Movember 7pm: Tickets are stillon sale today through Ann Hunt, Nikki Hunt,Marja Bos or Sharon Jefferies. Please bringa plate for supper. Door Sales will beavailable on the night so come on down inyour western outfit. Please remember to wearnon-marking shoes.

BishopdalePastoral: Robert & Laurel van Wichen addedEstelle to their family on Monday 25 October.She weighed in at 11 lb 3 0z (5 kg) Robertstarts his exams in 7 days time. Please prayfor him.

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord inBishopdale. For reasons that we haveoutlined in detail to the Session, wehave decided before the Lord that weshould stay in Canberra at this time. Wewant to say a very hearty “Thank you!” toall who have sent us greetings and lettersover the last few weeks, and also foryour very warm hospitality and friendlinessduring our time amongst you. We havemade this decision NOT because wefeel we wouldn’t fit into the Bishopdalecongregation. Quite the opposite, we felt verymuch at home amongst you and felt a realaffinity with you. But for church and familyreasons we cannot come at this time. Wewant to commend you to the Lord’s graciouspurposes, and we will uphold you and yourSession in prayer. We believe that thisdecision means that the Lord has somethingmuch better in store for you in the future.With warm Christian greetings, John andSallee de Hoog.

Seminar: The privileged Planet: How ourplace in the cosmos is designed fordiscovery. Drs Jay Richards and GuillermoGonzalez will present scientific evidence toshow how the earth is uniquely designed,not only to support life, but also to give usthe best view of the universe. Come for anevening that will strengthen you, your friends

and family’s belief in an intelligent andamazing Designer! Where and When: GraceVineyard Church, 150 Ferry Road.

Bucklands BeachSocial Event Miranda Hot Pools. Swim AndBBQ/Braai Saturday 13th November from4.00pm (Dinner will be at 6.00pm) Comealong for a time of fun and fellowship in thesun and warm water. Please bring: BBQ Meatfor your own family, Drinks, Cutlery andCrockery, A Salad and Dessert to Share, Yourtogs. Cost: $8.00 for Adults, $5.00 forChildren.

Today has been designated ‘Cadet and GemSunday’. The service will focus especially onthe children, young people and counsellorswho are involved in this ministry. There willbe active participation by the club members- including also something of a ‘first’ in thatyoung people will be accompanying thesinging with a newly established music group!May it be the beginning of more to come.The theme for the service is ‘Living in, withand for Jesus’ - taken from the motto andpledge the children honour as members ofthe club.

Session notes. Golden Offering: The ‘GoldenOffering’ - an annual offering in which thecongregation is asked to make a specialcontribution towards the upkeep of thechurch - in this case a contribution to thebuilding fund (the outstanding loans). Thisoffering has been a part of the tradition ofour fellowship here at Bucklands Beach formany years. While the offering is usuallytaken in September, it has been agreed thatthis year’s offering will be held on Sunday,28th November in connection with thecelebration of the Lord’s Supper. Let usmake this a special thanksgiving offering forGod’s goodness and bounty.

ChristchurchThis week’s radio programme will be theseventh in a series of eight messagesdealing with the lies presented in the best-selling novel, The DaVinci Code. This week’smessage will consider how the Bible is theWord of God. The DaVinci Code presentsideas that oppose this important truth.‘Foundations’ is broadcast every Thursdayevening at 7:30 pm, on Plains FM, 96.9.Please pray that this series of messages mayproclaim the truth, in contrast to the lies andblasphemies contained in this popular workof fiction, which sadly continues to be a best-seller.

DovedaleChristianity Explored: In the early part ofnext year, Lord willing, we will be runninga Christianity Explored course here atShands Road. This is a ten-week coursethat aims to introduce people to JesusChrist from Mark’s gospel and this timeour pastor will be leading it. As the bookof Mark is read, taught and discussed,participants explore three questions thatcut right to the heart of Christianity: “Whois Jesus? Why did he come? And whatdoes Jesus demand of those who followhim.” This is the first time that we arerunning this course, and we are verymuch looking forward to it. How can youhelp? Well, first, we covet your prayers.Please pray that the course would bewell attended, and that the Lord woulduse this in people’s lives. Second, weask you to be thinking about who mightbenefit from this course. Do you have afriend or neighbour that you would like toinvite along? More details will followabout when/where and what else isinvolved in the course, so please staytuned to future bulletins.

Ladies Evening. Friday 26th November7.15pm Ladies keep this evening free,come along and have a time offellowship and fun. Meet at CashmerePresbyterian church Corner of DyersPass Road at 7.15pm Wear comfortableclothes and shoes. Water bottles goodidea too. Thanks Helen v d Meulen

FoxtonPaul and Hilda Van Echten would like toinvite the congregation to the wedding ofKim and Chris on Saturday, 30th October,3.00 pm at the Union Church, Foxton.Coffee and nibbles will be served after theservice.

HastingsWe rejoice with Rick and Alisha in the birthof a son on Thursday evening. Both motherand baby are doing well after a very quickdelivery. We can rejoice in the Lord’s answerto prayer for a safe delivery and a healthybaby.

Birth Annoucement. The congregationhas received a birth announcementof their new baby from Dan and Bonnievan Seventer. You will find it posted on thechurch notice board. Congratulations toOma and Opa (now there in person) and allthe aunties and uncles and cousins herein New Zealand.

Focus on home

21


now truly at peace. The everlasting comfortof the Gospel is his now in the most completeway, in the presence of his God. Now ourthoughts are very much with Fem, thechildren and the wider family. We pray thatthe Lord would very much be their strengthand guide, helping them in this time ofadjustment ahead.

MastertonPastoral Notes: We have been doublyblessed this past week with two covenant

HukanuiF.L.A.M.E. Reformed Youth: 6 DAYS TO GO...Thaaat’s riiiiiight, the inaugural Great RaftRace is nearly upon us. So grab those>>lifejackets<<, find a gold coin and headto Hukanui at 9am next Saturday for themother of all raft races. ‘Course, the raftswill only be as good as you make them.Materials will be provided. The word from thegrapevine is that youth from other places areamped and ready to take us by storm. COMEON F.L.A.M.E.!!! Let’s show ‘em what we’remade of! Expect to be done’n’dry by 4pm if

you’ve remembered a towel. We’ll be leavingthe Grafton St. boat ramp after lunch.

MangereFoodbank. Next Sunday, to coincide with ourcelebration of the Lord’s Supper, we will alsohave the opportunity to donate to theFoodbank. Food donated here is passed onto the Salvation Army.

Pastoral. This past Thursday the Lord tookto Himself our Br Harry Bloemendal. He is

Neil and Jo van der Wel and daughters Bethany and Hannah

Another GeelongprofileHello! My name is Neil van der Wel andthis is my wife Jo and my daughtersBethany and Hannah (respectively 15_months and 1 day old in the photo).

I hail originally from Hamilton, NewZealand, and studied at the ReformedTheological College from 1997 till 2001,where I received a Bachelor of Theologyand a Bachelor of Divinity. It was while inGeelong that I met Jo, who was alsostudying at the RTC. We married in 2002and are now members of the ChristianReformed Church of Geelong, where Ihave also served as an elder for the lastyear or so. We’re glad to be part of afaithful, loving church community.

After finishing my studies, I workedfulltime for two years in a local chickenprocessing factory. This provided awelcome break from formal studies andenabled me to consider whether God wascalling me to preach and minister to hispeople. After some time I have come toa settled conviction in this and we’removing in that direction. I am seekingordination as a minister of the Word andSacraments.

While I had opportunity, I decided toundertake further theological studies inpreparation for the ministry. So at thebeginning of 2004, while still working twodays a week, I commenced a Master ofTheology program through GreenvillePresbyterian Theological Seminary inSouth Carolina, USA. My studies are inthe Psalms — with my thesis topic (stillto be finalised) specifically looking at howthe Psalms were, and are, intended tobe used. The intention is to take twoyears to complete the program, then tobegin a vicariate at the beginning of

2006. Alongside this I’ve audited acouple of preaching courses at the RTC,which gives good interaction and is ratherrefining. I also preach fairly regularly, inour church and in other local churches.

We’re glad to have this opportunity tointroduce ourselves to you. Please

continue to pray for all the currentstudents, ministerial and others. Also,do not neglect to beseech the Lord toraise up many more men to proclaim hisWord and lead his people. “The harvestis plentiful but the workers are few”(Matthew 9:37).

22


AUCKLANDPRESBYTERY REPORT

The Auckland Presbytery convened on Friday12th November 2004 at the Reformed Churchof Pukekohe. Rev Sjirk Bajema opened themeeting with a reading of Scripture andprayer. Rev Reinier Noppers was appointedas the moderator of the meeting.

The main item on the agenda was theissue of modern tongue speaking that hasbeen on the presbytery agenda for almostthree years. Presbytery discussed proposalsbrought by the North Shore that appealedearlier decisions of the Presbytery. After anextended time of open discussion thepresbytery adopted the following statements:

1. The Presbytery concurs with thecommittee’s concern that the Rev vanGarderen based his sermon on anunconvincing understanding of tonguespeaking as unintelligible utterances (asadopted at the Presbytery meeting 30th July2004).

2. The presbytery does not agree that themodern phenomena of tongue speakingwhich claims to be the communication ofspecial revelation is the Biblical gift of

tongues.3. The presbytery wishes to make clear

that each session agrees not to teach themodern day practice of tongue speaking andactively discourages any such practiceamong its members.

4. Presbytery now regards this matter assufficiently dealt with.

In its consideration of this matterpresbytery took into account the 1977Synodical Report on Pentecostalism. Whilethat report did not constitute a doctrinalpronouncement, or result in one,nevertheless we agree with its conclusionwhich states: “We can only conclude,therefore, in our assessment of the modern-day Pentecostal phenomena, that theirclaims to possess the gifts of miracles,healing and prophecy and tongue-speakingare false.”

Rev John Haverland informed the meetingthat the Pukekohe session had agreed toallow him to lead the evening devotions atthe Family Camp at the end of the year asthe minister from the Auckland Presbytery.

As the remaining items on the agendawere not urgent it was agreed to hold theseover to the next meeting to be held on Friday25th February 2005.

The meeting was closed in prayer at10.40 pm.

children born to Jason and Sandra Elliott.Both Elizabeth Kate and Jonathan Samuelare healthy and Sandra is recovering well inhospital. Praise God for the increase He hasgranted to us.

North ShoreNeighbourhood Carol Singing. Our usualChristmas Carol Sing is planned for Fridayevening, December 17th; and if it is rainingon Friday, then Saturday, 18th. Please markthis date on your calendars.

Palmerston NorthKittens Free to a Covenant Home. SusannahWesley, the Smith’s cat has recently givenbirth to three kittens: Coca-Cola (Black), Ash(Dark Grey) and Dallas at 3am (Light Grey).These kittens represent the fourth generationof cats birthed into Reformed households.These are covenant kittens. Those of youwith a multigenerational perspective will wantto take advantage of the pristine ancestryrepresented in these cute bundles of fur. Theheritage of these kittens can be tracked backto the Dykstras. Robin and Christine, thenof Scotts Rd, had a cat which begat anothercat which was acquired by the Waldrons, thenof Williams Road. That cat begat SusannahWesley which was acquired by the Smiths ofTawa St. And Susannah Wesley has givenbirth to the three kittens which are availableto good Reformed homes: free! The kittenswill be available for collection on 2 November2004 or after when they reach the age of sixweeks. They are available for viewinganytime prior to that date.

WainuiomataCase for Kids Video Series. The Case forKids video series is beginning on November7 at the home of Leo and Carol. We areplanning to have coffee and refreshmentsat 7:30 and to begin showing the videos at8:00 pm sharp. If you would like to attend,please sign the sheet on the notice board ore-mail us. This is not because we likebureaucracy, but because we have to knowhow many discussion books to photocopy.We are looking forward to an edifying time!Pastor LdV

Invitation to Paint Ceramics. An invitation isextended to all the ladies, together with theCalvinettes, for a craft evening paintingceramics. This will be held on Thursday, 4November at the Wainui Christian College. Alady from “The Swish Dish” is coming to showus how it is done. If you are interested injoining us, please let Caroline know byWednesday 27th October so she can confirmnumbers. The cost will be $15 per personand $10 per calvinette.

WellingtonLeadership Training Seminar. This Saturday,30th October, DV, we have a special trainingseminar for office bearers-to-be and past orcurrent office-bearers. We start at 9.30amwith a general session, including practicaldiscussion, and specialise after lunch onelders and deacons matters. We concludeour programme about 3.30pm. We needsome willing hands to prepare lunch and acuppa.

From The Session: Church Survey. Duringthe month of November all our members,guests and visitors over the age of 18yrs.will have an opportunity to tell us what shouldbe done with our present church-building &manse. You will receive, together with thesurvey, a detailed report with a lot ofinformation about our buildings, what needsto be done, how much it will cost etc. Thisshould be of help to you in completing thesurvey. Please read this report first beforeyou start with the survey. The survey will becompletely anonymous and should takeabout 10-15 minutes of your time. It is veryimportant to us that every member/guest/visitor individually completes the survey andthat all questions are answered seriously.You can return and deposit the completedsurvey in a specially marked box, which willbe placed in the church-foyer. Distribution ofthe survey will start this week. For furtherinformation contact Dick Spoelstra. CHRISTCHURCH

PRESBYTERY REPORT– 20TH NOVEMBER

2004

The Moderator Rev Michael Flinn opened themeeting with a devotion from Psalm 141including an exhortation to guard onesspeech (vs. 3), especially as pastors andelders; be mature enough to accept aconstructive rebuke(vs. 5a) and zealousenough for the Lord’s name to desire andpray for the demise of evil doers (vs. 5b).Michael then led with prayer after which wesang PH 292.

Rev Dick Wynja, interim pastor ofBishopdale Reformed church was welcomedto the meeting as a non voting delegate.Credentials were checked, all delegates thenstood to signify agreement with thesubordinate standards of our denomination.

This year’s annual Church Visitationreports for all five congregations had beencompleted, circulated and accepted byPresbytery. The Elder delegate from theReformed Church of Bishopdale reported onvarious items of interest gleaned from recentChristian Reformed Churches of AustraliaClassis reports. These included thesuccessful preliminary examinations of Rev.

23


Laventhran Shunmugam (formerly a pastorin South Africa) by Classis NSW and VicarJim DeWitte by Classis Gippsland. Both menwere declared available for call. It was alsonoted that Nigel Cunningham currentlyserving the Christian Reformed Church ofTuggeranong (Canberra) was also stillavailable for call.

Appreciation was expressed for theInternational Council of Reformed Churchessix monthly newsletter. It was suggested thatit be given wider circulation in thecongregations..

Christchurch delegates reported onprogress of the National Youth Camp to beheld at Teapot Valley campsite near Nelson.Bookings have been strong and well over 200campers are anticipated. Presbyteryconsidered a request from the National YouthCamp Committee for funds to help covercamp costs. Presbytery agreed to assist withthe sum of $2,000.

Other business included a request foradvice relating to chapter 27 para. 4 in theWestminster Confession of faith concerningthe administration of the sacramentsparticularly the question “who mayadminister the sacraments”, only a ministerof the Word lawfully ordained (WCF) orordinarily a minister of the Word? (RCNZChurch order) The advice given was that thereis no practical contradiction between WCF27/4 and CO art. 57 since underextraordinary circumstances a ruling eldermight have to administer the sacramentswhere the minister suddenly fell ill (cf. ChurchOrder Commentary of the RCNZ) or in a homemission situation. Another matter concerningthe WCF doctrine on the Christian Sabbathwas deferred until the next meeting.

Rev Jim Klazinga closed the meeting withprayer.

Hans Vaatstra

of the Holy Spirit. Rev. Lion Cachet led inprayer before welcoming all the delegatesand visitors.

The CO Article 47 questions wereanswered by Foxton, Palmerston North andWellington delegates, and each church alsoreported on blessings experienced by theircongregations. There was a time of prayerfor each of the churches answering thequestions.

Masterton thanked the Presbytery forassisting them with pulpit supply andinformed the Presbytery that Rev. RaymondSikkema (a retired minister from the URC)would be in Masterton from December 2004to February 2005, God willing, and that nopulpit supply would be required during thisperiod. Discussion followed on the need fora colloquium doctum to be conducted.Presbytery decided to conduct an informalcolloquium doctum with Rev. Sikkema.

Foxton Session had been requested bythe previous Presbytery meeting to formulatean amendment to the Wellington Presbyterystanding rules to formalise procedures forpreliminary colloquia docta for ministers fromnon-sister churches. They moved that theproposed amendment to the Standing Rulesof Wellington Presbytery Art VII be accepted.There was discussion on the content of theamendment: however, after a time it wasdecided that Presbytery take no action onthis amendment to the Standing Rules.

Foxton session had overtured Presbyteryto present to Synod 2005 a schemesubstituting for the present one of callingministers from non-sister churches. Rev.Zuidema introduced the overture toPresbytery. After discussion it was decided

that we take no action on this overture.The OMB requested that Rev. Stephen ‘t

Hart visit the March 2005 Presbytery meetingin Hastings to speak about his work in PapuaNew Guinea. Rev. Hoyt moved that thisportion of the meeting be open to theHastings congregation. The motion wascarried and it was suggested that thisaddress to Presbytery be held during theFriday evening session.

Rev. Hoyt introduced Br Don Wallace(current moderator of the Grace PresbyterianChurch of New Zealand) to the meeting, whospoke to us about his knowledge andexperience in Sudan. He and Rev. Ian McIverhad recently been to Kenya and the Sudan,to explore the possibility of mission workthere, especially the setting up of a smalltraining college in the Southern Sudan, inassociation with the Presbyterian Church ofthe Sudan. Don spoke to the Presbytery ofthis, and the needs in the Sudan, andNorthern Kenya. He mentioned the possibilityof the Reformed Churches of New Zealandco-operating in this work.

Anthony de Vries later addressedPresbytery about concerns that he and othershave about the unrighteous legislation thatis being promoted by our presentGovernment, especially in regards to the CivilUnion Bill. He encouraged the delegates totake action, and has prepared and printed aleaflet for distribution to households.

The Presbytery ended in good time afterlunch.

Chris Kavanagh, reporter for Faith inFocus.

Reprints of ar ticles in

Faith in Focus can be

obtained by contacting

the Editor

WELLINGTONPRESBYTERY REPORT

– 6TH NOVEMBER,2004

The Presbytery met on Saturday morning inWellington, at the Wellington church building.Wellington presbytery normally meets onFriday evening and Saturday morning.However, due to the small agenda, thesessions elected to meet on Saturday only.The meeting was chaired by Rev. Jan Lion-Cachet, who called the meeting to order at9:30 a.m. and asked the assembly to singPsalter Hymnal selection 184 and then readJohn 14:22-31 and John 16:5-15,expounding briefly on these passages ofscripture concerning the promise and work

24


Auckland Men’sTraining DayOn Saturday the 30th of October 2004 thePukekohe Reformed Church hosted aPresbytery Training Day, entitled “Revitalisingthe Church” and led by Andrew Young, thePrincipal of Grace Theological College.Andrew took us through ‘The Need of theHour’ (looking at spiritual maturity andfunctional effectiveness), ‘In Search ofLeaders’ (about the difference between thisworld’s leadership model and God’s), and‘Revitilising the Church’ (seeing whatscripture said about a faithful church andthose in it). Andrew gave many examplesfrom his own ministry in what was a packedpresentation. There was time set aside fordiscussion groups after the first two topicsand a general discussion at the end of theday.

We warmly thanked Andrew for his timeand work he put into this and are alsothankful to the Pukekohe brethren for capablyproviding for us.

Volume 32/1, February 2005faith in focus

Date post:	23-May-2022
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	1 times
Download:	0 times

Faith in Focus . Feb 2005

Documents