RFPA Annual Meeting 2026

Where were you on the evening of September 24, 2026, at 7:30PM? More than 100 men and women would answer that they were busy attending the RFPA's Annual Meeting, held once a year in September when Michigan's many trees are just beginning to shed their leaves. This year, the RFPA welcomed 63 Association members and guests to Grandville PRC to browse RFPA books, partake in delicious food and hearty fellowship, and hear an edifying speech on a topic related to the work and mission of the Association.

SB Staff Meeting 2026

Last Tuesday, the annual Standard Bearer meeting was held at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. Once annually, the editors and writers of the SB meet to decide on topics, rubrics, and writers for the upcoming volume year. With as many writers and editors in attendance as possible (including virtually, for those long distance writers), the SB staff makes use of this annual meeting...

Book Review - "A Stunning Account of the Life of a Protestant Reformed Minister"

Throughout his life Rev. Hanko showed an amazing demonstration of what it means to be a child of God. He showed total devotion to his Lord and Savior. Rev. Hanko’s passion, trust, and love should set an example for all of God’s children.

Book Review - "A Fantastic Reminder"

This is just a small beginning of the incredible amount of information, biblical commands, and advice that is laid out in this book by Prof. Hanko. I personally have benefited greatly from the reading of this book, and I strongly feel that any fellow believer who reads this book and applies the information to their lives will see noticeable improvements in their life of prayer.

Book Review - "I Never Got Bored"

I am very thankful that I chose to read this book. I learned many new things from it. I hope to read it many more times, and I hope that others will read it too. Because even though it is [just] a book, we as God's people can take many beneficial lessons from it and learn new things. I hope that you will appreciate the book Grace House as much as I did.

Sergius Paulus

For Lucius Sergius Paulus, the highest-ranking Roman official on Cyprus, the last several months have been transformational and dramatic. No, those words aren't strong enough. More like life-changing with eternal consequences! It’s times like these that make one pause and reflect on one’s life journey. Reader, let's consider Sergius' life and career of service for the Roman government, society, and empire.

The Tower of the Flock

Every village has a story: even an insignificant spot like Bethlehem, called "little among the thousands of Judah" in Micah 5:2.

Oh, this town certainly had its moments in Jewish history. Jacob buried his beloved Rachel here (Genesis 35). Boaz and Ruth married and lived in this area (Ruth 4). David's hometown and the place of his anointing are right here (1 Samuel 16). And even after speaking of Bethlehem's lowliness, Micah prophesies that a ruler in Israel will come out of it.

But to learn the story of Bethlehem’s most significant moment in redemptive history, we are taken away from the village, to the lush green hills and fields outside of town. Let's examine this story through the lens of Luke 2.

Siloam: Eighteen Dead Men

Sometimes the Bible introduces us to a historical event in one verse, only for all memory of that event to vanish forever by the next verse. The event in Siloam that Jesus mentions in the fourth verse of Luke 13 did happen, but any remembrance of it disappears from Scripture by verse five. We are left to contemplate the meaning without further context or explanation. This reminds us that events mentioned in the Bible are part of the daily drama of real human lives, just as our lives unfold daily.

Samaritans

The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey...

The House of Annas

We must understand that Annas and Caiaphas were not simply innocent bystanders in Jesus' death, forced to be involved in the situation only because of their offices. They were willing plotters and participants. They were not awakened out of sleep during the night of Jesus' illegal trial, quickly putting on some clothes and freshening up, so they could ask Jesus a couple of questions to make everything seem legitimate. They were lying in wait for him. This was finally the moment for which they had been waiting! In cold blood, they were responsible for murdering our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gehenna

Sometimes the Bible takes us to scary places. Think of the cottage of the witch of Endor, which King Saul visited at night, hoping she would bring back the spirit of the dead Samuel (1 Samuel 28). Or remember the cemetery in the land of the Gadarenes, where a demon-possessed man lived at night among the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones, before Jesus healed him (Mark 5). We are going to visit another such scary place today...In the New Testament, Gehenna is synonymous with hell (also called Sheol). Jesus employed this word (“hell”) eleven times as the name for the place of ultimate and eternal fiery destruction and separation for those outside of the Kingdom of Christ.

Maschil

Some of the most interesting parts of the psalms are the subtitles found under specific chapter headings throughout this book of the Bible. We can learn much about a psalm from what we see in these brief statements. Sometimes they share with us the historical setting behind the writing. For example, Psalm 3 says it's "a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son." Psalm 57's subtitle tells us that it was written by David "when he fled from Saul in the cave." Other times, these subtitles let us know what kind of psalm it is. There are psalms of praise. There are psalms as prayers. There are psalms as songs. There are psalms of degrees, which show that a psalm was sung by the people as their families or groups of families walked up the elevation to the tabernacle at Mount Zion, where they gathered for worship. Significantly, thirteen psalms have a very mysterious word as their subtitle. Maschil.

Chorazin

The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey...

Book Review - Two Books, One Message

I have just finished two recent books published by the RFPA, and I thought to give you my reactions to them. The books both have a similar message and that is to spread the gospel to peoples of different races and cultures than our own. Even though they have a similar message, they are very different in the manner in which the message is written. One of the books is an expository nonfiction work, and the other is a realistic fiction book.

Petra: Carved in Stone

The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey...

Book Review - "Harm’s Spiritual Struggle Embodies the Christian Life"

This Civil War novel is an excellent book for both young people and adults to read. Its Christian perspective from a first-person point-of-view reminds us again how the Christian life is not always easy. Spiritual dangers attack the elect on every side, no matter what time period they live in. Yet God continually gives us strength by His Holy Spirit to persevere until the end. 

Candace, Queen of Ethiopia

There are not many records about Candace Amantitere, but we can learn a lot about her rule in Meroe by what the Bible tells us about the Ethiopian eunuch himself (probably her Minister of Finance: “he had the charge of all her treasure,” Acts 8:27). Let’s think about what the eunuch had just been doing when he appears on the scene in Acts. He had completed a 1500-mile journey north, in a chariot, to Jerusalem, to observe a Jewish holiday at the temple. Now, why would he have done that?

Book Review - "Salvation in the Preaching of the Word"

I think that reading this book is a great reminder and in-depth proof of what our doctrine of salvation is and why it is true based on Scripture. To know our doctrine of salvation is not only important for our daily Christian life, but knowing about the false interpretation of "whosoever will may come" that is easily found in the world opens us up to opportunities to witness to those around us about the truth of salvation and encourage them to come to the pure preaching of the gospel!

Assyria (3): Nineveh

Located on the east bank of the Tigris River in northern Iraq, Mosul has a population of about 1.8 million. But what connects Mosul to us as we study biblical history is what’s located on the other side of the Tigris River. In the middle of the urban sprawl of Mosul, west of the Tigris, and underneath dusty roads and forgotten fields, lie the ruins of that great city, Nineveh.

Assyria (2): The Kings

Today, we will zoom our lens in quite a bit closer and concentrate on the third stage of Assyria's history, known as the Neo-Assyrian Empire. This period begins in 912 B.C. and ends with the empire's demise in 609 B.C. We know the most about this era because this period coincides with the history of Judah and Israel given in the books of Kings and Chronicles. Let’s look at the Assyrian kings who played a prominent role in this Bible history.