Free Standard Bearer Special Issues
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
For many years the Standard Bearer has published special issues that recognize significant events in the Reformation of the church (e.g. Abraham Kuyper and the Reformation of 1886, The Synod of Dordt, etc.) or important topics in the believer's life (e.g. Prayer, The Reformation and a Holy Life, etc.). The RFPA has a surplus of inventory of many of these special issues and we are offering them at no charge for evangelism purposes, discussion groups, and personal use (Shipping charges will...
Read MoreHeartily Believing Sound Doctrine (1)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
During the past couple of Sundays most readers probably heard the Form for Ordination of Elders and Deacons read during the worship service as new elders and deacons were installed. Along with this the Formula of Subscription was read, which all Protestant Reformed officebearers must sign. This year as these two forms were read, I was struck by the emphasis these forms place on believing sound doctrine and rejecting false doctrine. In the Form for Ordination of Elders and Deacons there...
Read MoreGender Revolution
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
National Geographic magazine is ushering in the new year with a special issue devoted entirely to “Gender Revolution” (link). Although this may be hard to read, it is necessary to know what is taking place in the rapidly-changing world in which we live. One of the two “historic” covers has a picture of a boy with pink clothes and long, pink hair who identifies as a girl. He is quoted as saying “The best thing about being a girl is, now...
Read MoreIslam (11)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
A Review of the Differences In our study of Islam, we have noticed that the two religions are diametrically opposed to one another. First, Islam arose after Christianity—Mohammed was born in 570 AD, centuries after the Trinitarian and Christological controversies of the early church (c. 325-451 AD). In a certain sense, Islam can be called a truly anti-Christian religion, in that it developed in opposition to Christianity (although, as we have noted, Mohammed in his Qur’an was really attacking a caricature...
Read MoreA New Year's Prayer
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Come, Lord Jesus. We wait upon Thee as watchers wait for the morning. In the meantime, our God, establish Thou the work of our hands. Preserve and defend us over against all the onslaughts of the powers of darkness. Give us Thy grace to realize that with Thee we are always the victors. Use us, Thy willing servants, according to the talents entrusted to us, in the midst of our families, in the midst of Thy people, in a present evil world, wherever Thou...
Read MoreThe Prince of Peace
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The Prince of Peace! Wonderful! Magic name in a world of woe and turmoil! Wonderful name, indeed, in a world torn by war, bleeding from a thousand wounds: The Prince of Peace! Small wonder that even they who know Him not and understand nothing of the peace He came to bring are spellbound by the charm and magic of that name, and every Christmas season speak of Him and sing the praises of what they conceive to be the Prince of...
Read MoreSynod 1987 – Response to a Comment
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
The following was a public comment in response to my post “Synod 1987 (1)”: I have read this decision from 1987 and think that Synod erred in taking this position. Inferring that the marriage of divorced persons is a true marriage from the mere fact that Jesus uses the word "marriage" in referring to it, is an exceedingly weak argument. Using this reasoning, we might easily infer from Jesus' words that the "righteousness" of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 5:20...
Read MoreWatch!
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Watch! No, not the football game on TV. Not the JV or Varsity basketball games this week. The outcomes don’t matter. Turn off the TV, the computer, the tablet, and the smartphone and watch. “Watch what?” you ask. Watch for Christ’s return—that is, know the signs of Christ’s return and be ready for his coming. Knowing the signs of Christ coming and growing in readiness for his return is the important subject of a new RFPA publication I was happy to...
Read MorePaganism and Christian Liberty
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Every year about this time, articles and pictures appear (especially on social media) condemning the observance of "pagan" holidays such as Christmas. It is often claimed that the names of these holidays (as well as the day chosen by the early church for their observance) are pagan and correspond to pagan festivals. It is not my intention here to prove or disprove whether such allegations are true. They may well be. The connection between pagan festivals and Christian days may be...
Read MoreOrder your copy today!
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
This softcover book is now available for purchase and would make a great Christmas gift! Called to Watch for Christ's Return by new RFPA author - Martyn McGeown A few days before Jesus gave his life on the cross, his disciples asked, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). Christ responded with the Olivet Discourse, a detailed teaching on the doctrine of the last things. We need to understand the signs of...
Read MoreDirty Laundry
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Our washer and dryer run most days of the week, but this is especially true on Monday. After a busy weekend and with a large family, Monday has become default laundry day. For most of the day the machines are humming and clacking in the background, and the kitchen table is covered with neat, little piles of clean clothes waiting to be shipped to dressers and closets. On a recent Monday, my wife reminded me of something that my grandma used...
Read MoreSynod 1987 (2)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
In the last post I quoted from several sections of the Protestant Reformed Churches’ (PRC) 1987 Synodical decision regarding marriage, divorce, and remarriage. In this post I want to point out that Synod 1987 explicitly spelled out the way in which there is “freedom from the sin of adultery” and the conditions under which one would be received into the fellowship of the church having lived in the sin of adultery. We read from the 1987 Acts of Synod, Classis East's...
Read MoreSynod 1987 (1)
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
There has been some discussion lately about the Protestant Reformed position on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Those who are younger (perhaps 45 years old or younger) may not know that the Protestant Reformed Churches have an official, synodical decision on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Let's go back to 1987. I quote from Article 14 of Synod 1987 regarding the history of how the matters of marriage, divorce, and remarriage came to the Synod of that year (1987 Acts of Synod of...
Read MorePreorder your copy TODAY of Called to Watch for Christ's Return
By : Reformed Free Publishing Association
Called to Watch for Christ's Return written by Martyn McGeown - a new RFPA author! A few days before Jesus gave his life on the cross, his disciples asked, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). Christ responded with the Olivet Discourse, a detailed teaching on the doctrine of the last things. We need to understand the signs of Christ’s...
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