December 15, 2020 Standard Bearer preview article

Good tidings of great joy

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10–11

Good tidings of great joy!

The world looks for joy in possessions and pleasures and power and whatever else they set their hearts on. Their idols promise happiness; but they never deliver. And when one’s idols prove themselves empty—as idols invariably do—they are replaced with other idols equally unable to satisfy.

In contrast to the empty joy of the world, there is great joy for all who know salvation in Christ the Lord. The shepherds experienced that joy some two thousand years ago.

Book review: "A useful tool for parents and teens"

Preparing for Dating and Marriage by Cory Griess. Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Don E. Galardi,...

A book to read this advent

Born For Our Salvation: The Nativity and Childhood of Jesus Christ

In his clear and easy-to-read style, Rev. Martyn McGeown demonstrates that Jesus’ birth is the first step in Christ’s humiliation, the first step that would lead to the cross, and therefore the first step to our salvation.

This biblical account of Jesus’ nativity and childhood explains the significances behind the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, humble shepherds worshiping newborn Christ, the boy Jesus being about his father’s business, and more. In all of these events Rev. McGeown demonstrates  one great truth especially: Jesus, the Son of God, was born for our salvation.

Angels

December 1, 2020 Standard Bearer preview article

John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California is embroiled in a legal battle with the County of Los Angeles (LA County) over the right to worship indoors during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Grace Community Church (GCC) is a nondenominational, evangelical congregation with an average weekly attendance in excess of 8,000 people.

On March 4, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since issued a number of executive orders to curtail public gatherings in the State of California. An order on March 19, 2020, required almost all establishments, including places of worship, to close. On June 18, 2020 the LA County Health Officer, Dr. Muntu Davis, issued an order “allowing reduced-capacity indoor operations at houses of worship,” but subsequent orders prohibited “indoor operations at a variety of establishments, including houses of worship.” Those orders are still in force at the time of writing. In California, therefore, churches may worship only outdoors.¹

Particular Grace: A Defense of God’s Sovereignty in Salvation

Originally published in Dutch at the end of the nineteenth century, Particular Grace is an explanation and development of the gospel of salvation by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Abraham Kuyper's main purpose in this volume is to expose the error of general grace and to present a sold, biblical defense of the Calvinistic doctrine of particular grace.

"Reformed believers will surely be impressed with the power of the author's language and argument, the breadth of this acquaintance with past and contemporary discussion, and the cumulative weight of his case. They will also find Kuyper surprisingly fresh and pointed. Many contemporary denials of particular grace are anticipated by his arguments." —Mid-America Journal of Theology