CHURCH NEWS

Calls Extended:

To Rev. A Moerkerken, of Nieuw Beijerland, the Netherlands, by the Clifton, New Jersey, Congregation.

To Rev. A.M. DenBoer, of Norwich, Ontario, Canada, by the Sunnyside, Washington, Congregation.

To Rev. J.M. Kleppe, of Woerden, the Netherlands, by the Unionville, Ontario, Canada, Congregation.

To Rev. J.J. Van Eckeveld, of Zeist, the Netherlands, by the Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Congregation.

To Rev. M. Mondria, of Waardenburg, the Netherlands, by the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Congregation.

To Rev. J.J. Van Eckeveld, of Zeist, the Netherlands, by the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Congregation.

THE REV. M. HEERSCHAP

On Tuesday, November 6, Rev. Heerschap was taken to the hospital for examination, and then you can imagine the minister, who is also a man, dreaded it very much, especially since he himself had for a long time been conscious of the fact that an operation was inevitable.

What a very great privilege it is when in all our cares and tribulations we may seek refuge with the Great Physician, Who came to the minister with these words, “I have graven thee in the palms of My hands”. He was granted that with quietness in his soul he could yield himself to the doctor. The operation took place on Tuesday, November 13. Thus far (Nov. 18) the Lord has made all things well. May there be in the congregation continual prayer for the minister’s complete recovery, so that he may again perform his pastoral work in the midst of the congregation.

The above article was taken from the church bulletin of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

It was not easy for our Brother Heerschap to submit to a back operation. But the Lord made him willing an sustained him out of His Word. By the time you receive this “Banner,” we hope he may be home a few weeks already, and that after a shorter or longer time the Lord will give him strength again to serve the congregation, and that he, notwithstanding his age (68), may be bold as a lion (Prov. 28:1) to show that the Lord is good and righteous, as he has been privileged to do in the years gone by.

We commend him to the Lord with his wife and children and congregation. Rev. W.C. Lamain P.S. Rev. Heerschap was enabled to go home again on November 23.

MR. A. B. BROUWER

On Thursday, October 18, 1979, Mr. A.B. Brouwer suddenly passed away at the age of 73. He served the congregation of Bradford, Ontario, for over 20 years. The funeral took place on October 22 at Alliston.

The Rev. A.M. DenBoer conducted the service. He read Psalm 90, and spoke on II Cor. 7:10, the sorrow of the world that works death, and godly sorrow that works repentance to salvation not to be repented of. Words of comfort and admonition were also spoken by Elder A. Fintelman on behalf of the classis, and by Elder VanLeeuwen on behalf of the consistory of Bradford.

At the grave Rev. DenBoer spoke on Heb. 9:27, 28, and also read a part of Isa. 40.

May the Lord further comfort and strengthen Mrs. Brouwer and her family in their bereavement, and fill the empty place with His presence. May He also sanctify this call to our hearts.

“Mark the perfect,

And behold the upright:

for the end of that man

is peace.” Psalm 37:37

Editor

THE FUNERAL OF THE REVEREND JOHN VAN ZWEDEN

At about 9 o’clock on Friday night, Nov. 9, 1979, the time had arrived that according to God’s counsel John VanZweden was to exchange time for eternity and, as he said a few days before, he would then receive the desire of his heart. For about a year he was cared for in Rock Valley Manor. A few times he had been in the hospital, also in the last half hour of his life. After having been married 66 years, the band of marriage was broken, and now he leaves his widow and six children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. He also leaves four sisters, a brother, and a sister-in-law.

They decided to have the funeral on Tuesday, November 13, 1979. At one o’clock, there was a short service in the funeral home with the family, and at 1:30 a meeting in the church where he had been privileged to proclaim God’s Word for 29 years.

Besides many members of the congregation, there were numerous members from Sioux Center, Corsica, Sheboygan, Waupun, and even a few families from Lethbridge and Chilliwack.

Rev. Heerschap had just undergone an operation, and Rev. Verhoef was prevented from being present because he had been asked to conduct a funeral in Lethbridge of a young father of 29, who died in a car accident.

At the request of the deceased and his family, and according to a promise given earlier, we conducted the funeral.

At the beginning of the service we sang from Ps. 103 (Psalter No. 278). After offering prayer, Philippians 1 was read, and we spoke on the 6th verse: “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

The necessity of that good work was emphasized. We mentioned in what that work of faith consists (John 6:29). That work in Hab. 2 is called “Thy work.” The work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit. It is necessary that God begins the work, for with all our work we will end in death. All the work of man lays no weight in the balance of heaven. It is only the Righteousness of the Lord our Righteousness that saves from death, and that exalts the elect, according to Ps. 89:16.

There is a work of God for us, the active and passive obedience of the Servant of the Father and the Surety of the Covenant. But there is also a work of God in us regarding the application by the Holy Spirit of regeneration, reconciliation with God, and sanctification, the mortification of the old man, and the quickening of the new man. The Bible says the Lord will perform that work. The necessity of it is experienced by all that are renewed by the Spirit of God. Those people cannot finish that work by themselves. They are ready every moment to halt and stumble. In us there is no power against the great multitude. When faith is in exercise, they shall say with David in Ps. 138 “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me; Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever.” As long as those people are here on earth, that need shall be in their hearts; “Forsake not the work of Thy own hand.” And now, “being confident of this thing”: trusting in the unchangeableness of the Lord and His faithfulness. The foundation and hope of the true church lies in eternity. “Until the day of Jesus Christ”, the day that the soul is taken up into heaven; when those people are delivered from the body of sin and death. Regarding the body, when Christ comes upon the clouds of heaven, those people shall be resurrected and united with the soul, to praise and glorify God eternally.

According to the testimony of the deceased, Sheboygan, to which he emigrated with his parents, was the place where, under the ministry of the late Rev. C. Pieneman, the Lord drew him out of darkness into His marvelous light. His path led through deep ways, but when the root of the matter is in our heart then the Lord shall confirm the truths he has heard earlier in his life, of which he has spoken and written as long as was possible.

After a few encouraging words to the widow, we expressed the hope that she also may be prepared to meet the Lord in righteousness and peace. A few days before, she had heard from the mouth of her dear husband that the Lord had looked upon him in grace. The children were admonished to seek the Lord while it is still called today, so that the prayers of their father may never testify against them , nor of their grandmother, who is for many years rejoicing before God’s throne. His sisters, as many as were present, were addressed and shown the necessity of that good work in their hearts. We also spoke to the consistory and congregation who had heard his preaching for many years. After a few more words to the large number gathered for the occasion, the service was closed by singing from Ps. 138 (Psalter No. 381:4) and prayer.

At the Rock Valley cemetery, Rev. J.R. Beeke spoke out of II Sam. 14:14, “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth He respect any person: yet doth He devise means, that His banished be not expelled from Him.”

The truth of these words were emphasized both naturally and spiritually. We all must die, and death is for eternity. Our life is like water spilt on the ground—it sinks away into the earth in a moment. “Dust we are and unto dust shall we return again.” But above all, we must learn experimentally and spiritually what it means to die before death comes. We must die to everything of ourselves, including our religion. We must lose everything from our side as grounds for eternity. We must all become like water spilt on the ground. All that is of us must be spiritually crucified—”God respecteth no person”. He respects only His own work: “yet doth HE devise means that His banished be not expelled from Him.” We are all banished in our deep fall in Adam, but now to be one of God’s banished—a child of wrath, but yet chosen by Him out of sovereign good pleasure from all eternity—that is everything. His banished shall not be expelled from Him. They shall expel themselves and place themselves outside, yes, they shall even experience what it means to be placed outside by the Lord, yet the Lord never shall expel His elect, for while He pushes them away with one hand He draws them with the other.

The “Means” the Lord finds to accomplish His great purpose of this totally free and sovereign election is the blood-righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ—the only pillow on which His people can rest: “I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.” All from God, of God, unto God, and nothing of me: “Thine only”.

For those who are not strangers of the banished life and the motto “Thine only” it shall one day be fulfilled with the thief on the cross, “Thou shalt be with Me in paradise.” “Thou with Me”—that is the whole desire of their life—with that they can even go to hell. But, on the other hand, when we remain strangers of our banishement in Adam and of becoming outsiders in this life, we shall one day be expelled into everlasting darkness by the Lord Himself with all our religion and all our head knowledge. Satan, hell, death, grave, sin, world, and also the ungodly shall be put under the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ in that day (I Cor. 15:27), but His people shall hear His incomprehensible invitation, “My friend, come up higher.” They shall be at His side, forever leaning on His breast as one of His beloved apostles, with a “Master, is it I?” life no longer, but an eternal “Thou with Me” life. Self and all evil shall be walled out forever, and all good shall be walled in.

May the Lord sanctify the spoken words to the strengthening of the family, especially remembering the widow, granting her the rich portion of Simeon in her old age, so that she too may be enabled to confess by grace with the Christ-child in her arms: “Lord, now let me depart in peace for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.” That the Lord may grant this to each and every one of us out of the rich storehouses of His sovereign grace, and to the honor and glory of His own Name.

During his lifetime, Rev. VanZweden was pastor of the church in Passaic, N.J. for 21 years, and then transferred to the Rock Valley, Iowa Congregation which he served for 29 years. He died at the age of 91 years.

Rev. W.C.L.

A NOTE OF THANKS

Mrs. John Van Zweden and family wish to thank all those who conveyed expressions of sympathy following the death of their beloved husband and father. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord... that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

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