The article outlines how “diaconal” ministry (diakonia) centers on service, charity, mercy, and justice — not as an optional add-on, but as intrinsic to the church’s calling. It argues that true diaconal ministry flows naturally out of the proclamation of God’s Word and the gospel, so that mercy, justice, healing, help and love become visible expressions of Christian faith.

A church that is alive invests in its youth, taking its children along toward a bright future with Christ and caring for them through family, school, and catechesis. Catechesis is pastoral care where the doctrine of the church is taught and learned, helping boys and girls to live with God, ask questions, and understand the life of the church. It is a meeting of the generations and a transfer of faith, where children are guided on the way of the covenant so that the future church may know and follow the living Christ.

The article explains that preaching is the ministry of the Word, where an age-old Bible text brings a clear message for the congregation today. It shows that the sermon is like serving food, based on the work of Christ and meant to be received and internalized by the hearers through the work of the Holy Spirit. Application is not just a part at the end, but the whole sermon, as the Spirit works through the Word to bring salvation into the lives of people.

The article explains that under the covenant of grace the two sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper were instituted by Christ as visible signs and seals of God’s promises to his people. It describes baptism as the once-for-all rite of initiation by which one is grafted into the covenant, and the Lord’s Supper as the ongoing feast of remembrance through which believers proclaim Christ’s death and look forward to his return.

Being “sealed with the Holy Spirit” means that when a believer hears the gospel and trusts in Christ, God marks them as His own — giving the Spirit as a seal of ownership, authenticity and belonging. The Spirit serves as a guarantee (or earnest) of the believer’s inheritance, assuring that redemption and full possession of that inheritance will come when Christ returns. This sealing signifies a present, lasting security in Christ, marking believers as God’s redeemed people and assuring their future glory.

True gratitude to God’s Word means bowing before it in humble reverence — receiving Scripture with thankful hearts, and letting it shape our lives in worship, obedience, and thankfulness. Believers are called not only to hear the Word, but to honour, cherish and obey it, so that gratitude becomes a lifestyle rooted in God’s truth.

This article is a discussion of Belgic Confession Article 37.

The centrality of the sermon in worship often impacts how we view and deal with the other liturgical elements, such as the Scripture readings, songs, and prayers. This article will discuss the place of the Scripture readings in the liturgy. It explains historical practices like the lectio continua, and calls for a renewed appreciation of the reading of various parts of Scripture, from both the Old and New Testament, in worship.

This is an explanation of Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Days 30c - 31.

This article discusses the functions of liturgical forms. The functions are to teach, to defend and to unite believers.

What is the relationship between our church services and our daily life? How is our daily life addressed in the worship service? What is the connection between the service of the Lord in the liturgy and our overall service of God to which we are called by virtue of the covenant with him?

The article argues that Christian freedom—liberty and responsibility—means believers are set free in Christ from the bondage of sin, guilt, and the law, thereby gaining spiritual liberty to live under grace rather than under law. It stresses that this freedom is not a license to indulge the flesh, but a calling to love and serve others, walking in holiness and using liberty responsibly so that one’s life honours God and builds up the community.

People who live right before their radiant King have a high status. They do not have to behave like a fanatical group or a scared army. This article uses the analogy of medieval knights to learn us some lessons in Christian living.

In a time when one is quickly tempted to say: “Reformed morals only where the Bible speaks expressly”, we think it is better to formulate it as follows: “Reformed morals? Yes — unless the Bible explicitly opposes it”. In this way there is room left to work on a shared responsibility for all and then also worked out in a personal way.

Should we be setting aside the theme of the atonement in order to achieve a “rehabilitation” of the theme of the kingdom?

Autism touches me. When I hear and read about autism and when I talk to someone with autism, I recognize certain things about myself (and in my mind I shout “yes” when I read that all of us share a small degree of autism, especially us men). This article discusses aspects of pastoral care in the case of autism.