Young Adult Gathering, Zeist
On Saturday morning, September 15, Rev. Elshout and I drove to the Poortkerk in Veenendaal, where he preached in Dutch in the morning with considerable freedom on the cross of Christ and I preached in the afternoon on the crosses of the Christian. It was great to meet Leen VanValen there;
Leen VanValen
he is a well-known author of Christian biography as well as a “Barnabas of encouragement for us. We then drove on to the Nooderlichtkerk in Zeist, where I spoke in the evening on “God’s Leading in Your Life” to 550 young adults, mostly in their late teens and early twenties. The entire church was packed—what an opportunity to bring the gospel! By the time we were back to home base, it was midnight again.
Sunday was another full day. Rev. Elshout preached to about 400 people with freedom in the Christelijke Gereformeerd Kerk of Utrecht on Romans 8:28 in the morning. I attended a sermon preached by the now 80-year-old Rev. Cor Harinck in the Gereformeerde Gemeenten congregation in Houten on the woman who was diseased for eighteen years (Luke 13:11). It was a beautiful sermon for poor, needy sinners, to encourage them to entrust themselves to the gospel. Afterward, I had the privilege of meeting with Rev. Harinck and the consistory of the Houten GG for some fellowship and coffee. It was great to see this dear brother again. He was such a major influence on my spiritual life as a teenager. In the afternoon, I preached in English without a translator at the Hersteld Hervormd Kerk in Woudenberg to 350 people on 1 Timothy 1:15-17. That evening I preached (with Rev. Elshout translating) on Isaac’s question, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7b) for Rev. Lawrence DenButter at the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk of Culemborg. Both Rev. Elshout and I are enjoying our developing friendship with this able, young minister.
On Monday, I spoke to a few dozen ministers in the morning at the Poortkerk in Veenendal on Puritan preaching. In the afternoon, we had a follow-up Q and A session, then visited the Bert Breunisee family, and had supper with him and Henk and Corry VanderZwaan
Henk and Corry VanderZwaan
at their home. That evening, I spoke on “Parenting by God’s Promises” at the Hersteld Hervormed Kerk at Woudenberg to 350 parents, which was followed by a Q and A session again. We were back to our home away from home by midnight.
Tuesday we went to the DenHertog bookstore in Utrecht, and to the family of Klaas VanderZwaag,
Klaas and Geertje VanderZwaag
an editor for Reformatorisch Dagblad, for lunch. That afternoon I gave two addresses on following God fully to the student body at Fruytier High School in Apeldoorn. After having dinner with the principal of the high school, I spoke for a final time that evening on persevering in the Christian race until the end.
The next morning, September 19, I was up at 5:00 a.m. to wing my way home via Amsterdam and Newark. How good the Lord was to me on this twelve-day journey to No. Ireland and the Netherlands. Friendships with many old friends were renewed and many new friends were made. But most importantly, in these twelve days I was privileged to bring God’s Word two dozen times to several thousand people. Who can tell what God will do with His own Word? How encouraging it is to realize that that Word will not return void to our great God.
