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540 Crescent St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

By the Spirit’s grace, discipling believers in Christ and evangelizing unbelievers for God’s glory.

Mexico, Brazil and North American CitiesNovember 23, 2016

Dear Friends, May God grant you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving Day in Christ Jesus. I pray that we may all increasingly

learn to confess with Paul in truth: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

Here are a few notes of my fall itineraries (again, the sections designated “Mary” are written by my kind wife):

Jacksonville, Florida (September 23–24, 2016)I had an opportunity to evangelize a young man, a computer science major, on my flight to Florida on Friday afternoon. I promised to send him further lit-erature and to communicate with him.

On Friday evening and Saturday morning, I spoke four times for the annual Fall Bible Conference put on by Ortega Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Flor-ida, pastored by Rev. David L. Burke. The theme was Cultivating Holiness, and the topics were: Personal Holiness; Family Holiness; the Church’s Holiness; and Heaven’s Holiness.

Several ministers and friends of many years were present. The people were teachable and responsive; happily, they were also great readers and purchased numerous books. Pray that God will bless those books to their souls and lives.

Hull, Iowa (September 25, 2016)I was able to get the last flights from Jacksonville, Florida to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Saturday evening, so I could arrive at the home of my wife’s sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Pete VanBeek, prior to midnight, where my dear wife was waiting for me. On Sunday morning, I installed my dear friend and brother, Rev. Bartel Elshout, as pastor of Hull, Iowa HRC, preaching from 2 Corinthi-ans 6:8–10 on “The Ministry’s Beautiful Paradox.” That evening, Rev. Elshout delivered his inaugural message, followed by a number of best wishes from various people and a time of fellowship at his home for family and friends. It was a wonderful day. May God use our brother greatly in this flock to His own glory, His people’s maturation, and the salvation of the lost.

With Pastor David Burke (center) and his intern Josh

With Pastor Elshout

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Tampico, Mexico (September 28–October 3, 2016)I arrived at 6:00 a.m. for a flight to Tampico via Atlanta an hour early, only to discover that my flight had departed two minutes earlier! I was not aware that the flight had been bumped up. After a lengthy phone call with a Delta representative, I got rebooked for the next day, but when another representative was about to send the tickets to my cell phone, I asked him, “Are you absolutely sure I cannot get to Tampico today?” Five minutes later I had a ticket from Grand Rapids to Tampico via Detroit that was scheduled to land at the same time as my original flight. I was told that I would have to rush to the gate in Grand Rapids however, since my flight was already boarding. Well, the Detroit gate was just across the hall from where

I was calling. How kind God’s providence is!About 1,300 people attended the conference in

Tampico. The conference was titled “By His Word” and focused on various aspects of understanding and using the Word of God. The three main speakers were Sugel Michelen, a good friend and well-known preacher from Dominican Republic; Justin Burk-holder, a gifted young preacher and missionary from Guatemala; and I. From Thursday through Sunday, each of us preached eight times and participated in two Q&A sessions. I spoke on the sufficiency of the Word, how to read the Word, how to meditate on God’s Word, parenting by God’s Word, doing fam-

ily worship from the Word, and how to receive and do the Word. I also preached in two churches on the Lord’s Day and did a pastor’s workshop on Puritan preaching. Sam Rhinehart, a fine, Reformed young man, was my able translator all ten times. What a gem he is!

In addition to enjoying Sam, I enjoyed fellowship with my fellow speakers and spending time with Dr. Roberto Perales, a family doc-tor and part-time pastor. I spoke at length with three young men who feel called to the ministry and are interested in coming to PRTS, but two of them do not know English well enough to come at this point. Then I talked with several Mexicans who wanted to express what the conference meant to them. I also spent some time answering private questions and counseling a few people facing serious challenges.

We heard lots of stories about drug lords and wars between rival groups in Tampico but encountered none of that. I just made sure that I walked nowhere alone. That lack of freedom makes one feel a bit more confined than usual, but overall it was a good conference at which I felt used by God.

Goiania, Brazil (October 10–18, 2016; Mary)The 14th Reformed Conference for Pastors and Leaders was held at First Presbyterian Church of Goiania in Brazil. About 750 people were in atten-

dance. The theme was “And Then the End Will Come.” Joel spoke five times on “Our Hope in Life and Death” (1 Thess. 4:13—5:3), “Visions of the Church” (Rev. 6:17—8:1), “The Marriage Feast of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:6–9), “Man of Sin: The Anti-christ” (2 Thess. 2:1–12), and “The New Jerusalem” (Rev. 21:9–27). Other speakers included Augustus Nicodemus, Milton

With Sam Rhinehart, my able translator

Lunch with some of the speakers (Sugel Michelen, front left).

Saying goodbye to speakers, pastors, and spouses.

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Rodrigues Jr., Mauro Meister, Leandro Lima, and Deynmes Procopia. I did two breakout sessions: “Bullies or Buddies” and “Pastor’s Wife: Burden and Blessing.” Joel’s interpreters were Luciano and Mauro; mine was Minka, Augustus’s wife.

We enjoyed our time with different members of the pasto-ral staff and others. They treated us to a gastronomic event at several restaurants. We knew some of these folks before but enjoyed getting to know Augus-tus and Minka better. God has used Augustus in Brazil to bring

many to faith and to mentor other pastors. He was raised in the Presbyterian Church, but strayed into worldly living from age 18 to 22. He had everything a young person could want, but he felt empty and depressed. He thought the only solution was suicide. He knew his father had a gun in his bedroom. But when he went to get it, his mother was there reading her Bible. She could see the distress on his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. When he told her his troubles, she said, “Why don’t you pray about it?”

He told us, “I prayed and I immediately felt the burden of emptiness lifted. Everything that I had learned about the Lord as a child came back to me. I left all my friends behind. From then on I only wanted to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He worked eight months in a church and then was advised to go to seminary. There, a daughter of one of his professors caught his eye. He and Minka dated a while but then broke up. She came to Grand Rapids to study at Reformed Bible College. One day Augustus called her and asked her to marry him. The rest is history.

Augustus is a powerful preacher, and Minka is a strong helper at his side. Minka’s father is still well known in Brazil as a missionary and professor of missions, even though he is retired and has moved back to the Netherlands with his wife. He wrote a Greek/Portuguese grammar book that is widely used by ministers today.

As a teacher, Minka’s father was most sensitive to his students. If he sensed pride in a seminary student, he would invite him over. As they conversed, he would point to a spot on the baseboard behind the door and ask, “Can you read that down there?” The student had to get down on his hands and knees to see it. Then Minka’s father would put his hand on the stu-dent’s shoulder, holding him down, and pray, “Oh Lord, keep this young man on his knees. Make him humble so that he can be useful in Thy kingdom….” Augustus was one of the many students Minka’s father did this for!

Another story that has endured is about the morning that students had a food fight with wadded up pieces of bread. Minka’s father walked in, sized up the situation, and reached for a plate. He picked up the wads of bread off the floor and silently began to eat them.

Minka told me a story about herself after I gave a speech on bullying. As Dutch immigrants, she and her siblings attended Brazilian schools. They were often ignored by other students. Or when Minka would walk into a room, all the girls would get up and leave. She was sad and lonely at school, but she was okay because she got so much love at home.

Many years later, she was visiting a city in Brazil with her daughter, when a woman put her hand on her shoulder and asked, “Do you remember me?” Minka did not. The woman said, “I need to apologize for being so unkind to you in high school. But I also want to tell you that your example of godliness was used by God to lead me to the Lord Jesus Christ years later.”

With Augustus and Minka Nicodemus (left) and one of Nicodemus’s five associate pastors, Douglas and Geisa Boaventura (right).

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On Friday, Breno Macedo and an elder took Minka and me to Brasilia, three hours away. Breno’s wife, Roberta and Flavia Silviera have a blog titled “The Godly Woman,” which is widely read in Brazil. They were planning a conference for 2017, but when they heard we would be so close by, they pulled a conference together in short order. The theme of this conference was based on Titus 2. I spoke on “Teaching Good Things,” “Love and Obey Your Husband,” and “Love Your Children.” The other speakers were Breno, Simone, Solano Portalo, and Daniel Silviera, Flavia’s husband.

I was a bit worried that the biblical mandate for wives might not sit too well, as Brazilian culture values a woman’s career more than homemaking. But I didn’t sense any resistance. I think the blog paved the way. One young lady told me, “My husband and I have been married two years, and we have not been following God’s plan. I learned so much about how to be a Christian wife, and I am so excited to put it into practice.” Many of these women have not had the benefit of growing up in a Christian home and seeing God’s design for a loving family in action, which makes Titus 2—the older women teaching the younger women—all the more important.

I stayed one night with the Macedoes before returning to my sweet husband in Goiania. It was so good to be together again. We seem to need each other more as the years pass. On Sunday morning Joel preached at the Presbyte-rian Church of Jardim Goias on “Jacob’s Contagious Blessings at Peniel” (Gen. 32:24–32). His interpreter was Luciano. The pastor, Dyeenmes (James) de Carvalho, is a gentle man. We had lunch with him and others in the home of one of their members. I went to First Presbyterian Church and spoke to a Sunday School class after the service on “Common and Uncommon Kindness.”

On Sunday evening, we returned to First Presbyterian Church, where Joel preached on Luke 22:31–32, with Augustus, the church’s senior pastor, interpreting. The message warned us to be aware of Satan and his wiles. But it also offered the comfort of knowing that Jesus Christ, our Prophet, Priest, and King, is the victor! I thought, “Surely someone is being saved tonight!” As I sat next to Minka listening to our husbands’ trumpet forth the Gospel, I felt so blessed to be the wife of a pastor who is powerful on the pulpit and who is loving and kind to me and to others. It was a wonderful finale for our time in Brazil.

As we return home, we pray that this awakening to the truths of Scripture in Brazil will grow into a full scale revival, and that the winds of the Holy Spirit will bring millions of sinners to life.

With Flavia (left) and Roberta (right)

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Signal Mountain, Tennessee (October 21–24, 2016; Mary) The trees were just beginning to put on their fall garb as we arrived in cool, sunny Tennessee. Drs. Brian Cosby and Charles Barrett are the pastors of Wayside Presbyterian Church, nestled into the side of Signal Mountain. Brian and Charles spoke at our recent Puritan Conference, and Joel and Dr. Michael Barrett, Charles’s father, were invited to speak at Wayside’s

annual Reformation Heritage Conference, on the subject of the Puritans. Joel condensed the vast subject of “Who Were the Puritans?” into one hour. On Saturday, he addressed the men at breakfast on “The Puritan Vision of Family Life.” Brian spoke on “The Life and Legacy of John Flavel,” Charles on “Puritan Theology for Today,” and Michael on “The Puritan Use of the Means of Grace.” All the men participated in a panel discussion on the legacy of the Puritans.

When Brian came to Wayside four and one-half years ago, the church had one three-year-old child, and the rest were adults. Today the church is full of people of all ages, including many children. We thank God for the beauti-ful, God-fearing families we met.

We had a bit of time off, so we took a hike to Signal Point, a beautiful spot overlook-ing the Tennessee River. Then Charles took us to see a memorial in Chattanooga which pays tribute to unborn children whose lives were snuffed out by abortion, as well as oth-ers who were lost through miscarriage. From 1973 to 1993, 35,000 babies were aborted in this building. In 1993, God used local Chris-tians to purchase the building and evict the clinic. It was renovated, and a pregnancy care center moved into half the building. The other half is the National Memorial for the Unborn (NMU). The centerpiece is a 50-foot long

With Drs. Michael Barrett, Charles Barrett (son), Brian Cosby, their wives and some of their children.

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granite wall inside a room that is open 24/7, with little bronze plaques expressing sad and sometimes tortured regrets of parents who aborted their babies.

Here are some: “I believed the lie and took your precious life. But know I love you. Mom”;“Ryan, October 1, 1978. Scared to stand—so sorry”; “Jason—the son I did not hold. I remember. Dad”; “To my innocents, I am so, so sorry. I wish, I wish, if only...”; “Baby St. John, Baby Camile, I was blind, but now I see.”

We wept as we read these plaques and their accompanying letters left on a shelf. We cried out to God as we sat in the car afterward, pleading for His mercy on our nation that we love because of His grace and gifts but grieved that we have strayed so far. We mourn for the parents who loved their chil-dren too late.

On Sunday morning, Joel preached on “Jesus Christ Meeting all our Needs.” As Prophet, Priest, and King, Christ admonishes, intercedes, and com-missions us. Jesus’ warning to Peter echoes through the ages to beware of Satan’s devices, yet God turns even that to our benefit, as He did with Peter. In the evening, as Michael expounded on God’s gift of His Word, prayer, and the sacraments, I was filled with gratitude for the blessings that fill our lives. To Him be the glory, great things He has done!

Ridgecrest, North Carolina (October 27–29, 2016)About 1,200 people, mostly home schooling families, gathered for the annual NCFIC Conference in Ridgecrest, North Carolina, on the last weekend of October, to hear more than a dozen addresses on the fear of God. On Thursday afternoon, all the speakers addressed a men’s gathering for ten minutes each on what was “burning in our souls.” The three-hour ses-sion was moving and convicting.

On Thursday evening the conference opened with an introductory message by Scott Brown followed by his message on Psalm 128, and my sermon on why the fear of God is important, based on Ecclesiastes 12:13. After my address I met with a few families from Michigan for spiritual fellowship and ice cream. One family has 18 children and the other has 11. Most of the children are adopted from various nationalities and are prospering. These families are very good friends and prayer-ful intercessors for me. We had a wonderful time catching up with each other and celebrating God’s goodness in our lives.

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On Friday, I did a one-hour video interview on next year’s theme of ref-ormation and repentance, spoke at length with a young man who would like to attend our seminary, attended prayer times and a two-hour speak-er’s luncheon, had breakfast and dinner with about a dozen friends, and listened to several addresses on the fear of God throughout the day and evening.

On Saturday morning, I spoke on John Bunyan on the fear of God. In the afternoon I participated in a panel, moderated by Scott Brown, on questions related to the fear of God.

Other plenary speakers on the fear of God whom I know well included Ken Ham, Scott Brown,

John Snyder, Jeff Pollard, Sam Waldron, and Kevin Swanson. Between speaking occasions, I helped sell books with Steve Renkema and Larry and Linda VanBeek. I’m including here a picture of a homeschooling family with seven young children. After they purchased a large version of our Study Bible, they all gathered around to look at it. They treated their new large Bible with awe and reverence. One of the young girls asked her father, “Daddy, to whom will this big Bible be passed on to if you were to pass away?”

Several of the other vendors have inter-esting stories. One of them whom I first got to know this year is Willie Levi who escaped persecution from southern Sudan in the 1990s and came to America with only a Bible. For the last twenty-plus years he has run a faith ministry called Operation Nehemiah, focusing on planting churches, promot-ing discipleship, encouraging agricultural development, and providing clean water in Southern Sudan. Mr. Levi has told his story nationwide through the media and has testified before representatives of the United States government about human

rights abuses in Sudan. He returns to Sudan for several months each year. “God’s hand has provided every step of the way,” he said.

I flew home on Saturday evening so I could preach on Sunday in Grand Rapids. I usually travel from Ridgecrest through Atlanta, but this time got routed through Charlotte. Since there was only one table open in the restaurant where I wanted to have a quick dinner, the man behind me in line wondered if we could sit together. As we talked, I found out that he was a “conservative Jew” who is still wait-ing for the Messiah to come. He has read the New Testament and has respect for it but believes that only the Old Testament is inspired.

I asked him if he had ever read Isaiah 53 and compared it with the last chapters of the four Gospels in the New Testament. He said that he had not. When he found out I was a minister, he told me that he was in great need. His precious wife of 27 years whom he loves dearly is in the last stages of cancer. He opened up about his feelings

Fellowshipping with some families from Michigan.

Looking at their new Study Bible

With Willie Levi

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and admitted, upon my questioning, that he felt closer to the Lord than ever before. We had an unforgettable conversation about how the Lord uses heavy affliction in our lives for our good. I walked him through Hebrews 12:1–14, which I believe is the best chapter in the Bible about how to profit from affliction.

When I prayed with him (and yes, I did so in Jesus’ name), he broke down in tears and said, “I cannot thank you enough. I know it was God that routed you through Charlotte and brought us to sit together in this restaurant because you had to minister to me.” I promised to send him several appropriate books, and upon his request, gave him my email and phone number and told him that he could call me whenever he wished. I almost missed my plane due to pastoring him until the last minute. What a joy the service of the Lord is and how humbling it is when He brings needy people to His servants when we least expect it!

Grand Rapids, Michigan (November 3, 2016)Today our church had a day of prayer and fasting for the great needs of our country and its churches. From 7:00–9:00 p.m. we joined about 450 people in Seventh Reformed Church for two hours of prayer calling for repentance, reformation, and revival. Eleven local pastors prayed in adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and petition. I was assigned to confess the sins of the church.

It was a sober yet encouraging evening. Oh, that as citizens and churches of America we would all fall on our faces before Almighty God, repent of our sins, and experience the Spirit’s mighty work of reformation and revival!

Rockford, Illinois (November 4–6, 2016)This weekend I spoke at a conference for Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois, speaking five times on vari-ous subjects. On Friday evening, I spoke on how election gives strength to evangelism. Saturday morning I spoke on how to lay hold of God and ourselves in prayer. Jonathan VanSetters, who I was grateful to have accompany me from Michigan, helped me sell books. Sales were brisk. The people seem hungry and teachable, eager to read and learn. I was particularly struck by an 11-year-old boy who told how meaningful the addresses were to him and thanked me earnestly for coming.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon visiting with four men in a beautiful farmhouse near the Wis-consin border. Since a few of them are studying for the ministry or aspiring to the ministry, they pep-pered me with questions about the ministry. We had a great time together talking about the ways of the Lord. How good such times are!

On Saturday evening we had another time of fellowship with Mr. and Mrs. Al Hubers and Pas-tor and Mrs. Gordon Taylor—both of whom I had done conferences for in years past. Al Hubers, a suc-cessful businessman for decades, serves as one of the church’s two elders (the pastor is Dale Smith). Pastor Taylor served in the ministry for forty-plus years and more recently has served as the secretary of ARBCA

(American Reformed Baptist Church Association). It was good to get to know them better.On the Lord’s Day, I spoke three times: first, for an adult class on what the Puritans have to teach us, next at the

morning worship on Christ as office-bearer, and then in the evening on Felix’s rejection of God’s Word. I felt God’s help throughout the day. I also particularly enjoyed meeting with Larry and Shelia Holley from Mississippi; we have many of the same friends.

Our time at the homestead of Al and Lori Hubers was outstanding. What dear people they are and what rich spiritual fellowship we had! I pray that our paths may cross again.

Quakertown, Pennsylvania (November 11–12, 2016)I took a quick overnight trip to Quakertown, where I gave two addresses (on total depravity and irresistible grace) to 400 people for the regional Philadelphia Conference of Reformed Theology (PCRT). Other speakers included Anthony Carter and Tony Merida, who spoke on the other three points of Calvinism.

Book buying was brisk. David Woollin, from Reformation Heritage Books, drove out with a heavy load of books that filled tables in three rooms! Together we sold $8,000 of books.

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On the plane flight home, I spoke to a 40-year-old woman from Ada, Michigan, who said she believed in the Bible and was a Christian, but she and her husband only take their children to church once in a while. She said that her husband was great with the two boys, ages 8 and 5. She was strong on bringing up her children with biblical morality, but weak on the gospel and the need for church attendance. When I explained the importance of bringing the family to church every week, she readily concurred. She thanked me for admonish-ing her “in a loving way” and promised the family would start going to church regularly. “My husband is all for regular church attendance,” she said, “but I have been reticent since I don’t think we’ve found the right church yet. Now, after talking with you, we will make work of this right away” Once again, I felt that kind Providence chose my seat!

San Antonio, Texas (November 15–17, 2016)I go to the Evangelical Theological Society conference every other year or so, primarily to sell books to the 2,000-plus professors, and also to deliver a scholarly paper or two to promote Reformed experiential theol-ogy. This year Jay Collier and I sold several thousands of dollars of books to the professors. A highlight was Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, stopping by our book table to buy more of our old rare used books than anyone else!

I spoke at the conference on “John Bunyan on the Trinity and the Fear of God,” an offshoot of the book that Paul Smalley and I recently co-authored. We hope to print the address as an article in a scholarly journal soon.

On Tuesday evening, I took a break to take the beautiful and historic Riverwalk boat cruise in San Antonio, with Andrew Billitch, who is just finishing his PhD at South-ern Baptist Theological Seminary on William Perkins. It was well worth the 35 minutes, though I thought that our guide tried to humor us too often.

On Wednesday evening, I preached on prayer for the San Antonio Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Afterward, the response and fellowship were encouraging. I especially enjoyed time with the pastor, Rev. Andrew Moody, and his father, Dr. Mark Moody, a retired cardiologist, as well as a dear brother, Alex (see picture), a California engineer who works for Boeing and who has been one of our best typists on the Works of William Perkins. We talked at length about future projects

With Dr. Al Mohler at our RHB book table

With Alex Moody

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for typing—especially about one of my dreams—doing the complete works of Anthony Burgess (presently my favorite Puritan!) in 6 or 7 volumes. How awesome that would be!

Pensacola, Florida (November 18–21, 2016)On my early morning flight from San Antonio to Atlanta, I sat next to a couple who were wonderfully converted from Roman Catholicism to the Reformed faith. It was a great talk. We shared business cards (he is in charge of 1,100 gas sta-tions) and I promised to send him our RHB booklist and a few books.

From Atlanta I flew to Pensacola where I was met by my good friend, Jeff Pollard, pastor of Mount Zion Bible Church in Pensacola, Florida, for whom I spoke four times over the weekend on “Cultivating Personal Prayer,” “Cultivating Godly Meditation,” and “Culti-vating a Godly Marriage.” Then I preached for Pastor Pollard on Sunday afternoon on “The Marriage of Christ and the Church” (Rev. 19:6–9). Pastor Pollard and Pastor Scott Brown were the other speakers. Their addresses were powerful, convicting, and practical on marriage and dealing with secret sins. Two members of the church and I managed a book table for RHB at this conference as well. The families were very hungry for good literature. Many of them purchased three or four piles of books throughout the conference. Knowing the potential that good reading can have on God-fearing

families, I confess that few things give me more joy in life than to get professing families started on reading the Puritans. This is the second time that I spoke at Pastor Pollard’s conference (the first time was 2010). I was again impressed with

the godliness of many of the people. Many in his flock can tell how the Lord led them from self-made darkness into His marvelous light. They are a God-fearing, sweet, and warm bunch of families.

On Sunday evening, I preached at Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Pensacola on the only way to live and die for Pastor John Schortmann. I felt considerable freedom for both sermons on the Lord’s Day, but the highlight of my day was hearing the remarkable conversions of Pastor Schortmann and his wife Mona after the eve-ning service, followed by hearing Jeff Pollard’s equally radical conversion in greater detail than I had ever heard before. John was converted from Roman Catholicism and Mona from Hinduism. Their conversion sent shock waves through their families. Jeff was converted from a full-time rock-and-roll band that toured the country and was drawing crowds of many thousands. One of the first primary means used for his conversion was his reading of Dr. M. Lloyd Jones’s volumes on Romans 6 and Romans 7. Jeff is easy to speak with heart to heart; I also shared my conversion with him. God’s grace is truly amazing!

Now it is Monday morning, and I am on the way home, having no more conferences scheduled until spring! Thanks so much for praying me through the last few very busy months.

As we approach the season of commemorating the advent and birth of Immanuel, may Christ Jesus become more pre-cious to you than ever before. Pray every day that God will send someone to you to whom you may speak a good word about Him. He is truly altogether lovely.

Warmly, Pastor Joel R. Beeke

With Pastors Jeff Pollard and Scott Brown

With Pastor John Schortmann and his wife