Salt Shakers

27/06/2022

Dear readers of Salt Shakers,

The committee would like to apologise for the hiatus in our publications in recent months. We were facing multiple resource concerns, and have had to let slip several issues.

By the grace of God, we have managed to resume work and, Lord willing, do aim to bring you two more issues in 2022. While each issue will be shorter and released over longer intervals, it is our prayer that these materials continue to edify our readers and boldly proclaim the truth of Scripture.

We covet your continual prayers for this work, and thank you for your encouragement and support over these years. May God be glorified in our weakness.

In Christ,
Salt Shakers' Committee

30/06/2021

Dear readers of Salt Shakers,

This is an announcement from the committee that our upcoming June issue will be postponed to October 2021.

This is NOT the end of Salt Shakers, by any means! Committee members will be using this break to refresh ourselves spiritually, smoothen out some internal processes and prepare to return to the important work of producing biblical, Reformed literature.

Do continue to uphold us in your prayers as we strive to be a witness of God's truth through our publications.

Meanwhile, you may read our April 2021 edition, or even browse through our past issues on our blog:

A bi-monthly Reformed magazine by the youth in Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church

28/06/2021

Dear readers,

The following is a heart-warming article by a saint who has lived with hearing impairment since young.

Learn of her struggles - physical and spiritual - and the grace that our Lord has given her to cope with or overcome them.

For example, in questioning her lot, she has come to realise that "Such a comparison discounts the crosses that God has given others to bear, which differ from mine, whether known or unknown to me. These crosses may well be heavier than the one I bear. It also clouds out Christ’s command to “Come to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matt. 11:28-29)."

What has the Lord dealt to us on our pilgrimage? And how have we received it?

God has given me bilateral moderate-severe hearing loss since I was young. What does that mean? In both ears, I don’t hear well. When people hear a roll of thunder, I only hear a low rumble. …

23/06/2021

Dear readers,

There will always be a certain group of friends or people in our lives that we prefer to hang out with, some more than others. But in so doing, are we unconsciously neglecting some who may be looking for friends but are afraid of approaching the clique for fear of being turned down?

The Bible calls us to love one another (1 Jn 4:11) and to seek out one another as well. Therefore, in our group of friends, we must always remain friendly and approachable to others!

Cliques may seem innocent at a glance but if and when we are too sticky, it may only push others away and show ourselves as unfriendly people.

Therefore, let us all take heed to what the word says about being kind to everyone (Eph 4:32) and to show ourselves to be friendly to all!

Are cliques bad / wrong? Cliques. We all have been in one, hoped to be in one, or have a loved one who is included or excluded from one. Due to the dividing nature of cliques, it is apparent that c…

17/06/2021

Dear readers,

Do we hate our neighbours?

Yes you read that right - do we hate our neighbours?

Well, maybe not an outright, active hatred against them. But do we hate them passively?

Jonah was such an example - "[He] knew that God intended to save the Ninevites by the preaching of His Word, and he would not have any of it. He would rather die, bringing himself to the grave and God’s Word with him, than to breathe a word of the LORD to his avowed foes."

When we keep the gospel to ourselves, "[aren't] we being self-righteous, thinking that only people like us could be saved, and that there is no hope for this wicked lot?"

What was the Lord's Word to Jonah and what is it to us today? Read on to find out!

“Jonah, Jonah, have you heard…” the young child sings, chidingly. “You should obey the LORD.” This rebuke, apt as it is towards Jonah, is equally apt to us. How many times do we take the Word of th…

11/06/2021

Dear readers,

“Look for the coming of Jesus Christ!” Are our lives one that is spiritually sober so that we can watch for the day of Christ or are we living our lives in a state of “spiritual drunkenness”?

We can only make wise decisions if we are sober. And when we are sober, we would desire to live lives that are pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

Unlike the children of God, the unbelievers are asleep and only desires to spend their time enjoying the wicked things of the world for “they have judged that there will never be any consequences for their earthly minded sin-seeking.”

However, we must not join them for we have been given the precious gift of faith! “We watch as those who are awake and we keep ourselves sober”!

Just like how we exercise to keep our physical bodies fit and healthy, let us exercise our spiritual bodies in frequent prayer, reading of the word and attending bible studies. And in so doing, we are able to “avoid spiritual inactivity or laziness in order to remain alert to the coming of Jesus Christ”!

Read on to find out more!

Two Texts God commands us many times in His word to watch and many other times to be sober. But only two passages combine these two commands together. First is 1 Thess. 5:6, “Therefore let us not s…

08/06/2021

Dear readers,

Rev 2:17 "...To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will *give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it*."

In Christ's letter to Pergamos, He promises to give a white stone to those who overcome. What is this white stone?

"A white stone with a new name on it, which is given to the faithful, is a startlingly wonderful gift. When Adam named the animals in Paradise, the names he gave them were not merely arbitrary names, but rather names that expressed the purpose how God’s power and majesty were revealed in each animal.
..[T]his new name will express – in a language we do not now know (II Cor. 12:1) — how God’s great grace saved us for our own special place in glory. The name will express perfectly why God saved us, how he saved us, and why we are in our own place in heaven to reveal the great riches of the glory of almighty God."

As we face the reality of death in this world, may this text be our comfort. Fellow saints who have fallen asleep in Christ receive this new name - knowing fully the purpose of God in their lives.

Read the full article here:

The city of Pergamos was an extremely wealthy city. It was the farthest north of the seven churches of Asia Minor. It too was near the coast of the Aegean Sea and was therefore an important trading…

03/06/2021

Dear readers,

The office bearers that God has placed in our church have a weighty responsibility on their shoulders. On top of their regular jobs, they have to attend session meetings that runs past their bedtime, visit the sick, the widowed, the poor and fulfil many other callings that they have such as raising their own children and taking care of their families.

Do we thank them for working tirelessly to ensure that the church is running smoothly or do we just think to ourselves “well, that’s their job....”?

It is often easier to pick out a fault than to find the good in someone. This might be the case for some of us in church as well. Are we like the Israelites who are complaining and murmuring because of this or that? If so, stop! That ought not to be our attitude but rather, go to them humbly and speak peaceably. We should also trust that the decisions that these men make are always for the good of the church. Pray for them, thank them and above all, thank God for giving us men who are willing to stand in office so that they can serve the church!

In what period of Bible history do we have the most narratives about the church’s foolish dishonouring of those whom God has placed in authority over her? During Israel’s wilderness wanderings, whi…

30/05/2021

Dear readers,

In this article, the writer talks about how “boys are to be strong plants, because God has given men a responsibility.” Many of these men played a large part in serving the church and spreading the gospel. Think of Abraham, Isaac and Moses. How then do we want to raise our boys?

Discipline starts off at an early age when these infants grow up and start making demands. As parents, we have to be quick to discipline and teach them right from wrong using God’s word as the basis of instruction. We do not stop when these boys become teens but we continue to teach and correct them even in their young adult years.

God who is a Father unto us will chastise, rebuke and correct His children when we err. Likewise, we do the same to our children.

We teach them not to love the world, to put away sin and to live a life of thankfulness towards God! And by so doing, we hope and pray that “God preserves his church, raising up another generation of men who love him and his people.”

The third generation of Christians born in CERC is growing. Year after year, infants from that generation are brought before the congregation to be baptised, a testimony that God not only saves adu…

29/04/2021

Dear readers,

In this article, a few young mums share about the idols of comfort, control and approval in their child-rearing experiences. On comfort, they write "...when we have to make certain decisions for the family or the children, do we make those decisions based on our comfort or the word of God? Is our attendance at church and church activities based on whether it is convenient or comfortable for us?"

Or, regarding man's approval - "We fear the rejection of others and seek to show the best parts of our families. We gladly share our successes with our children’s discipline, sleep, etc. but are reluctant to say that they rejected their meals or were unkind to their siblings."

Friends, is this true of us in parenting or other aspects of our lives? Do we prize comfort, control and approval above God's will? May God graciously forbid!

In our first installment we shared some reflections on the book Idols of a Mother’s Heart by Christina Fox. We saw how our sinful hearts are prone to prizing our children and earthly success more h…

23/04/2021

Dear readers,

What is the church order used for? It is a document for the maintenance of good order in the church ensuring proper church polity and governance.

What happens when one or a group of individuals are upset with the decision that the session has made? The proper way to go about it is by protesting. But even so, this is done in an orderly manner. And it’s done individually not as a group.

“The most obvious evidence of that individual calling is Jesus’ command to the individual. “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone” (v. 15).”

Read on to find out more!

Recently, Prof. Dykstra gave a class on Article 31 of the Church Order. During the class, a member of our congregation asked for Scriptural proof that the individual is primarily responsible to pro…

16/04/2021

Dear readers,

This article is an interesting read as it talks about how parents have a part to play in nurturing or damaging the conscience of a child.

“Sometimes in our fervent desire to train our children in the way they should go, we apply such brute-force parenting that seems convenient and effective, to the confusion and hurt of our children’s consciences.”

The words we use and the actions shown on a daily basis towards our children will have an impact on them. When we are not mindful of them, it may end up scarring the conscience of a little one.

What can we as parents do to ensure that they are rightly taught? Use the bible as your basis and foundation!

“We as parents have the responsibility to teach our children what it means to hide God’s Word in their hearts and to encourage them to do so through our word and example.”

Prov 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This verse is clear in teaching us what our duties our parents MUST be. It’s not an option or an advice which you can simple disregard but a command from God!

Read on to find out more:

The Conscience The conscience is something we as humans recognise in ourselves and in one another, regardless of whether one is a Christian or not. It is an innate ability to tell right from wrong …