2019

Camp Speaker's Address

Dear campers,

We are so thankful for all those who were able to make it to the camp this year. May the Lord give us a time for spiritual retreat,

relaxed meditation, and thoughtful consideration together, and fellowship with one another. Sherry and I are personally looking

forward to this special time together. May we apply ourselves to encouraging each other and building each other up in our faith

and the knowledge of His truth of Blessed Lord.

The camp theme this year is excellent. It focuses on the work of the Spirit of Jesus Christ who dwells with us and in us. His work

is so rich and has so many dimensions. Jesus has this to say about the truth concerning the presence of His Spirit: "And I will pray

the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world

cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; fir He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I

will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live,

ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." John 14:16-20.

Jesus spoke these mysterious and blessed words just before He in the greatness of His love would sacrifice Himself for us on the

cross to accomplish our perfect salvation. Afterwards He rose again, proving that He is indeed the Mighty and Living Lord of our

salvation. Then shortly after His glorious resurrection, He ascended to His Father in heaven to His glorious throne. From His throne

in heaven He poured forth His Spirit upon His beloved church who would remain on earth. From the time of ascension of Jesus, the

Holy Spirit began His work as the specifically as Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, a new and more wonderful work than in the days of

the Old Testament. In connection with this work, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is known by the name THE COMFORTER. The reality of the

presence of Christ as the comforter would be known by the church and her members unto the glorious return of Jesus for the

realization of our final salvation and the ushering in the new heaven and earth and His everlasting kingdom therein.

In this world of so much confusion, and darkness sometimes trials in life that cause us great anguish and trouble and misery, we are

so greatly in need of the Great Comforter. There are so many fearful events take place every day, and even more dreadful events are

prophesied of in the Bible. We need the comforter who assures us of the presence of Christ with us and gives us the hope of His final

and perfect salvation. We need the Spirit of truth to lead and guide us into all truth that we are not left to walk in darkness and be

filled with hopeless despair about the future.

At our camp this year we are going to consider God's Word concerning some of the many wonderful aspects of the work of the Spirit

of Jesus Christ. Through the Spirit, God our Father and of His Son Jesus Christ, God is always with us. We experience His wonderful

nearness. Through the blessedness of the presence of the Spirit we have fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ whom to know

is life external and glory.

When we consider what the word of God has to say of the work of the Spirit, this work is so amazing. By the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we

have the new life of God in our hearts. He is the Spirit who regenerated us and also daily quickens the life of God in us. He is the

Spirit of truth who teaches us the whole of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. He enlightens our minds and our hearts and convinces of

the truth of God. We who are so weak ad helpless in ourselves, but we are made strong by the Spirit of Jesus Christ with us and in our

hearts. By the Spirit of Christ, we are delivered from the fearful power of the devil and gain the victory over the temptations of this

world. The Spirit of Christ in the Bible is called the Spirit of prayer and supplication who enables us to pray and even pray for us and

in us when we do not know what to pray for. He is the Spirit of holiness, Who by His work in us sanctifies us delivering us from the

power and corruption of our sinful nature and making us holy, preparing us to live with God. This is the reason why the Spirit is

designated most often in scripture as THE HOLY SPIRIT. Without this work we cannot hope ever to live with God.

May the Lord bless us this week as we are together and enjoy fellowship with each other. The communion of the saints is realized in

the body of Christ, which is His church, through the Spirit of Christ. He binds us together in the love of Christ and the unity of faith.

May God give us to know the blessed reality of this and the camp and in all our life in Covenant.

Pastor Arie den Hartog