BOOKLETS OF BIBL daa” a the Dee BIBLE = STANDARD dneltional Inmavalty 5 # 2 Vital Doctrine? Vol.IIl No.6 Nov-Dec 199] Ate Siges and Gite the Work of th rly Spit for Today” fy Robert Nash -CONTENTS- The Message OF Christmas. ‘The Fallon Mantle the Holy Spint) The Dwvine ite aan By Ornes Auinors » How It All Began..... Ute and immortaity - Basil Atkinson Rasurtecion Hie and Ours David Dean The First Three Gospels.. The Righteous Judge HE Guilebau sf a pene ‘Tribulations And The End Of The Age. "eee and other publications are available at low cost tom The Bust Siewars 8 Kimbernan Averus Mt Foskil Auckiana Chureh News... ‘he BIBLE STANDARD isthe oficial organ al the Churches o AN INVITATION TO YOU Rutable anicles are woleoine tor publication These car o2 ot ar exp-siur “oplcal 3 personal -ature errs "2 te Editor (eigned) ate algo welcome m should B¢ understour ut the Ector dows "n* nececsany fagiae wh av ews axpressed EDITOR. Ww Pestage “04 PUBLISHER: « + Dovay 353 Sy: amore Dive M ft Lie anc vont nc When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians $4 Registered as a magazmne for transnussion through the post 32THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS - ese. AU this took place to full what th Behold, 2 vigin shall conceive a Emmanuel (i PHPPP DDD = Be A A A A A AR A a The message of Christmas is “GOD WITH US" In the fullest ok “in Christ the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9) The Word, wha has always been with God and is Himself God, "became a human being, in the fullest sense, and made his dwelling among us" (John 4:1,14), ble sense! Fi Christians have’ always pondered how this could be. The fact of the virgin birth is not ‘an explanation, but only a sign that it was so. All we can say, perhaps, is that. since God created humanity "in his image" (Genisis 1:27), it was not strictly impossible. In alt creation, there is nothing so fitted to be the vehicle of Gad's sell-revetation as a human lite. 1 God were to reveal Himself at al, it would have to be that way. And yet, that the Creator should actually and personally enter His creation remains beyond comprehension. Further, that He should make His dwelling in a world that had disowned Him through sin is a tremendous miracle of grace, Nor did God come in ‘pomp and circumstance’. as one of the world's elite But as the son of a poor family, amoungst an oppressed people, in an occupied land. Yet He came, in fulllment of His own promises through the prophets of Isreal The one true God, sovereign even in lowliness, faithtull beyond all expection, came to be with us as one of us. Against all the odds, the Creator has entered His creation, in Jesus Christ, to recover the world for Himself and to ensure that His good purpose for Aumanity from all eternity will be fulfilled ED. LAH e errors resrermny & corots ne cveting of God's wih nen Ho wit ower min ton and gu shall be his people and God thinset wil! be with them ae" LIF) PRAAAAARRAAAEREAAE FAITH \Eedote ancl Holm Atcrekg bstance of 2 sermon a faithiess and perverse generation’ How long shail | be with you and suffer you? Now, who was Christ speaking to? Was it to the lad's father, or to the disciples, ‘orto the crowd gathered around about? THE RIGHT SPIRIT tt coukl easily nave been the boy's ‘elieving that al things are possibile wi sally believe that the i do the work of the Master while He was absent don't know, but ! would like 10 ask this Bo we come to God in the right spirit? Do we really believe that God does exist? Do we really believe that He is able to perform that which he has promised? Or are we Zoming to Him, or even coming to church, because itis thething to do? Or because it Is just as well to be on the right side? Are we coming in the right spin? THE WORD OF GOD ‘The Bible says that no man has seen God at any time and that the Son only has revealed Him (John 1). In the verses immediately preceding our reading, God ‘says of Christ: This is my beloved Son, hear Him. | know that God was speaking for the benefit of three chosen disciples, but | also believe the message Is just as. important for us today. "He is my Son, says God, "HEAR HIM." Do we believe He is God's Son? Do we listen to what He has to say to us, as recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture? Do we head What He has to say to us? Let us take this book, the Bible, and read for our- selves what Christ has to say to us. Let Us allow Him to speak to us through the wonderful words contained therein. Let Us beliove what He says to us. Then and then only wil our trust in Christ be a truly wonderful and rewarding experience, PRAYER Perhaps, though, it wasn't to the father Of the boy that Christ had spoken. His remarks may have beon addressed 10 the disciples. What was the matter with them? Why were they addressed as a ‘faithless generation"? These disciples, who had falled to cast out the demon, were some of the twelve Who, just a few weeks before, had been given authority over all devils. Let us have a look at the opening verses of Chapter 9, Here is Jesus giving authority to the twelve disciples to go into all the country round about, and cast out all evils and all manner of diseases. They had been given the powers, they had gone out on their mission and they had Feluned to report that it had worked, Within a very short time, they had been faced with another challenge and had falled, Do you remember the time when Christ fed the 5000 men plus women and children because the disciples had fai led to do so? You will be well familiar with the story. The crowd had followed Christ around the lake so that they could hear Him and be healed, or witness the many wonderful things which He did When it was getting late in the day, the disciples wanted to send the crowd away to buy food for themselves, But Christ said to me, “You give them something to eat!” You went and did all kinds of wonderful things, healing all kinds of diseases and casting out devils You feed them! But no, They had completely forgotter their previous experiences. And so Christ had once again to demonstrate to them the power of faith And now we have another of their recorded failures. Why did they fail? Jesus said that this type of demon could nly be got rie of by fasting ar elves and the divine powerhouse. And # the transmission line is broken o out o° order for some Feason oF other yo! know the answer as well as | do THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL Perhaps it wasn't the father of the lad or the discipies. Perhaps was the crowd to whom Jesus directed his comment, ‘0 faithless generation! Yes, you. All of you. How long have | got to be with you before you will believe in ma? How long do you expect me to put up with your flack of faith? These people had heard of, or even seen, many of the things which Christ had done even in their awn area, And yet they were not able to give the diseipies Ay encouragement or prayer would heal a sin-sick world? Are we ig help and encouragement te those 9 would cast out evil from the hearts of men and women. Or are we standing on the sidelines, criti ising their meth ods, their manners, and their lack of results? We must not leave no hands, no fee! bring the message dying word, The task is so great, and we are so human, so that the only w we can accomplish anything for Christ's sake is by asking Him for guidance and strength, and then placing ourselves entirely at His command. That meanscomplete surrender to his will, whatever that may mean, And that will mean steadfastness in prayer | cannot tell you what you must do as an individual, That must remain between you and the Lord Jesus Chiist. | can tell you that He Himself found it essential to be constantly in prayer to His heavenly Father, God. It was the only way that this unfortunate boy could be delivered, {tis the only way that the work of the Christian Church can be effective. “They were all amazed at the mighty power of God” (v43). The father of the boy, the boy himself, the disciples, the ‘orowd, including any Scribes and Phar sees who may have been there, ALL were amazed al the tremendous demonstration of God's power. Whet would happen if the whole Christian Church prayed as we ought? Wouldn't sinners and saints, Christians and non- Christians alike, be likewise amazed at the mighty power released from on high? THE CROSS. Now, while they were high upon the pinnacle of a truly amazing spiritual experience, Christ telis His disciples: ‘The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men” (v4). At the time, the disciples could not understand what He meant, How could they, for they were surrounded by a great demonstration of praise and thanksgiving to the great God of Abra ham for the miraculous healing of the boy and the throng pressing about to catch a glimpse of the wonderful Man of God who had done this thing! The disciples’ minds were racing off in a completely different direction: Which of them would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Surely such enthusiasm as they had just witnesses meant that the long-awaited Kingdom would soon be established in power and the cruol Roman yoke would be thrown off for ever. Jesus would be King! And who Would be next in importance? Peter perhaps, or James, or John? ‘These men had been Jesus’ constant companions. They had listened to His marvellous addresses and witnessed His terrific miracles. They knew His loving compassion, His deep under. standing, His just anger. Yet they did not Understand the purpose for which He came into the world: to’ die for the world's sin. That their Messiah should submit to death on a cruel Roman cross was beyond their comprehension. And yet, ‘without that death, neither they nor we would have any hope of participation in His Kingdom THE NEED FOR HUMILITY In the next few verses, th re follows @ taking a small fild and setting hi’ down alongside icely spoken. We lke to picture him vat way, cor But perhaps he wasn't such 3 litle boy, alter att Perhaps his clothes were just filly rage, perhaps he smelled like anything, because he hadn't rad a wash for months, Remember there were only wells in Palestine for a water supply There were lefs and there Perhaps he indkerc were plenty of flies abot was bawling 2 time, because he was seared stiff. Yet Jesus called hin 10 Himsert s you hecome as one of the lee of these 1 sald our Lord, ou cannot enter the Kingdom of Hea nt (see Matthew 18:2). He didn’t mean, poor and dirty and ragged, 1’ sure. But He did mean unimportant in your own eyes, trusting, guifeless, full of faith, What a shock it must have been io thei ego! “He that receweth one of 1 litle ones in my name recei whosoe nese ah me and ne receiveth Him 1 recerveth who sent me THE GALL TO SERVICE he that is least r shall be great wonder if Jobn’s conscience picked hirm, Notice how quickly ne changed the subject! "Master, we saw a man casting out devils in your name and we told him 0 stop, because he did not belong to us.” Wasnt he one of ther congrega tion? Didn't ne belor denomination? Was he. perha bk 9 to the same K man and not a white man. oF was There was no class distinction, no dene minational barrier, and no colour bar with Christ. Christ's reply tc this: “He who is not against us is us.” And | believe there is a lesson here which we do well to remember if we as Christians would spend tess time ctiticis ing others and judging others for theirfaults, and more time in prayer for their and others’ welfare, there would be a lot more demons cast out of sinners, with the result that there would be many more saved for eternity! sub Name: Address: Send to SUBSCHIPTION FORM Yes! | want to receive the Bible Standard regularly | enclose $10 as one year s Mrs Colleen Doody 95 Sycamore Orive, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 10 Please make cheques payable to Churches of Christ Printing Accounting May our heavenly Father help us to humble ourselves before Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord, that His will may be done on earth as its in heaven. THE SON OF GOD IN MARK’S GOSPEL HOW IT ALL BEGAN Our message and our faith focus on Jesus. We say and believe that God and His everlasting Kingdom are to be found through Him and centre upon Him: that 1e is the Son of God. Why? How did this message come about? What did Jesus do to reveal God and to justify Such faith? And what does it all mean for {t is to answer such questions as these that Mark wrote this, the earliest account of Jesus we have. “The beginning of the ‘gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (11). Here is how it all began. Here is the origin and basis of our faith. Let's stan reading! THE MESSAGE OF JESUS One thing hits us ery soon. Jesus Himself started this faith it was not invented afterwards, by Paul and Apos. tle for example, or by the early Church Jesus authorised this message Himsett Jesus came from Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is {ulfled, and the kingdom of God is at hhand; repent and believe in the gospel (114-48). What the prophets longed to Warren Prestidge see. God in His fulness, 1s now effec tively here for you; turn from sel! and trust in this message! Furthermore. Jesus pla squarely at the cent 2 of His messagy Turn to me, was whi passing along by saw Simon and A 1e Sea of Galilee drew And Jes said to then, ‘Follow me. Jewish rabbis didn’ do that Yes, they had disciples, but it was up to the disciples fo come to them, and not to follow a person but only to hear a teaching, Jesus. however. called for an absolute commitment to Himsell as a person. Later on, we find a man coming to Jesus to ask how he can enter God's King dom, a man who can even claim to have always kept all of God's command: ments. "Come, says Jesus, “follow m (10:21), The message, that God and his King dom are to be found in Jesus alone, is ‘not the invention of Christians. tt goes back to Jesus Himsett, Yes, but what did Jesus actually do to justify such faith. How did He reveal God and bring God's Kingdom within ourreach? How do we know He is the Son of God? TEACHING ‘And they want into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. And they wore astonished... for he taught them as fone who had authority and not as the teachers of the Law’ (1:21-22) Jesus taught with unique authority con: ceming God and man, an authority beyond even that of the Law of Moses Now, this is something no one has to take on trust, We can all check it out for ‘ourselves! The Gospels are full of that teaching, ‘The voice of Jesus is like no other. In every utterance, often with amazing simplicity, on no authority other than His, own, He goes to the heart of spiritual and moral truth about God and humanity, POWER "And immediately there was. in. their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; ‘and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? | know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and 10 ‘come out of him! And the unclean spin convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, saying, With authority he ‘commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him’ (1:23-28). Pethaps you don't believe in evil spirits. | believe there is a great deal of nonsense talked about them and | do not believe that. But | do believe in evil sprts. Why ‘not? The evidence, not only in the Bible, but in the whole religious and occult experience of mankind past and pre sent, is overwhelming. Put it this way. Jesus confronted and defeated every form of evil known to humanity, including these shock troops of Satan, with a word. He exerted God's ‘own authority and power over the devit HEALING ‘Now Simon's motherin-law lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him of her, And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up and the fever left her: and she served them (1:30.31). “And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, will; be clean’ (1:40-41). Across all religious and social taboos, the auth- ority power and ¢ eating, There mpassion of Jesus we see the Son of God “POWER EVANGELISM” Maybe so. There is a tet of talk today among Christians, bout “power evangelism” Obviously, what attracted people most 10 Jesus was that super vatural power He displayed in driving ‘out demons and in healing. Surely it follows, then, that this is what we need to be demonstrating today. in order to bring people out of their indifference to Ihe point of being receptive to Jesus Christ? And why no through faith in Christ, have access to the same Holy Spiri, the same Kingdom power of God, thal Jesus displayed? Do we Well, is that in fact what Jesus was on about? Is that the significance of Mark's Gospel? The answer, in my opinion, is: Yes, to some extent, but no, not really! ‘Yes, to some extent. In Mark 6:7,12-13, Le we read And Jesus called to nim ¢ velve and began to send them out ny two and gave the authority ove imsel demonstrated while 7 hank God for those Christians why having read the Gospels, ask ¢ od where that power Is today ar rest of us to ask the same question. And have the God given faith to exercise such gifts of power as God sees fit to grant. d teach the Yes, works of supernatural healing and exorcism, where i is truly called for have their place in Christian ministry and mission, in fact, they have always had a plat cially at the frontiers of mission. Yes, Mark's Gospel depicts supernatural healing and exorcism as an integral part Of Jesus’ total mission, and so it should be for the Church. To some extent, yes. throughout Christian history. espe But no, not really, Those things in themselves are not really what Jesus came to do, nor are they really what‘Mark, oF any other Gospel, is on about “Power evangelism” is not really the answer. it wasn't for Jesus. So it cannot be for us, Let's read the rest of Mark's account of the healing of the leper. “immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said 10 him, ‘See that you say nothing to any one...," (1:42.43). If Jesus had seen His. acts of healing power as primary ‘evangelistic tools, He would have welco: med the publicity. Instead, very often throughout Mark's Gospel, He secks to suppress it, Why? Because such acts are not central to His mission, Here is Jesus beside the bed of a dead Qi, “Taking her by the hand, he said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Lite Git, | say ta you, arise’ And immediately the gid got up and walked (she was 12 years old), and they were immediately overcome with amazement, And he strictly charged them that na one should know this. Is this Jesus passing up a golden evangelistic opportunity? No. This is Jesus saying: My acts of exorcism and healing are not central to the thrust of God's Kingdom, they are not at the heart of my mission as the Son of God, and they will not necessarily help in 12 bringing people into a true relationship with God, And the fact is, of course, that despite His many acts of power, Jesus was rejected and crucified THE HEART OF THE MATTER What, then, was the central thrust of God's Kingdom for Jesus? How, indeed, did He reveal God and God's Son? How did He bring people into a true relation- ship with God? His cross. We now come to the core of Mark's Gospel, 8:27-94, First, Jesus asks His disciples to put into words their faith in him. "You are the Christ,” says Simon Peter. But then comes the extraordinary Part. He forbids them to go around saying that! Why? Because people are bound to attach to such a title all the wrong connotations. Instead, we read, “he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again,” My mission as the Christ, says Jesus, is the cross, Sure enough, this makes no sense to Peter. Even though Peter is not demon. possessed, he is stil, in a much deeper sense, under Satan's sway! “And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, But tuming and seeing his disciples. he rebuked Peter, and said: ‘Get behind ‘me, Satan! Finally, Jesus makes i very clear that the cross is the heart of the matter, not only for Him, but for us too. “And he called the multitude with his disciples and said to them. ' any man would ‘come after me, let hm deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, Not only does Marc admit that Jesus had to endure crucifixion. He insists that the cross is the key to His Kingdom! Jesus does not seek acclaim: He seeks discipleship. And the real thrust of His Kingdom against evil is ot signs or wonders: it iS the cross. It is not His Supernatural powers which finally revez vesus as God's sor: it is His cross, Signs and wonders ze no basis for trus falth: the cross is. And signs and won. ders will not bring people into the Kingdom of God. but the cross will: His cross and ours. Signs and wonders? Yes, to some extent. But not for a moment did Jesus Confuse these with His central God. given message, mission and purpose. Nor should we. LET’S START AGAIN! Right at the beginning of Mark (1:2-8) 13 the real issue between God and humanity is defined by John the Baptist ‘tls sin. And the central gits of God's Kingdom, says John, those gifts which only the Christ, the Son of God, can bring, are the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spin. Then comes Jesus to be baptised by John. By submitting to John's baptism, Jesus is accepting the role of God's Servant for the sake of resolving those very issues. And that is why the Spirit of God comes upon Him, inaugurating the new age of the Kingdom, and the voice fof God acknowledges: “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee | am well pleased. In one verse, 10:45, Jesus Himself identifies the central thrust of His mis. sion: "..not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The whole reason the Gospel of God and His Kingdom centres in me, says Jesus, is that | am that righteous servant of the Lord (Isaiah 53) who will lay down my life to set others free for God from the guilt and power of sin, Then, on the eve of His great sacrifice, Mark tells that Jesus “took break...and said, “Take; this is my body.” And a up, saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is ‘poured out for many." If you remember only one thingabout me. says Jesus, let it be my cross tor that is how | have brought God to humanity, and humanity to God. Only once, in Mark. does Jesus Himsell deciare that He is the Christ, the Son of God. itis at His tial (14:61-62). Because there can be no doubt at that point what being God's Son in this world entails! By declaring Himself at that point, He is in effect committing Himself to the cross, for it is that vory declaration which brings condemnation upon Him Through His humble and selfless obe dience, even to the cross, Jesus revea: led Himsetf fully and finally to be the true and only Son of God. Through that cross, He broke Satan's power over the world forever and opened to us sinners God's everlasting Kingdom of righteous ness. peace. power and ife. justifying complete faith in Him And by that cross He calis us into repentance that leads 10 14 eternal life. and into a tke relationship with God and with others a relationship of giving, rather than getting; sell-denial, rather than self-service; trust, rather than demand; service, not control; love, not self-centredness. “Jesus reigns from the cross, ‘And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land Until the ninth hour And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice. “My God. my God, why has thou forsaken me? And Jesus uttered a loud dry. and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was fon in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who Stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said, "Truly THIS MAN was THE SON OF GOD!" (Mark 15:33.39), THE FIRST THREE GQSPELS - Warren Prestidge Ineaaing the gospels themselves |Contiuing our sees backgrounding and explaining the New Testament, we tur \ each of the fest 3 Gospels in tum. Remember, there is no substiute THE GOSPEL OF MARK CENTRAL THEME. Undoubtedly. the centrepiece of this book is Mk 8:27-38. The Son of God, the sole agent of God's Kingdom, is none other than this Jesus who was crucifigd! ‘That is Mark's astoishing message. The Son of God (1:") is the suffering servant of God (10:45). The central section (Mk 8:27 102) consists basi cally of @ confession of Jesus as the Christ, followed by three announce. ments by Jesus Himself, that 10 be the Christ means to acceps the cross, ‘So Mark not only admits that Jesus was ‘crucified. Mark frankly prociaims that His cross is the central thing about Him! As Paul said also. "We preach Christ cruci- fied!” (1 Cor 1:22.24). No wonder the Kingdom of God is referred to as a ‘mystery’ (4:11)! No wonder the words ‘and actions of Jesus, while arousing ‘awe and wonder are also the subject of 80 much misunderstanding. unbelief 15 and resentment throughout Mark! No wonder Jesus is so often reluctant to be made known as “the Christ” or the Son of God” at all! He is “on a different wave-length” from those around Him (9:20-32). The astonishing deeds of power are all there. Bul they do not fepresent the heart of Jesus’ mission, ‘The cross is the crowning revelation of who He is and what He means (15:39), as well as the means of our salvation (10:48), Our part is faith in Him, a faith that centres precisely upon His cross (8:34. 38). To know God truly, we must know Him in Jesus and His cross, and we must take up our own cross and follow Him, OUTLINES. ‘An outline is an attempt to grasp a book ‘as a whole. Always try doing your own, as well as testing those of others!Different outlines may be useful for Gifferem purposes Here are two for Mark (A) 11-18 introductory. 1:14 5:43 Near the Sea of Galilee 6:1 9:50 Further journeying in Galilee 10:1-52 Journey to Jerusalem chii 13 Final week in Jerusalem chia 16 Sutferings. cross resurrection (8) 14-43 Initiation of Jesus as the Servant Christ 1114 8:26 The powerful but mysterious Kingdom Three sections (114.36, 37.66. 6:7 8:21), each beginning with a summary of His activity. and the call or mission of His disciples, and each ending with His being rejected or misunderstood A blind man healed (8:22.26) 8:27.98 Initiation of the disciples into His way 8:27 10:52 The way of the cross Note the three announcements, three limes misunderstood. of the coming ross. and the climactic summary of Jesus whole mission (10:45) A blind man healed (10:46-52). 11.19 The final week in Jerusalem 14 16 Mission accomplished: disciples sent SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS. AS we saw last week, Mark was almost cerainly the first of the Gospels to be written, the earliest account we have of Jesus and a primary source for Mt and 16 Lk A hugely important book! What is @ tke? Can we trust i? Briefly: (1) It is a book of acts more than words, of Urgency and contict, of immediacy and Power, Here is Jesus in action! (2) itis {ull of vivid, reabie, circumstantial detail, Such as we would expect of an eye. witness who was there, rather than of a teller of legends (1:20; 3:5; 4:36.38; 5:41 699,48; 7:93:94; 8:24; 10:92.50: 14°51-52). (3) It is unpretentious and objective. The narrator's own feelings or Interpretation seldom intrude, even when he is recounting the erueifixion, He '8 not preaching. He is “tolling it tke it 's (4) Its candid. Matters that might be open to misunderstanding are not smoothed over: for example, the ten sions between Jesus and His family (8:21) of town (6:1-6) oF disciples (4:13, 8:33:34, 16:8), oF within Jesus Himsett (65, 8:22.26. 14:93-40. 15:34) This Jesus 1s no creation of 2 pious imagina. tion you cannot debunk Mark. (5) it is wnitten with Gentiles particularly in mind, Jewish customs are carefully explained (7°3-4) and Jesus’ Aramaic is translated (5:41, 7:34, 14:36, 15:34), (6) Inciden. tally, modern textual study shows that Mk 16:9 -20 is almost certainly not part of the original Gospel, but a very early addition That does not mean it is untrue! But Mark's own original ending 's probably jost ORIGINS Who, then, wrote Mark, and when, and (on what basis? The Bible does not say, But perhaps Mk 14:51.52 is his "signa. ture"! However, Eusebius (c300 A.D.) quotes ‘an early Christian wrter named Papias {C190 A.D), who refers to what “John the Elder” told hin: "Mark, indeed, having been the interpreter of Peter Wrote accurately. howbeit not in order, all that he recalled of what was either said or done by the Lord...” ("Ecclesias- tical History’ t.39,15}, This Mark would be the John Mark mentioned in Acts 12:12,25; 13:13; 15:36-40; 2 Tim 4:11; 1Pet 5:13 (“Baby lon’ here stands for Rome). in fact, all ‘our sources from the second century are unanimous in affirming that this Gospel is by Mark and rests upon the testimony of the Apostle Peter. Some add that it was written at Rome, either while Peter was there or just after his death during Nero's persecution of Christians there (Le. c65 A.D.) ‘This is an early and weighty tradition. It fits all the evidence. We cannot be Certain itis true, But we would have to have strong reasons to set it aside and we have none, THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW OUTLINE When we attempt an outline of Matthew, We soon notice how highly organised the book is. In particular, while the general framework is similar to Mark (except for cht-2, Jesus’ birth), in addi- tion various teaching materials have been collected into six massive blocks ‘according to theme: chs-7 the Kingdom. and i's “law ch10 mission ch13 the mystery of the kingdom (parables) chi 77 church order ch23 against false leaders ch24-25 the end of the age and final judgment 4-2 Birth of King Jesus (rejected by Jens, welcomed by Gentiles) 3-4:17 Preparation for His mission 4:18-10:42 His mission to Israel (5-7 teaching, 8-9 works, 10 disciples’ mission) 11:1-16:20 Rejection by Jews, recognition by dis- ciples, (11-12 rejection, 13 turning to the disciples, 14-16 growing recognition, theemerging church) 1621 20:34 The way to the cross of the rejected Messiah (16:21 18:35 in Galilee, 19 20 towards Jerusalem Jesus is training the dis ciplesichurch in His values) 21 25 The King in Jerusalem. Though rejected, He will establish Goa's Kingdom (21:42-44) 26 28 Submission and exaltation of the King. World mission SPECIAL THEMES. Win Mark Jesus 1s the Servant, in Matthew He is every inch the King! His authorty is underlined: as healer. judge, and especially teacher (7:28, 28:20). In ‘order that we know and observe His teaching on various subjects. it 1s so organised for us, But the authority of this Son of God 1s expressed in fowliness (21'S), The auth ofity now openly declared in His resur rection (28:28) is the authority of one who was crucified for us, a lowly King (11:25-0) with lowly followers (23:8-12) his law is love and forgiveness (6:21.48, 6:14.48, 7:12, 18:21-35). This 1s Jesus, who was "God with us’ in the flesh (1:23), now “with us’ till the end of the age in resurrection power (18:18-20. 28:20). What of His people? In Matthew. particu lar attention 1s paid to the nature and 18 Purpose of the church Compare that central passage. Mi 16:13-20. with Mk 8:27.90. Jesus is “building His church’ ‘The people of God are being redefined, ot on the basis of nationhood (Israel), but on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience 10 Him (also 21:33-46, 22:1-14, 2531-46, 28:18-20). Through His “blood of the covenant’ (26:28). He 1s the single focus of the Kingdom of God SPECIAL CHARACTERIS- TICS. (1) Systematic We have already noted the large blocks of teaching (5 7) 10 13 18) 23. 24 25) Following chS-7 teaching). we have Jesus works (3 sets of 8 acts). In ch13. 7 parables: in cha3, 7 woes (2) Teaching is highlighted. whereas events are often condensed compared with Mark Jesus is the great and final teacher of God's will (715-27 28:20) (8) This is the most Jewish of the Gospels Jewish customs and expressions are not explained. The Jew ish expression ‘kingdom of heaven’ father than “kingdom of God’ is used Attention 1s given to aspects of Jesus ministry of special ymportance to Jews His essential faithfulness to the OT Law (519 23:3) His fultlling the OT The pomnt 1s stressed that He directed His early ministry primary to Jews (10:5: 15:24). Jesus criticism of Jewish leaders and religion is also given in full (6:1-18, 16:1-20, ch23). (4) On the other hand, this Gospel makes it particularly clear, that through Christ the Kingdom of God 's now fully open to Gentiles (che, 4:15, 811-42, 15:21-28, 21:93-49, 22:8-10, 24:14, 28:19). The church of faith in Him supersedes national Israel as the com: munity of God's people (16:18-19, 18:18-20, 25:31-46) (5) Exceptional stress 15 laid upon tre end of the age ‘and the final judgment and the final separation of God's true people from hypocrites’ (6:1 18, 713-27 13:24.90 13:96-49, 13:47-50, 2211-14, ch2s) ORIGINS As we saw last isdie. about 50% of Matthew is substantialy from Mark, and Mt keeps largely to Mk’s order, espe: cially from ch 12 on A further 20% is similar to Luke and may well come from a source also used by Lk ("Q") The rest is special to Mt. ‘The Bible gives no indication who wrote Matthew or when. By the end of the ‘second century, everyone is saying that Matthew the Apostle was the author. However the evidence for this traditional scription 1s not so clear as in the case of Mark 19 ‘As with Mark, the earliest evidence 1s from Papias, as quoted in Eusebius ("Ecclesiastical History” 1.49.16), Howe ver, it is not clear that what he says relers to this Gospel. "..Matthew com piled the oracles in the Hebrew language; but everyone interpreted them as he was able.” Now, it is not likely that this Gospel was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. Perhaps the Apostle Matthew's writing was used as a source for the Gospel. n fact, one suggestion is that i was the Apostle who wrote “ {In any case, the writer of Matthew was surely a Jew, witing primarily for Jews, but in support of mission to Gentiles, probably of the Apostle Matthew's circle, Is Mt 13:52 a ite selt-portrait? He wrote after Mk, but before the end of the first century (Mt is quoted by Ignatius of Antioch 112 A.D.). Usually Mit is dated around 80 AD., but there is no clear indication to date.THE GOSPEL OF LUKE SPECIAL THEME Surely the great theme of this excep. tionally beautiful book is that Jesus, the suffering and glorified Son of God (24:44-49). is Saviour and Lord for all (2:10-11). especially the needy. neglec ted, outcast and lowly (4:16-30). This is @ Gospel, above all. of restoration for common humanity, of gracious favour to the lost (19:10), OUTLINE Broadly, Luke's outline is not different from Mt or Mk, but detailed organisation 18 not so evident. Certain features stand out though. Clearly, the scene at Nazareth, 4:14-90. 1s put at the begin ning of Jesus ministry, not because it came first chronologically (chronology does not matter to the Gospel writers all that much), but because it serves as an pitome of the whole: featuring both a summary statement of His whole mis tion and a foretaste of His rejection and lutfering. Secondly, at 9:51 references © Jesus’ final journey 0 Jerusalem vegin (see 19:22. 1711, 18:31, 19:11 9:28). The whole section. 9:51 19:27 Soften called the “travel narrative 20 111-4 Dedication 1:5 - 2:52 The Saviour's birth and boyhood (and first journey to Jerusalem) 3:1 - 4:13 His initiation 4:14 - 8:50 Ministry in Galilee (beginning and ending with intimations of the cross) 9:51 19:27 Progress to Jerusalem (characterised by warning and. contro. versy) 19:28 21:38 The “time of visi tation’ 22 24 Through suffering to glory SPECIAL CHARACTERIS- TICS (1) Comprehensive. Luke is the longest of the Gospels. (2) Luke stresses the operation of a divine plan, laid down in the OT Scriptures, which necessarily Includes the cross, as well as judgment upon Jerusalem itself and salvation for the world (4:21.43; 9:22; 13:99; 17:25; 1831 22:97,22, 28:7,26-27,44). (3) Luke stresses that Jesus is Saviour of all the world (2:14, 31.32; 3:6,38; 4:24.28; 9:54.56; 10:33; 13:29; 24:47). He is writing specifically for a Gentile audience (1:4). commending Christianity to the Gentile mind as a world faith, not just for Jews. For the same reason, he stresses the thoroughness of his research (1:1 4), and relates Jesus's life to the wider World of His time (2°1-2, 3:1.2). All this is @ feature also of Acts, which is -the Sequel to Luke (Acts 1:1.2) and traces the spread of the faith to the centre of the Gentile world at that time (Rome). At the same time, there is full acknow! edgement of its OT and Jewish roots (4) Luke shows Jesus, above all, as the leader of a revolution in values, the Merciful Lord, Saviour and Friend of those socially or reliciously disadvanta ged and oppressed: Gentiles (4:24.28) the poor and humble (1:52-53, 2:7-20, 41819, 6:20.22 1412-14. 1619.20, 181-8): lepers (512-18). Samaritans (9:51.56, 10:33. 1711 19): women (cht 2, 79650, 10:98-42. 1310-17 23:38), sinners (736-50, chs, 22:97 23:30-43, 24:46-47); tax collectors (19:1-10): chit dren (18:15-17 bewildered disciple (che4). At the same time, there is a very Powerful rejection of oppressive power, pride and sellighteousness (16:15, 18:9-14). with stong warnings against materialism and selfishness (6:24.26, 1213-34, 16115. 18°18-30).(5) Throughout Luke, exceptional attention '5 given to prayer (6) And to the Holy Spint (ohi-2; 431.14; t0:21,22; 11:18; 24:49). The coming of Jesus in @ugurates the time of renewal in the Spirt. He Himself is conceived through the Spirt and attested by the Spirit through others AI His baptism, He becomes the Bearer of the Spirit and, at 21 His resurrection and ascension, the Giver of the Spirit, Thus, the Kingdom of God is a really now, “in your midst through Jesus Christ (11:13,20; 17:20. 21), So, rejoice (24:52)! ORIGINS AS we saw last issue, about 33% of Luke ‘8 substantially Mark, And Luke keeps even closer to Mark's order than Mat thew. However, he omits about 50% of Mark. including all of Mk 6:45 826 (between Lk 9:17 and Lk 9:18). And Lk 9:51 18:15 contains very fitle of Mark Then there is the material Luke shares with Matthew (°Q”, 200-250 verses). However, about 50% of Luke is special to this Gospel ‘Again, the Bible itself doas not say who wrote this book, or when. Lk 1:1-4, though, clearly implies he himself was Rot an eye-witness of Jesus. It is also clear that Luke and Acts are by the Same person (Lk 1:1-4, Acts 1:1-5). The earliest testimony we have, the ‘Muratorian Canon" (c170 A.D.), ascribes both books to Luke, (Col 4:14, Phm 24, 2 Tim 4:11), a Greek Christian doctor and close companion of both Paul and Mark, All other early testimony agrees. When we come to Acis, we shall See that this fits very well with otherindirect evidence provided there. There ‘are no good arguments to the contrary. One theory of interest, is that Luke wrote a rst edition” of the Gospel before he had seen Mark's Gospel, and sub. sequently incorporated material from Mark in a "second edition We cannot be sure. All we can be NOTES 22 certain of, 1s that Lk as we have it was written after Mark, but within @ gener- ation of Jesus, What we can say, both from what the author himself says (1:1 4) and from independent study, is that he was a painstaking and sophisticated researcher, very close to the time of which he wrote, TRIBULATIONS AND THE END OF THE AGE (2) D.G. Penman |More 1s the concksion to an article on the prophecies of Jesus Mark 13. anc Luke 21. The fst part appeared in our last issue. Now look at the passage in Matthew. It is not necessary to deal with the Mark passage separately because it agrees very closely with Matthew's account ‘Matthew 24:1 reads: ‘And Jesus went out. and departed fiom the tempie’ ‘Then verse 3: “And as he sai upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying ‘Tell us, when shail these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?" This was now a private discus sion between Jesus and the disciples only. Jesus did not reply to their question umber one, relating to the destruction of the temple, apparently because they had heard the answer to that question while in the temple, Instead, He began to answer questions 2 and 3, relating to His coming “parousia’ and the end of the age. He repeated, in verses 4-6, most of what He had said in the temple, relating to the time of the end. (Luke 21 8-11), but added muci more detail, in verses 9.31 of chapter 24 That passage 23 ‘n Mathow 24 is too long to quote in full here, but you must read it carelully Verse 9 reads, ‘Then shall they deliver you up to be aificted, and shall kill you;, The word aillcted” in the Greek is “thiipsis which means tribulation and is the same word used in verses 21 and 29: “For then shall be great tribulation”, and alter the tribulation of those days”, But the “aifliction” (i.e. tribulation) of verse 9 is not the same one as the “great tribulation of verses 21 and 29. The former occurs before “And then shall many be offended" (v 10 Greek: “skan. dalizo”. caused to stumble), and before the abomination of desolation stands in the holy place, whereas the great tribu lation of verse 21 occurs ater that. The Lord's words addressed to the disciples were conceming the Jewish ration and so must be more applicable since the establishment of the nation of Israel as an independent sovereign state in 1948, That was prerequisite to the fullitment of the prophecy we are con sidering and it would seem that formany years prior 10 1948. particularly since the beginning of the 20th century, events world-wide were and are occur. ring which could lead up to the com: plete futfilment of the prophecy, e.g. wars, major famines, earthquakes in many places (some where there never were before), some in the name of Christ preaching false doctrines deceiv ing many. anti-semitism, persecution of Jews (holocaust). pestilences (Aids, skin cancers), and so on There are millions Cf Jews living in various countries of the world and there ts no reason to suggest that they wil escape the effects of the tribulations 10 be suffered by those in the state of Israel Let us be warned therefore that the whole population of those countries will suffer the wibula tions. In many cases it will be deservedly 80 because of their hatred of the Jews God said in Gen 12:3" | wil bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee meaning Abraham and the nation The Lord Jesus said. All these things are the beginning of sorrows and we suggest that that is just where we are in lime ght now, the Jews in a period of tinbulation which will continue to intensity during the coming years. setting the stage for Satan's agent. the Ant-Chist to make a covenant with the Jews This 24 's tribulation No. 2. two thousand years (approx) after the first one of Luke 21 ‘There is no suggestion in the Lord's recital of events that there will be any Pause in the progression of them prior to his descent from heaven with power and great glory (Matt 24:31), Please read again Matt 24:13:28, in which the Lord leads up to the “great tribulation’ — the third one, He again Gave them warning of this event: a) The gospel of the kingdom shall be reached im all the world (we believe by the 144,000 of Revetation chapter 7). b) The abomination of desolation will stand m the Holy Place (of the temple). c) When thay see that happen, they must flee to the mountains and not delay for ason (from Oaniel we know that that will be 3 and a half years before the very end) This third tribulation will be so ‘reat that there has never been one like "nor will there ever be (Matt 24:21). So what will be ike? A casual reading of chapter 24 does not Give a true picture of the immensity of the events which are going to occur. To gain some understanding we have to go to the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ and there's the problem. it has been called the most tremendous book ever written and it is a very complex fone Many and varied are the writings ‘about it by learned students. This writer ‘makes no attempt to give an exposition of it here, but wishes to make some general comments with the hope that they will give alittle enlightenment. The whole book, wih the possible exception of chapters 1:19 0 3:22, relates to the period of time described some 16 times in the O.T., and 5 times in the NT. as “the Day of the Lord John says in Rey 1:10 that he was “in the Spirit on the day ofthe Lord’, and in 1:19 that the Lord Jesus instructed him to “write the things which thou hast ‘seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” Then in 421-2: “After this | looked and, behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice which | heard wes as it were of a trumpet speaking with me: which said: ‘Come up here and | will show thee things which must be herealter.”” So John’s viewpoint was from heaven, and he saw and heard all the events which followed as written in the book, and in 22:8 he says, “And |, John, saw these things and heard them,” So what did he see and hear? a. The breaking of seven seals to open a Scroll resulting in war, famine, martyr domandanarchy b. The sounding of seven trumpets 25 accompanied by widespread destruction of trees and grass by hail and fire. sea tumed into blood, rivers tumed into blood. unnatural and intense darkness, locusts with stings like scorpions tor: menting people, and angelic beings kiling an innumerable number of people. cc. The emptying of seven bowls accom panied by painful sores upon many, the sea becoming blood killing all sea life, intense and unusual heat scorching many, and a tremendous earthquake 4. The destruction of the city of Babylon, e. Many other disasters. {. Finally the baie of Armagedtcion, A terrible catalogue of punishments be inflicted upon a sinful and Christ rejecting world, All happening in one day? Of course not, but obviously spread over a number of years. No wonder the prophet Amos wrote in chapter 5:18; "Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lora! To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.” And v.20: “Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness int? We believe that the end of the present dispensation - the day of Grace - is very ‘near and that the "Day of the Lord” will‘soon commence. So is there any way to escape from the terrible events listed above? We previously referred to Euse- bius who wrote: “The people of the cchurch in Jerusalém were commanded by an oracle given by revelation before the war to those in the city who were worthy of it to depart.” The Lord Jesus ended his teaching in the temple by saying to those present, the disciples and others, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things which shall come to pass...” (Luke 21:36). All in the temple apparently were not worthy. The apostle Paul exhorts us 26 Gentiles to walk worthy of the vocation to which ye are called (Eph 4:1). and ‘walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleas ing and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col 1:10) It we wish to walk worthy Gentes, and then obey the injunction given to us through Timothy in Paurs second epistle: “Be eager to present yourself approved 10 God, a workman unashamed, cutting straight the word of ‘ruth’ (2 Tim 2:18). Cr ree = ———— CHURCH NEWS ~ EAST STREET Greetings to our sister churches, Cagayan de Oro features high 1 our prayers and thoughts at the present time. Early in September a valedictory service was held for Ernie Schache prior to his departure for the Philippines for 6 months. Rob Carr, the Chairman of the Association Mission Committee, spoke, as did also Emie ard Pastor Grant Cameron. The same evening, a time of fellowship with Emie was had over supper. Several went out to the airport to farewell Emie the next Wednesday. It is good to have regular news from Ernie, and | know he would value our prayers for the time he is there. Three of our church members are at this time prepar ing themselves with injections, etc, to join with Erie in about 8 weeks time. The team, too, will value our prayers. We had another farewell luncheon, this time to Lyn and Alan Gautier, who have gone to Paris for 1 or 2 years, At the same luncheon, acknowledgement was given to the older folk who can no longer worship with us, but worship at Powley House. 27 The young people have been so ener getic as usual, and have had 10 pin bowling and Laser Strike evenings. a video evening and a night at the Waiwera Pools. They also attended a YFC rally (The Guatemala breakfast) We have 2 Bible Classes each week, one taken by the pastor. the other taken by Owen Ury The fellowship group continues to meet monthly, and is well attended. In September the group went ut to Powley House. and as always the residents enjoyed the fellowship and the entertainment. The October meeting was at the home of Don and Ailsa Caradus. A video of a Vancouver garden was viewed ‘Our sympathy is extended to the sisters land families of Sis. Ny Wight who passed away in September. after an iliness of several months. SMA,HAMILTON Greetings from Hamilton Like most churches, | suppose, we nad our share of winter cok liinasses, but mast folk have stalwarts for their complete reco ‘Some of our folk are overseas enjoying themselves, or have just returned trom abroad. Allen and Tup are now home aker visiting old tends in Perth and relations in Sydney, while Rosemarie 1 and Warren PH from tl s have returned hom and Canada inental Singers, with Rosem fecond soprano and Warren ope ighting for the gr ey have a very busy ¢ ravelling ith 21 concerts. Other adventurers are Cari and Antoinette Brandt, who have been travel ling in Germany, Austna and Switzer land. Apparently they met up with 28- Sraeme Brandt and Warren Salisbury 1 Switzerland, near Lake Constance Another highlight was to travel up the highest railway in the word. up the face of the Eiger and Jungirau: mountains. to 19 height of 11.200 tee enjoyed by eve and Chai tine are working hard on their ten acre block and now have a permit to erect & Packing shed with fat attached ‘Some of our folk have connections with the Hamilton Christian School Don Shute is on the Committee and reports that the school has grown to 140 pupils, and this year started a aro term. A four classroom block should be completed very soon, This wil aio a fkely roll increase and further pansion into secondary school ove ne next 12 months F note, Nona Craig fel leep in September. Nana wa 1ughter of Minnie Pollard and a sister ‘of Howard Pollard. Fer many years None worshipped in the old Church of Christ at Claudelands and kept good health ‘until a recent motor car accident. Our condolences to her family We look forward to our family camp at Totara Springs on December 7. Our (quest speaker is Pastor Timothy Lester of the South Baptist Church. We had the privilege of hearing Pastor Timothy Speak to us a few weeks ago at Marcon Road, so are anticipating a great time of study, games and good fellowship. W.T.G. KAURILANDS. On a recent Sunday aftemoon, parents ‘and youth group leaders met t0 discuss the future direction of the youth ministry, Our youth pastor Jonathon Weir, out lined a plan which included: 1. Pre-evangelism thrcugh everyday per sonal contacts and social activities on contain Saturday evenings, 2 Evangelism through the Sunday Evening “Impact” meeiings and strategi- cally planned camps. 3. Discipleship through weekly home group meetings and one-to-one nurtur- ing. ‘The goal of the youth ministry has been summarised by these words: To the glory of Goa 29 Worshipping Him Growing in Him Sharing of Him. Members of Kaurilands fellowship are being encouraged to help those of our number who are unemployed or experiencing financial hardship. The elders have suggested that, when we are seeking someone to do paid work for us, we first consider employing fellow church members who have the necess ary skills. We can also help by recom. mending these people to others wanting work done. The church was overjoyed to hear of a significant improvement in the condition of Sheila and Eric Bowlers litle gran daughter Halina, now three years old, Halina suffered brain damage shortly after birth, and it was thought that she would not be able to grow up normally Sut recently she has given evidence of having some sight, has attempted speech, and even taken her first step, Many prayers have been offered tor Halina’s recovery, and grateful thanks ‘are due to God for His goodness and mercy. usNEW PLYMOUTH We send greetings to all, in this the last ‘ssue of Bible Standard “Church News for 1991 This year hasbeen eventful for our church. We have made prog membership and spreading His word and Dot Richdale are now retiring ai last two years in “faith” and pur We fegret that Pastor Michaet ar Gaynor have nearly completed the tw years training period in New Plymouth We have really felt that they are part o four “church family” and we do appre ciate the good work they have done to make the church grow. the Lord will bless them and sh way to go for their future in His s feal sure that the vice During Sept/Oct a series of Spirit” seminars were held as an exter sion of the Sunday moming service This proved to be an extra halt hour well spent, The series started with a family semvice, this being a lead in lo the next weeks working groups. To some it was a new experier 1s just cor their faith, but all agreed that our God loves us, never forgets us, aways for gives us and will never leave us Our Sunday Schoo! 1s. stil growing although a shortage of teachers has been a problem and put a heavy work load on the present staff. But we are sure that the Lord will move others to ng. We are also pleased to report that K | pleasure to share fellow ship with hirn again, As the holiday season approaches, just reminder, if you are taking a holiday ir Taranaki, and should come 10 New Plymouth, we invite you to share fellow: 110 the comer of nus on a Sunday meming 1 will find us. oF For Chi as, we pray that all who wer this period will be Kept sate in So, from our to you Lord Jesus Christ will be with you all this Christmas, and for ever more. DR. hhureh to yours - trom us we pray for blessing, that the 30 SUNNYNOOK Having missed reporting in the last issue of the Bible Standart (for which | humbly apologise), 1"! ty and reflect on the last few months and fill you in on how things are going at Sunnynook. We have just finished the study on Sunday momings in the book of 1 Corinthians, and begin on a study of the Gospel of Mark. One of the things we value so much about our pastor is the quality of teaching on the Bible, and since Mark is a book ful of action, there shouldn't be too many snores coming up! And Carl is trying to memorize as Much as possible to dramatise, to help Us get the point ‘An exciting event is coming up for us, Randy Sketton is to be baptised on 8 December and it has been especially exciting because many of us have been praying for him. Randy and Margaret have been a part of our fellowship for a few years now, with their children Andrew and Eva. Welcome to the family of God, Randy! The youth group planned and delivered a Sunday evening service recently. The subject was Final Judgement (actually along the same lines as we have been studying on Sunday evenings with War- ren) and with the aid of skits, readings, 31 songs, and short messages. they got their point across very successfully There were quite a number of new faces as well, which was great ‘Then came the annual Powley House fait, and apart from the money we helped to raise for tlie Home, some of us had time to catch up on old friends who either are now resident or were visiting for the day. it was a reminder to me of how important it is to keep in touch with older folks. It is not easy to find time if you're ke me. you may operate on the basis that because there Js too much to do, the urgent gets done first! And there's not often time Jett after that. However. we're not likely 10 know how urgent a friend's need is, or how lonely they may be, unless we take time to ring or visit We have @ wedding coming up! Steve Bridge and Catherine Lindesay are to be married on December 21 a great chance to celebrate! Steve and Cath: rine, we wish you many happy. fruitful years ahead, Recent visitors that | can remember have been Rev David Stewart. who spoke to us on the 12th chapter of Corinthians, Rev David Kimpton of the Slavic Gospel Association and Sue Biuett, ex Bible College and now tromScripture Union working with children's programmes. She gave us a memorable lesson on “the tongue” with a real ox Tongue as an illustration, Ugh! Kim Beale has also been across the water, to help with our Friday night OK club, so thanks Kim new playground outside the church hildren_ primarily Jown al last, and it looks good THAMES: Visiting speakers dui Detober were Brian , and also. Andrew Kawerau. Andrew of abou te! g September and hirn, who gave some items, lems and so Brother Don Multon’s it Dawe extend 0 our brother, our sympathy and love, A combined evening service for the churches of Thames was hosted at the Church of Christ in September Brother 32 Doug Campbell took the service, and spoke about the story of the hymns that were sung, A supper was provided after the service and a good time of fellow- ship followed, Brother Ron Laing has had a knee replacement in Tham: hospital and is now recuperating at Home. is with specials goods. The car park is an ideal area our display. In 1989 the proceeds went to the Chapel Fund and last year's takin bought our fitle electric car which has been in use every day since it arrived. it is a very valuable member of the com munity The money from our effort year is 10 be spent on new tables and hairs in the Home dining rooms. Some ave heen in use for nearly 20 years, sc there is need for an update and ar Increase. Since our last news, ing happenings have come our way and ‘we would fike to share them with you. ine very interest Be Firstly we had a speaker from the Electricity Advisory Centre, who gave us good advice on the care of our electrical appliances and on saving power in various ways. She said thermostats in hot water cylinders should be set bet ween 60 and 65 centigrade, but having two youngsters of her own she agreed ‘age rather than budgeting determined the amount of power used for water heating. When young i was almost impossible to get them into the shower and when older it was almost impossible to get them out! Samples of scorched electric blankets showed the signs of being overheated by weight or time and our speaker was most emphatic that, to be safe, blankets must be tested every year. A service is available in Homes lke curs for numbers over 30 to be tested on site Our next pleasure was an outing to the museum to see the display of four ‘embroidered stage hangings, which are ‘a gift trom the people of New Zealand to the New Globe Theatre being built in London, The N.Z. Embroiderers’ Guild was commissioned to do this massive ‘work and 500 women were involved, ‘The Auckland branch of this Guild had a beautiful exhibition of embroidery at the Nathan Homestead in Manurewa and that was another bus tip we enjoyed. 33 ‘The work was exquisite and the varioty amazing. The old homestead is set in beautitul grounds. is furnished in period style and is used dally for a diversity of handcrafts and activities, It is open to the public and has a cafeteria of deli cious goodies for lunch or a “cuppe’ So do call in. It is a very short distanc off the motorway and is signposted. No charge, except for scheduled entertain. ments, Last month we had a spring tashion parade in our physiotherapy room, brought again by our friends trom Regio Gowns. Dresses and ensembles were displayed by our own mannequins and business was brisk. It isn't easy to find shops with a range of dresses for our age group, but here, on the premises, we had a very good choice of suitable styles. Especially attractive to dog lovers was a guest speaker from the Homai Blind Institute with a guide dog in the making, Apparently several breeds of dog were quite suitable and adaptable for this role and this one was @ woolly Bouvier of about 18 months. Approximately two years intensive training is necessary before the dog and his blind companion ‘are matched. At the beginning of October, Sheila, our diversional therapist, organised a Vic-| | | toria Week in the Home, wiicy wos great success. The staff oressed Queen Victoria mode, from the aproned maids with their mob caps to the ladie in picture hats and long satin dresse: complete with bustles and jewellery Antiques were on show in glass cases and old wedding photos graced the walls, while intricate patchwork bed. spreads and lovely cushions and table: cloths were draped over tables and chairs. Long christening gowns in fine ‘awn, handtucked and trimmed with most beautiful embroidery and lace were brought out for the occasion and there were many other items of 1900 vintage and interest. Entertainments were organised for every day and our dear Pastor Cooney gave a special talk on Vietorian school days and Victorian church days. ‘The week was an occasion to remember and we thank Sheila for the planning and work and happiness she and her staff gave us, culminating on the Friday ina Victorian morning tea baked and served by our own staff Our latest pieasure was hosting a party of 12 residents from Selwyn Village. We had an early afternoon tea in our new apartment lounge and then our special artist Ed Aldridge entertained an appre. Ciative audience with the painting of 34 ot four of his quickie originals - Harris style - two of which went ‘ome with our visitors. The guests were hen divided into groups and were taken ‘on (our of our Home and apartments and some of our units, and also to the glassed patio of one of our green: fingered residents which was full of gorgeous pot plants - orchids, cacti begonias and anthuriums, it was an enjoyable aftemoon for us all Over a period of several months there have been statements in the press on retirement villages, mainly in @ critical vein. We can ask only that if you are contemplating buying into a retirement village, particularly our own, you acquire all details and take time to weigh them up, then come and see for yourselves our fifestyle and the encompassing security and pleasures which accrue from such a way. Security is the greatest of all advantages and i has so many facets. Perhaps the most important at ‘our age is the compassionate under- standing of our medical staff in any illness we might have, but there is the practical seourity too which comes from ‘community living and the availability of press bells to connect immediately with the Home office for any emergency or help, and the maintenance of lighting, lawns. transpon ete ‘There is the secunty of neighbours who = are approximately the same age and who have the same interests and abil- ties a3. ourselves engendering that staunch feeling of being a family. You don't have to share with others if partici: pation is not your thing, but these Blessings are here for us to enjoy in our retirement village and certainly add a zest to living ‘A.recent comment trom a resident who thas lived here for more than four years and who has no affiliation with our church movement, surely speaks for us all: "There is no place else 1 would rather be", This is our last newsletter for the year so we wish you all a blessed Christmas and may 1992 be a happier year in the truest, ssense of the word, MH.