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    166 views14 pages

    The Bible Standard Jan-Feb 1993

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    Anonymous hQK4kSP
    The Bible Standard Jan-Feb 1993

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    je Standard is the al organ of the CHURCHES OF CHRIST [life & Advent] Association h EDITOR: W. L. PRESTIDGE 13 Woodstock Rd,, Forrest Hill, Auckland 10 PUBLISHER: bY jore Dr, Malrangi Bay, Auckland 10 throught poe THE BIBLE STANDARD | Volume 12, No*1 January - February 1993 essteng, Contents. Cates y Page No#: Editorial- "Prayer - How"?. Checklist for Christian Growth Hell - And how to avoid i The Indian Connection Church & Mission News.. Booklets available for purchase. "when Christ who is our life appears, ‘then you also will appear with Him in Giory. - Colossians 3:4 Editorial rayer is our greatest privilege, our richest blessing and our most effective instrument in Christ.” Itis an unspeakable privilege, in that only through the sacrificial death of Jesus, God's Son, do we have any access to God. It is an enormous blessing, in that it answers to that deepest need of all: fellowship with God. It is powerful, in that God hears and acts. Now, prayer is not just for specially gifted people. James reminds us that even Elijah whose prayers were _ signally effective, was a mere mortal (5:17). Prayer is not essentially a technique to be learned. What amazed people about Jesus, it seems, was the simplicity and directness of His prayers (Lk 11:1 - 13; Mat. 6:7 - 13), We leam to pray by praying: and God blesses us in that. Yet, there are things to leam (Lk 41:1), certain cardinal points that it is vital we keep in mind. DIRECTED TO GOD ‘The first is that prayer must be made to God, to the one true God. This is not as obvious as it sounds. In many forms of meditation, the ob- ject is to get in touch with yourself, fr the universe, or other persons or powers. The purpose of Christian prayer is to seek and find God. Furthermore, there are many man- made gods, and false ideas of God. That is why the fist two commandments ule out, as an object of worship and prayer, any deity except God as He has revealed Himself, the God of the Bible, ‘We must pray to God on the basis of His self-revelation. That is why, now that the Christ has come, true prayer is in and through Jesus Christ (John 16:23 - 24), who even said: “Whatever you ask in my name, | will do ®" (ohn 14:13), The true God is the one revealed in the person and work of Jesus. And true prayer is our response to God in Christ our Lord. GENUINE This is the second point. God asks no more, and no less, than that our prayers to Him be genuine, sincere. He requires “wuth in the inward being” (Psalm 51:6). Jesus wamed very stemly against performance praying, self-important lengthiness, outward show, prayer as a mere observance, and so on (Mat, 6:5 - 9). Be real with God. Although prayer must be directed to God, not self, true prayer does require self-examination, in the light Page #2 of God's Word. It also requires dependence on the Holy Spirit. Without His aid, it is impossible to worship the Father truly, or genuinely to mirror His will (Phil. 3:3, Rom. 8:28 - 27, Eph. 6:18). In fact, our primary prayer request will be for the Holy spirit (Lk 11:13). To be real with God, we must allow God to be real with us. Genuine prayer is not just being yourself: itis allowing mind, heart, will to be de- termined by God's ‘Spirit, through Christ FAITH “Whoever would draw near to God must believe..." (Heb 11:6, James 1:8, Mk 11:24). This is point three: faith in God, His goodness, power and responsiveness, We do God no honour when we come to Him in unbelief ‘The ground of our confidence before God is nothing other than Jesus Christ, the one —_all-sufficient Mediator, through whom we may approach God "in full assurance of faith: (Hebrews 10:19 - 22, 4:16). Now, we are talking about faith in God, not faith in faith. The power is in God, not in our faith or thought or speech. Furthermore, we are talking about faith, not presumption. It is not a matter of manipulating God: that would be contrary to the third commandment, the Lord's Prayer (Mat, 6:10) and the spirit of Gethse- mane. True faith is always determined by God's. known character and promises. It is not 2 demand, but a trustful reliance on God's Word. The prayer of faith and the prayer according to God's will are inseparable, as 1 John 5:14 clearly teaches. ‘Where God's will is not known, we must search prayerfully, where it is known, we must pray boldly and persistently (Luke 18:1 - 8). Faith is ot anxious (Phil 4°6) but nor is it complacent: it "prays constantly” (1 Thess 5:17). Perhaps you have only a litle faith, Exercise what faith you do have, share with others your little vision - ‘and both faith and vision will grow. ‘Above all, itis the combined prayer of His people which Jesus endorses (Mat 18:19). Pray in faith. If God delays, itis for our discipline. if, “He acts unexpectedly ~ He is God! SELF-SACRIFICE Finally, true prayer has the character of a Sacrifice, It is "cruciform" Jesus is our only sacrifice for sin But we must bear our cross of humble self-denial for His sake. Nothing is more basic to prayer than this: that in prayer we honour God: "Hallowed be Thy Name". We offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise (Ps. 50:23, Heb. 13:18) Prayer is God-centred. We submit ‘our whole nature to God in worship. Frankly confessing sin (Psalm 66:18), we cast ourselves upon His meroy (Luke 18:9 - 14), offering the sacrifice of a "broken and contrite Page #3 heart" (Psalm 51:17). Forsaking the illusion of ‘self-sufficiency, we acknowledge dependence upon God for whatever we ask for, even for material necessities (our’*daily bread"), a5 well as for spiritual Vietory deliver us. from evil) Denying ourselves, we pledge sacrificial obedience (Psaim 40:6 - 8, Romans 12:1 - 2) - prayer without the intention to obey is abominable fo God (Proverbs 15:8, 1 Sam, 18:22) In giving God His due, we also tum inevitably to others. The prayer for forgiveness includes the pledge to forgive others, including our enemies. True prayer - God- centred, cruciform prayer - unfolds in intercession for others, intercession in which, through the Spirit of our High Priest, we share in God's concem for the world and for the Church, and offer ourselves in the mission of Christ. God expects and desires the prayers of His people. The world needs the prayers of God's people. The Christian life does not work without prayer. The Church cannot function without prayer. Prayer is the Christian's "vital breath". Let's pray! ED Page #4 are wae Checklist for Christian Growth By. Steve Spearing. This article is reprinted from Advent Christian Witness, April 1994. Mountaintop experiences __are exciting and glorious. There are times when we feel like our church can Iterally take on the ‘world, walk on water! The power of God seems to ooze out from every direction. After all Jesus did Promise: “On this rock | will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matt 16:18). What Jesus means by "the gates of Hades,” is that not even the "power of death" can overcome the church. ‘Then there are times when it seems like the church is falling apart. Why? Did the Lord forget His promise? Did we misunderstand Him? When the church seems like it's falling apart, we need to examine why. But where do we begin? Where do we end? | believe the beginning and ending places are fone in the same: The miror of God's Word. In Joshua 7 we read of Achan's sin, (One man kept Israel from enjoying the victory God intended for them to have. If the church at times seems like i's falling apart, is it possible that you may be the reason? You see, Achan tried to hide his sin. He was doing pretty good in hiding it from man. What he hadn't counted con was not being able to hide it from God. If each person in our local churches takes the time to keep themselves right before God, then the church must be in God's will. If we neglect our spiritual life then our church, its ministry in our community, and our world, is weakened. Here's a checklist you can use to evaluate your life and your relationship with our Creator: *Do I love God? *Do I love His church? *How am | giving in my tthe, talents, and time to the church? * “Do | read the Scriptures regularly? *Where are you getting into God's Word in depth? *Do | pray regularly? Or only when things are looking bad? “What am I doing in service for God? Are you merely a pew- warmer? Your church needs you. “Am | dependable? Page #5 *Do | fulfil my obligations? *Do | care about the Christian growth of others around me? “Am | over sensitive? “Am | critical of almost everyone and everything? “ls my church a better place because | am here? Or do | hold it back? *Do I genuinely love others? “am La forgiving person? “Am I selfish or selfless? Hell and How to Avoid it! By. Warren Prestige. if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; itis better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go fo hell, fo the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off it is better for you to enter Ife lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you fo enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be throw into hell.” Jesus (Mark 943-47) This is very threatening language, isn't if? Does that surprise you? Jesus can be so reassuring, supportive, comforting: yet there are also times when He challenges us with almost frightening intensity. And we need to hear both the promise and the threat, the grace and the demand, “Am | jealous of others or do | encourage them? “Am 1a quitter? And by being so, do | make other people's jobs harder? “Am I sensitive to others’ needs? Or do | usually look out for #17 “Am [ willing to say, "'m sorry" when (ve hurt someone else? ‘There's no limit to what God can and will do with His church when we are wiling to let Him be the Lord of our lives. Because both come from the same heart of love. And both have the ‘same purpose in view: fo save us, ‘And with that in view, Jesus wams us: hell is real, HELL IS REAL This is not some raving fundamentalist bigot telling us. This is Jesus. God will indeed judge all mankind, individually. In fact, it is Jesus who will be the Judge, And there will be those who enter life and those thrown into hell My wife sometimes tells me that make silly threats to my children, For example: "if you dont go and make your bed and tidy your room right now, there will be no more Pocket money for the rest of the year!" But when Jesus talks about hell - and it is Jesus who talks about it ‘more than anyone else in the Bible - itis no idle threat, Hell is real Page a6 WHAT HELL IS NOT ‘There are, however, so many ideas floating around about hell - most of them incredible and absurd - that it is no wonder many people refuse to take hell seriously at al Some people imagine that hell, If it exists, is same kind of heaven for bad people! Heaven, they suppose, is where the good guys do their thing ~ play harps with angels and hold church services; and hell is. wher the bad guys do their thing - party with devils and get into mischief! any suppose that, heaven being God's kingdom, hell must be the devil's kingdom, What rubbish! It is God, not t devil, who is in charge of hell! And the purpose of hell is not to entertain or amuse, but to punish. "There men will weep and gnash their testh, said Jesus (Matt 8:12, 13:42, etc.) "They will 90 away’ into etemai punishment" (Matt 25:46), Yet there is another dreadful misunderstanding about hell abroad also: the idea that hell is a place, or means, of eternal torment; that fh refers to people, or people's “soul! or "spirits", suffering forever, in conscious | physical and/or psychological and/or spiritual anguish. Most people seem to believe or assume that this is what the Bible means by hell And, as a consequence, most people dismiss Bible teaching about hell - and God, too - as something you cannot take seriously. Rather like my threat {o my son about no pocket money for a year if he doesn't make his bed. tis so out cf proportion that you can't believe it is meant. And most people today ignore the biblical threat of hell likewise, Because they assume it refers to endless suffering. But it does A DISGRACE | am opposed - and this magazin is opposed - to the whole idea that hell means everlasting suffer For two reasons. It is contrary to what the Bible teaches. And it brings disgrace to the Christian faith. First, we will consider this second point at greater length. The traditional doctrine, that the fost will suffer forever, has brought enormous discredit to the Christian faith and is one of the primary reasons why Christianity today largely ignored Have you ever suffered? For a week? A year? Can you imagine one hundred years of suffering? A thousand? Ten thousand? But imagine thal, after ten thousand years of suffering, you have not yet even begun! Imagine that you are condemned to suffer everastinaly. Without any form of consolation, either from others or from God. An eternity of suffering, without God, imposed by God, Page #7 Whether we imagine this suffering to be physical or psychological makes no difference. it is infinite. And such an idea simply tums God into a monster, i's a disgrace. Because such punishment is so completely out of all proportion to the sin of even the worst sinner. ‘There is no proportion at all between the sin of even the worst sinner and etemal torment. There is _no proportion at all between a lifetime of seventy, even a hundred, years in sin - and’an etemity of suffering, Nor is there any conceivable constructive purpose in such a penalty ponion, No purpose. And If hell is like that, then God is simply Punishing people for punishment’s sake. In that case, He is not just - tet alone loving. He is cruel. We may fear Him, but we cannot spect Him, let alone love Him Such a doctrine does not induce people today to become Christians. In fact, most people react either by rebelling or by switching off. Those who rebel say: If God is like that then itis wrong to side with Him and the only right thing to do Is to oppose Him. Those who switch off say: If that is what the Bible says about hell, then the whole idea God and judgment must be simply a primitive scare tactic, something we ‘can safely ridicule, forget about or alter to suit ourselves. It discredits te whole Christian faith, And in this last decade of the twentieth century, when we are seeking @ new effectiveness in the Gospel, we need to reconsider very seriously to what extent traditional hell teaching has hindered Christian evangelism. WHAT IS BIBLICAL? Surely, though, if that's what the Bible, what Jesus, teaches, we must stay with it? Yes, But it isn't what either Jesus or the rest of the Bible teaches! In the Bible, hell stands for final rejection by God and final, literal destruction. It is the means whereby God puts an end to those who do not belong to Him, it is the final implementation of the ancient ‘warning, “You shall die" (Gen 2:17), the desth of the whole person (Ezekiel 18:4; Rom 6:23), “the second death" (Rev 20:14). And as such, it is a penalty which every human being intuitively recognises to be just (Rom 1:22). There are two ways, said Jesus (Matt 7:13 - 14), One leads to “life”, the other to - "destruction". The destruction of "both body and sou! in hell" (Matt 10:28), Many, revolted by the idea of everlasting suffering and assuming that that is what “hell” means in Soripture, suggest that, when Jesus threatened “hell”, He was simply speaking hypothetically (to scare us?) and did not mean to imply that Page a anyone will actually be lost at all. Many have taken refuge in another delusion: that eventually all will be saved. However, itis clear that Jesus is not being hygothetical, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narow andthe way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt 713-14). ‘The threat is real, all right. And now we know we can, and must, take it seriously. Because it is neither disproportionate nor purposeless. The threat is, "destruction". And itis just FOREVER ‘There is no middie ground, however. ‘There is no room in Scripture for the notion of "purgatory", the notion that punishment (at least, for many) will be temporary only, leading eventually to salvation, The altematives are starkly _simple: acceptance and life from God, or rejection and destruction by Him. if we reject God, we reject the true Source of all life and He will reject us, ending our lives, at the last day. Forever. it is to make this point clear that, in Matt 25:46, Jesus talks about “etemal punishment’. The point is not that the process of punishing goes on forever, but that the Punishment is eternal in its effect: it stands forever. This is death without any possibility of recall, It is final What, then, does Jesus mean in Mark’9:48, where He says of those in hell: "Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched"? Does He mean, they will suffer forever? Exactly the opposite! He means they will be completely extinguished. Nothing will prevent the agents of their corruption - worm and fire - from completing the work of destruction. Actually, Jesus is simply quoting from the Old Testament, the last verse of Isaiah, and it is perfectly clear in that verse that the prophet is, not talking about living souls at all, but about dead bodies! "Worm" and “fie” are agents of destruction, not torture! And that is what hell willbe: it will be the means whereby those God rejects are finally destroyed, THE REAL HORROR Sometimes, well-meaning Christians who believe in etemal torment argue that the threat of mere destruction is not enough to induce the sinner to take God seriously. Not scarey enough. Isn't it? First, whether you find it scarey ‘enough or not, is not the main point, Itis what the Bible actually teaches, Second, as we have already noted, the threat of etemal suffering is certainly not generally effective. In fact, it is one of the main reasons why Christianity is not taken seriously today. Third, as a matter of fact, the threat of hell is not the only reason there is, to follow Christ! It isnt even the Page 29 main reason! We follow Christ because we have leamed to love and trust Him. Now, you cannot love or trust a God who is just. But the God Jesus reveals, and His Kingdom, are infinitely precious. ‘That is principally why we follow Him (Matt 13:44-46), Fourth, Jesus’ teaching about hell is indeed every bit as scarey as it needs to bel Look at what is involved. First, rejection. Facing and being rejected by my Creator. "Thrust into outer darkness” (Matt 8:12). Knowing at last that | am actually unfit to live and that my life has been for nothing. And that | am excluded from everything that can be tnuly called "life", Finding myself at last truly alone. Even if that knowledge were to last only a moment, | believe | should find it unbearable. Second, nothingness. It may well be, that degrees of suffering are associated with the destructive process. ‘Some scriptures seem to indicate that. But the real horror is this: "They will be as though they had not been" (Obadiah 16) HELL - AND HOW TO AVOID IT To amount finally to ~ nothing. Is that what you want? Just as God's Kingdom is real and worth every sactfice, so hell is real (Mark 8:34- 36). And hell is to be avoided at al costs. That is the message of Jesus, in Mark 9:43-48 “if your foot, or eye, or hand causes you to sin, get rid of it!" No, Jesus is ‘not suggesting for one moment that People should iterally maim themselves. What would that solve? Rather, He is telling us to pay the price of holiness, the price of righteousness in this world, whatever it costs, lest we suffer in the end the judgment of God, How, then, can you or I, sinners as we are, avoid the judgment of God and enter His Kingdom? First, we must trust, not in ourselves, but in God's mercy and power. We must not imagine for a ‘moment that we can meet God's expectation in ourselves. Instead we must cast ourselves upon His mercy and begin to depend upon His, spiritual power. What mercy? God's mercy in Christ, who gave up His own life for human sin upon the cross, What Power? The power that raised Christ from the aead, the power of God's own Spirit, to make us like Christ and to raise us up with Him. We ‘must tum from ourselves to Christ Second - the part Jesus brings forcefully to our attention in Mark 943-48 - we must face up responsibly to God's demand for righteousness in daily life, saying no to sin and yes to the will of God. At times, saying no to unrighteousness is bound to cost. But we must begin to face this cost, to curb self, for Jesus’ sake. To rely on His mercy and power, and to face His demands in Christ.” Not either or, but both, The characteristic falsehood of our Page #10 time is, that saying yes to yourself is the way to real life, It is not. The way to life is to deny self and say yes to God, no matter what the cost. Sin, says Jesus, is not worth it = ever. Take sex, for example. In Matt 5:27-30, we find Jesus using similar language to that of Mark 9:43-48, specifically in relation to sexuality. Sex, insisted Jesus, belongs in mariage. Undisciplined sexual desire is deadly. Certainly the forgiveness of God is there for those ‘who repent, as Jesus Himself amply demonstrated. But there is no ‘uarantee that the person who is in the habit of putting his own desires before God will ever repent. And even if he does, meanwhile what chaos will sin breed? The risk is too great. We cannot afford to ‘compromise with sin, said Jesus. We must start taking seriously our responsibilty to God. And this includes our responsibility to Him for others. That is the point of Mark 9:42: "Whoever causes one of these litle ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck ‘and he were thrown into the sea.” What of parents who deter their children from Sunday School and Christian faith! Yet Jesus is not referring simply to children here, when He says "iitle ones", but to any and all of His followers. What a grave responsibility we have, therefore, to encourage, not discourage, others in a life of faith and holiness! What of Christian leaders who, by teaching or example, suggest to others that holiness of life does not matter! What of educators wo scom God's Word; purveyors of pornography; governments who restrict Christian faith and practice; Christians who fail to build one another up in faith and truth, or to welcome seeking sinners! THE JUDGE Who is to judge? Jesus! For He Himself is the measure of all true righteousness. Having been once raised from death, He is the one appointed by God to judge the worid (Acts 17:31). He is our coming Judge. But He has already come, to be our Saviour, to bear in His own death the penalty for our sin, to call us to righteousness and to make available tous His own Spirit Here is the love of God. Not only in that He has created us in His own image, and will call us to account But also in that He gave up His own Son for us. Jesus Christ, our Judge, has Himself been to hell - and back ~ for us, How, then, shall we escape, if we neglect such a great Salvation (Hebrews 2:3)? Page #11 More testimonies and articles from students of the School of Evangelism with which BERYL HOLLIS is involved in India, THE CHAIN BROKEN BY THE WORD by A. Manoah. ‘There was @ young man who was brought up in a zealous Christian tradition. | know him well Outwardly he was a good man, one whom his relatives praised because hhe went regularly to church, sang in the choir, and showed himself to be @ good man. But his heart was an ‘open sepulchre, There was no measure to his sinful nature, because he lived thinking of God and the world in the same terms, The reason was that his traditional church did not give him proper teaching His sins were gambling, fornication, lust, useless arguments, envy, pride, and beside these, seeing filthy films, and then sitting alone and thinking about them. He ‘was spending his life like this, He made fun of, and picked quarrels with, God's children who talked about the Bible. He ‘would send away saved Christians, saying that his church was bigger. So in this way his sinful nature was growing, That young man would talk philosophy. He would say that holy books, worship, and religions were all to bring order in man's society, and man would get nothing from them. Whatever a man thought {good in his heart, he would get some happiness from it, and that was his god. This philosophical belief led him further into sin. He said to his Hindu friend that, whatever he dic no-one should know. That friend was a witchdoctor, one who worshipped Satan, “He had the young man do everything according to his advice. Because of this, many sins were not outwardly revealed, no-one knew about them; but he was living without realizing that there is a God, and that He sees, At that time God opened @ door to draw Him to Himself. It happened this way. For the sake of his work Page #12, he went to another city and stayed there for three months. While he was there God's children began to meet him. One of them became his friend. He would talk about the Bible, and say that God was alive, is, in our midst, and He hears what we say. The young man who was, living in sin had no mind to receive this. The reason was that the Jesus he had seen was in statues. He thought that this talk was madness, ‘The believing friend supported what he said with Bible verses. But the young man was not willing to accept defeat. He argued and quarreled about it, In the end his friend urged him to come to his church, and see how God was working there. He agreed. He went one day with his friend to the Sunday service. That day the pastor read Romans 1:21-25 and preached on it. Then God began to make him realize his sin, The pastor said that God made the hearts of those who, though they knew God, did not glorify Him, to become dark, and delivered them to uncleanness. He explained the words, "He delivered them to uncleanness." The young man realized that the explanation pointed to him and his sins. Because of the piercing conviction of sin, as soon as the service was over, he met the pastor and asked what he should do. ‘The pastor showed him in Proverbs 28:13 that he must confess his sin, ‘and he would receive mercy from God, He began to confess his sins. His mind became tender. He cried aloud, "God, be merciful to me. 1 am a sinner. But you are holy. You are holy.” ‘The compassionate God cleansed him by His blood, and broke the traditions that bound him. This person who became a child of God, and who wrote this, is myself. Tam the one who received deliverance from sin; 1 am that young man who received God's call {o the ministry and am studying for it now. When | was a sinner God did ‘not shake me off, but loved me. 1 stand in God's presence and write this to you readers, that young people who live as | did, need to repent. JESUS IS ENOUGH by J. Jaikumar That was a winter month, so it was very cold. The whole family was sitting in front of the fireplace to keep warm. Suddenly, startled, they tured round to see who had come in. "Good evening, pastor,” they respectfully greeted their visitor, joined hands in greeting, and tolc him to be seated on the bed. Because of the cold they gave him a hot cup of ginger tea, He very happily drank it, asked about everyone's health, and prayed a short but earnest prayer with them. When he had finished, their small son asked a question, "Will Jesus like me?" The pastor tumed to the child and tried to answer the question simply in terms the little one could take in. The child nodded his head forcefully as though he understood. ‘As we finished our visit and went out into the street, my thoughts centred fon that family. | knew them well Page #13 house. Though society thought of them as inferior, they were first in the kingdom of God; though they were not educated, they had a spiritual wisdom. It was five years since they had accepted Christ. ‘There was eagemess in their spiritual life; they were a Christian testimony to others. Jesus had not only changed their hearts but, to the wonder of others, had caused them to clean up the house and the surroundings where they lived, Because they had accepted Jesus, the villagers hated them, and they had to endure many’ troubles, anxieties, and unnecessary quarrels, The goverment privileges the family received were also stopped. But they were not the least worried about all these things, saying that Jesus was enough, One time when Joseph was travelling in his bullock cart, a man coming in the opposite direction deliberately rammed his bullock cart against Joseph's. But Joseph quietly fixed his cart and drove on. ‘Those who saw it said, "How is it that such a bad-tempered man has carried on so meekly?” But Joseph thankfully went on, knowing that Jesus had made a great change in him, Joseph's family shines as a testimony and a guide to many. Some villagers have formed 2 good opinion of this family, and a devotion to Jesus Christ. A FRIEND'S RE-BIRTH A. Jerald (One day my friend said to me, “I've been bom again’. | was surprised. questioned how a man who was 30 years old could be bom again. Do you wonder, 100? Do you know how he was born again? He was from a Hindu family, and had been brought up as a pious Hindu. He had studied many Hindu sacred writings and was well-versed in them. He was also a master of the violin. But he did not have true peace and joy in his life, and so he had become a slave to many drugs. Because of this his health was affected. He was admitted into 2 Christian Mission hospital for treatment. The doctors and nurses who treated him talked to him about Page s14 Christ. But because he had studied the religious writings, he opposed them. "The Hindu religion which | follow is the true religion,” he saic ‘Those who came to visit him in the hospital and tell him the Gospel gave him tracts and a New Testament, but he kept them without reading them. One night when he couldnt sleep he thought of the ‘tracts and took them and began to read, Then 2 o-°-= came to him, Moreover, to read the New Testar one week he kept on re: , Afterwards, when those who spoke about Jesus came, he began to listen eagerly to what they had to say. Not only so, on Sunday he began to attend the chapel which was on the arco) the hospital, and to ne the teaching about Jesus. One night he saw Jesus in a cream. Next day when he was reading the Bible God convicted him. nie confessed his sin, and prayed with tears, "O Jesus, wash my sins away in your blood.” Immediately he received a great peace from God Afterwards Jesus gave him healing little by tie After he left the hospital he fellowshipped with our church, Then hhe came to know more Bible truths, wanted to experience the new birth, and received Jesus Christ, He was baptised by the pastor. He became a new creation. Church & Mission News. soiee] A HAMILTON Greetings to all our Sister Churches. At this time of the year it is natural to look back over the past year and Page #15 consider the events that touched our lives, events that moved us, mostly personal - of happiness, grief, illnesses and friends and families. But also intemational events like the ‘Olympic Games, the tragedies of Somalia, Sarajevo, and for sporting buffs, the titanic rugby and cricket clashes. Now we look forward to 1993 lying ahead of us like a book with hundreds of blank pages, a great lary which we can to a great extent write for ourselves. The human brain records not only every word but every imagination and resolution, @ record to which God has access, and while we might ‘not believe that Christians will be judged - nevertheless who can say whether or not the deeds of this life can affect our lives in Etemity. Stil unable to grasp its full meaning, | fall back on the world | know and confess that the most wonderful thing in this life is that Christians have been given spiritual discemment to realise there is a Creator, that his Son died in our place for our sins and that by believing and trusting in His finished work at Calvary we have been given the wonderful gift of Salvation. And consequently I think it is only our reasonable service that each one of us make 2 greater personal committment to our Lord and that we strive to make the new year “happy” in the best and highest sense. By the time this ‘Bible Standard’ comes out in February, people will be back from holidays and our church activities should have begun in full swing. We will be holding our annual meeting in February and seeking to establish our direction for the year. Warren Salisbury commences his duties this month and we look forward to hearing him play the organ and piano, and generally co-ordinating the musical abilities of our members. The question of a possible church move to Flagstaff will also be discussed, As at this date, we have had no communication whether we have been allocated a section or riot. We know other denominations are also interested and the Council could be delaying any decision until they know all interested parties. We have been pleased to welcome back from Dunedin, Tom and Glenyss Bennett, and from London, Graham Brandt and his two friends, Jude and Janet. Graham has been playing his saxophone during the services and this has been most appreciated wis KAURILANDS On the Sunday after Christmas a commissioning service was held for those who were Preparing to move ut from Kaurilands Church on various endeavours, First to be mentioned — were Page #16 Clive and Irene Downes, who are taking up youth work ‘at Ran Baptist Church, where Clive has been appointed parttime Youth Pastor. They go to this new responsibility with the prayers and good wishes of the Kaurilands, Next, five young people enralled in Bible training courses were named. Chantelle Sutton is attending 2 one- year course et Kiwi Ranch in Rotorua, while Julian Miller is studying for a year at the Assembly Bible Schoo! N.Z. in Kelston Bridget Callaghan, Jeremy Nicholls and Warren Stubbs are ‘commencing three-year courses at the Bible College of New Zealand in Henderson, It is very encouraging to our church members that these young people are seeking to better equip themselves for serving Gos. Finally, we had the commissioning of all those taking part in Kaurilands Beach Mission, which was to be hela at Whangamata during the first week of 1993, Forty-five of us had volunteered to take part in childrens’ mission, cafe bar, open air street work, cooking and prayer. Some of us had not been involved in a beach mmission before, so it was good to know that those staying at home had an information sheet about the mission, and would be praying for us. After serving es Youth Pastor for the past four years, Jonathan Weir has been appointed to the position of Pastor of our church. On behalf of the church, John Nicholls thanked Jonathan and his wife Dooze for the wonderful work they Page #17, have done among the Kaurilands young people during this time. For ithe next three years Jonathan will spend several months of each yes studying at The Master's Seminary in the U.S.A. After this time of training he will work fulltime at Kaurilands. After three years’ faithful leadership of the children's ministry, Mary Callaghan decided to step down. Her place has been taken by Kim Beale, who has been involved in many’ outreach programmes for children in the past, May the Lord sirengthen each one of us to serve im to the best of our ability this year JS NEW PLYMOUTH Greetings to all tor =o) 14 1983, and may this \ be a’ year of great progress forall churches in His name. Nov-Dec 1992 saw turing point for the New Plymouth church. Having reached a low during the previous two months, things are now on the move up again, thanks to Pastor Bill and our Elders ‘On Sunday November 15th we held an Elders’ Day service, with reports and discussions plus _ teaching. Since introducing the method of three working eldership groups, there has been a marked improvement for bo communication and teaching. Instead of members sitting and just listening, now all are able to take an active part The church AGM, was held on November 29. Last year we divided tt ting into Pat 4, in November, and Part 2 in January of the next year. This proved to be a practical method of getting the best resulls, so we are repeating it again with this years AG.M. Pastor Bil Richdale was elected chairman, with Pastor Kit Jensen of Taranaki Baptist as quest. All various groups gave their reports for the past year’s work. Church Secretary Gordon Closé said it had been a very busy year for him, but at least things were at last moving in the right direction, Like many of us, he felt that age was catching him up and looked forward to the younger people coming for training and taking office, Church Treasurer Cyril Betteridge read the financial statement, and gave thanks to the Association for thei great gift of a release from the Temainder of the morgage on the church property To us this was truly a blessing as it has lifted @ burden from our shoulders. The Sunday Schoo! had 2 good year, despite the fact that vandals broke in and destroyed most of the year’s work by the children. ‘Thanks must go_to teachers Alison Melntosh and Fay McGee for the quick way they restored the school and had it running again, The men's group met each Wednesdey evening and reported steady progress in studies. Also programme of property maintenance hhas been carried out as to plan. The Ladies’ Fellowship met each month as an informal house group, but the last meeting of the year was held in the church, This was a time of sharing and caring, plus a review of the year's work. They rep: ‘good year. Pastor Kit Jer 2 short report of the Bap! ‘operation with our chi feel sure that it will mean great progress for the future of all in New Plymouth. The church programme for the year and the election of officers will be in January 1993 with part 2 of the A.G.M. Sunday School breakup day was December 13. The children received their results of the Exams and were awarded points, plus a Christmas gift. We then all joined in 2 family service, (oh, to be young again) During the months before Christmas we were tired of the commercialism, and people regarding it as a time for eating and drinking and buying gifts, plus the shops open all hours only concerned about their profits. it came as a pleasant change to attend Christmas service at the church and to give thanks for the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ and all that it means to mankind. Until we report again, may God's blessing be with you all DAR Page #18 SUNNYNOOK Christmas has been and gone for 1992. 1 hope you all had time for rest and recreation. The result of the special meeting held on November 26 to decide on Warren's and Carl's employment is as follows, Warren will continue as pastor next year, employed "four days" as he has been this year. Car's position is hot yet finalised. He is looking to undertake theological studies, The outdoor playground is now nearly finished and being very much enjoyed by all the children. It will be good to have it for the holiday Programme starting on January ‘1th. The holiday programme is again being organised by Carl and will run for 3 weeks, ‘Warren conducted another special Christmas service at Park Lane Retirement Village. It was. well attended again (about 50 people), with a few along from Sunnynook as well. On December 20 we had our usual Barbeque and Carol evening twas a nice social evening focusing on Jesus and what he means to us. The Drama Group again entertained us with meaningful drama, We have said farewell recently to Tasha and Amber Chung, Colleen and Bill Doody’s grand-daughters. They have gone to Australia to be with their mum We are thankful that June Postlewaight has made such steady progress in recovering from her operation, MES. TAKANINI On Sunday the Girls! Brigade Paraded and led a Special service, when they, their leaders and the Brigade Chaplain for Takanini all took part. It was a very enjoyable service and wonderful to see how the leaders faithfully give of their time to train the girs to know and love God, November 14 saw the Takanini Church running the plant stall at the Powley House Fair. ‘A.BBQ and Gift evening was held on November 7 to celebrate the coming wedding of David Burge and Tania, his bride to be. It was lovely to welcome back Mr and Mrs Len Williams who have been visiting relatives in England. We missed them while they were away. Congratulations to Grandad and Grandma Fraser on the safe arrival of their first GREAT grandchild Hearty congratulations to Mr Charlie Page #19 Kem on the occasion of his attaining the great age of 92, and_ still attending church regularly. WHAT 2 wonderful witness. Adrian and Val Berthelsen flew off to ‘Aussie on the 20th to join Adrian's parents, when they celebrate his Dad's ‘goth Birthday, and we understand they will be having a get- together with the Cooneys and the Cottons. Very special congratulations to Brian and Ruth Carter on the occasion of their Silver Wedding, and also congratulations to David and Tania Burge on their mariage. The T.K. Club have been very active. A good number of children are attending. On Guy Fawkes Night they had their own fireworks display and a BBQ. We held our usual Carol Service in the Takanini School, on 18 December. This was preceded by a sausage sizzle and a general time of socializing, and was enjoyed by all May God bless you all at this happy time and be with you all during 1993, M McC. POWLEY HOUSE VILLAGE We are hoping 1993 will see the completion of our chapel, but whether or not it is so, we know Powley House will be a’ continuing blessing to us all, Many of you reading this will have catched recently on T.V. the documentary "70 Something,’ and we are sure it raised many doubts and questions in your minds. about taking the traumatic step of selling your homes and buying into a retirement village complex. We realise that in one short hour itis. impossible to depict an ongoing life style but there was one element which wasn't emphasised in the documentary and it was the intangible but extremely practical ingredient of "communication," and Powley House offers it in every facet of life here, It may be in the silent wave or smile ‘as we pass a neighbour. It may be in the happy chatter as we visit Heather in our hairdressing salon Or it may be in our doctor's surgery with the words of loving and practical concern, or medicine, which relieve our pain and problems and give us that special feeling of “belonging” ‘This communication must be a two way exercise, but itis the essence of living and" incomprehensibly it makes our retirement village, HOME, The Te Atatu Men's Choir of fifteen voices gave us a wonderful afternoon of music and song in early November, and then came again during Christmas week to sing, and to encourage us to sing Christmas hymns and carols. It was a privilege Page 220 to have them with us, and we hope they wil visit again. ‘On Friday November 6 we had a delightful day visiting many beautiful gardens in Howick and environs, the only problem being that there were too many gardens to visit. Some were acres in extent and beautiful in their wildemess state, while others were immaculate and compact, and some even unusual One of tromiliads was in that category. It was created among high walls, dark comers, concealed lighting, @ pond and goldfish - quite eerie but very effective. On December 4 we had our yearly outing for Christmas dinner at Valentine's Restaurant, this year timed for midday, Thirty-seven were present, and this number included Mrs Logie and Mrs Kriehn who are on our village ‘committee, and Mr and Mrs Doug Kem who give us so much pleasure during the year. ‘The meal was special, and the setting most attractive, and once again we were just one big happy family out to enjoy ourselves. In November we had an interesting visit from Helen Schache who is 2 representative for Avon Cosmetics. It was an opportunity to buy pretty Christmas gifts, as well as a chance to leam the art of “giding the fly" Our Fair last year was not as successful as earlier years, and after all expenses had been paid the amount taken was $3,200.00. It is to be used for some refurbishing of the dining room, the tables having been in use for over twenty years - the lifetime of Powley House. We are grateful to all who helped with our Fair, and it was good to see ‘our friends from Thames again, but we were sorry to leam some were not well enough to make the trip. Our village vegetable garden plots have been a great success. The seedlings were struggling to survive in the winter weather, but growth recently has been prolific, and the "haves" have shared generously with the “have nots", So nothing has gone to seed and everyone benefited. Other happenings of interest have been a display of cardi jumpers for sale, and another barbecue in the apartment lounge. ‘One evening in Christmas week, about twenty members from our churches united to sing carols to the residents in the home and the apartments, and as. darkness fell they came with their lighted candies to sing to us in the village. The music was beautifully clear on the night air, and we hope they will sing to us again next Christmas. ur Christmas dinner in the lounge was a lovely occasion as well as being a delicious meal. Some grands" had invited their families toshare with them, and the room Page #21 was full of laughter, colour, and paper hats. We do thank the staff for working for our pleasure in a hot kitchen and on a holiday. As we enter 1993 we thank God for all His blessings of the past year, and we pray others will come to live in Powley House to share in all our benefits. MH. THE INDIAN MISSION New Year greetings! On Christmas Day | spoke in a 5 pm service, had dinner at a friend's place, and came back to R. David's house to give a brief message to visitors on the meaning of Christmas. There | heard the sad news that @ semi-retired Advent Christian Pastor, D. G. Meshach, had died following the Christmas service in his church, | was able to make a visit to his home to offer my condolences before leaving on the train for Kodai We have had some real answers to prayer recently Saligramam Church has dedicated their new baptismal tank (outdoors, as_all baptismal tanks are built here). The ‘song booklet has been printed and we have started to distribute it. The hymn book will take much longer. ‘The tracts written by the School of Page #22 Evangelism students have been printed. A Lay-worker's book is being re-printed. The home missionary at Munnar has written of land available at a very reasonable rate, and we hope to be able to purchase sufficient to build a church, Rev Paul Isaac and his wife were travelling on his motor-cycle when they were hit from behind by a lorry. Both received abrasions on arm and leg. Paul Isaac continued with his ministry, but a few days later his legs swelled so he couldn't walk. He was hospitalised. | visited him on Sth, and the swelling had gone down and his breathing was relieved. My next trip to Kodai is planned for March, when | will hold a two-week seminar on Indian Church History As all the Pastors are going to a seminar in Bangalore 26 - 29 January, the Men's Rally has been postponed to May 1 Some Praise items: Panrutt's temporary church has been dedicated. The front of Mannivakkam Church has been plastered and it now has a front verandah, 12 have been baptised in West Pallavaram, 6 at Mappedu and 12 - 15 in Saligramam, where an overhead tank and a motor were installed to fill the new baptismal tank. In Senthil Nagar 6 people are to be baptised this month, Prayer items: 1. Several of the workers request Prayer for sick relatives. Rev M.D. Jones's 93 year old mother fell and dislocated her hip. Samuel ‘Thirumenis younger sister and Mary ‘Saroja's brother. in-law are both ill 2. West Pallavaram is again having ‘rouble about its leased land, but itis difficult to find a piece to buy. 3. Mappedu would like to get some musical instruments. Pray for 5 families coming to the church from a village, Kooval, a few miles away. 4. A cobbler in West Pallavaram who has been baptised has consequently been put out of both his home and tis job. 5. Nandanam's land matter is making some progress. Two walls and one pillar of the building are rather shaky. Pray that 3 families from a distance may find ways to get to church in spite of the cost of bus fare, 6. Chrompet needs a compound wall for protection. Pray for growth and for families not coming to church, 7. Pray for those ready for baptism at Mannivakkam. In some cases the ‘men of the family are hindering their wives’ baptism, 8. Pray for new families attending the church at Sathiymurthi Nagar. ‘Some women desire baptism. 9. Senthil Nagar needs musical instruments and a baptismal tank, and both North Senthil Nagar and South Senthil Nagar churches need electrification. 10. Contiue to pray for Saligramam's needs - a parapet around the flat roof, a new tract to be printed in 1993, and a van for evangelistic work. The stagnant water problem outside the church (on the road) remains, BERYL HOLLIS (American Conference | 1993. | Just some of the Key Discussion & Voting Points willbe: 1, Associaton Name & Consituton Change. | 2 dividual Member. | 3 Disaliation of Churches. 4. Future Direston & Goals June 12th. Carey Park. Henderson Valley Road. ‘9am to opm Page #23 BOOKLETS OF BIBLE EXPOSHTEION By William Campbell: The Life and Advent A Comprehensive Treatise God's Gift of Everlasting Life ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ (5 vols) ‘The Prophecies of Daniel ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus ‘The Great Tribulation: Wil the church go through it? By Cyril Cooney: Conditional immortality ~ [sit Vital Decne? Are Signs and Gifts the Work of the Holy Spirit for Today? ‘A Mighty Moment! By Other Authors: Life and immortality - Basi Atkinson Resurrection: His and Ours - David Dean The Righteous Judge - H€. Guilebaus Why | believe in Conditional Immortality - Sidney Hatch Life and Immortality - Ec Lewis Dating to Differ - Sidnay Hatch, 1981 By Robert Nash: His Wonderful Name The Fallen Mantle (the Holy Spirit) ‘The Divine Life ‘These and oer pbleatons se syle ton The Book ‘Steward, 13 Woodstock Road, Faxes Hl, cand 10 ‘The: BIBLE STANDARD ‘theofficial organ of the (Churches of Crist (Lifeand Advent ne. ‘SUITABLE ARTICLES are welcome for publication, These can be ofan expository, topical ot personal nature LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (igned) ave also ‘welcome, lt should be understood thatthe Taitor dacs nat necessary agree with ll ‘ows expressed, EDITOR: W. Prestidge 13 Woodstock Road, Forrest Hill, ‘Auckland 10. PUBLISHER: C. V. Doody 35 Sycamore Dr Mairangi Bay ‘Auckland 10 ‘This Publication is brought to you through he; LIFE & ADVENT ASSOCIATION ADMINISTRATION OFFICE The Rich Man and Lazarus MULTIMEDIA

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