Our Lord Jesus Christ is certainly a master teacher. He knows just how to create teachable moments in the lives of those with whom He interacts. In John 4, we catch a glimpse of our Saviour as He, wearied and thirsty from the journey towards Galilee, sits upon an ancient well and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. In His own moment of thirst, He uses the concept of how water satisfies one’s physical thirst to communicate the two most important spiritual truths that one needs to know. First, there is a “water” that will immediately and eternally satisfy the thirst of one’s soul. Second, Jesus is the only source of that “water.” Jesus alone satisfies because it is He alone who offers salvation to the believing sinner. The account of the Samaritan woman is powerful. As we read the text we observe Christ reaching across the barriers of race, religion, lifestyle and gender as He offers this broken woman “water springing up into everlasting life.”

There are three kinds of spiritual thirst that man can experience. There is the thirst of the empty soul whereby the unsaved may be thirsting for something satisfying, not realizing that only Christ can quench the longing of his soul. This person may be indifferent and even ignorant of God, yet he is thirsty. We need to draw alongside this person, as Jesus did with the Samaritan woman, and point him to the water of life.

There is the thirst of the dry soul whereby a believer may be experiencing a season of spiritual dryness in his life. This dryness may be due to drinking to much from the polluted, stale cisterns of the world (Jeremiah 2:13) or from experiencing distressing times because of fatigue, stress or poor health. Sometimes a believer, because of troubling circumstances, can have difficulty sensing God’s nearness. We need to draw alongside this person, and reassure him of the life giving water that Christ offers. (Psalm 143:6-8)

There is also the thirst of the satisfied soul whereby one has tasted the goodness of the Lord and craves more of it. God has not designed him so that one experience with Christ satiates all future desire. In fact, it’s just the opposite. God has placed His Holy Spirit within this believer, as a spring of living water (John 7:37-39). A spring satisfies thirst – not by removing the need he has for water, but by being there to give him water whenever he gets thirsty, again and again.

The late A.W. Tozer once penned these helpful words: “O God, I have tasted thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, I want thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made thirsty still.”

Post by: Keith McMahon, NBBI Faculty

This article appears in the May 2012 Open Bible Bulletin.

http://nbbi.ca/obb/2012-05obbweb.pdf

Matthew Little - NBBI Faculty, Dean of Men

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis. His many other Freudian theories have garnished much attention and spurred on much debate. His insights have been scrutinized, analyzed and often times rejected. What about the man? Freud died at the age of eighty-three a lonely, bitter, disillusioned soul. He wrote in 1918, “I have found little that is good about human beings on the whole. In my experience most of them are trash…” The thoughts that Freud put to pen have been unfortunately tucked away and harboured by many.

Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

Bitterness is like the weed that, when tending the garden, won’t be uprooted without a fight. Often offenders have no idea the deep hurt they have caused and so wounded believers suffer the pain of the hurt alone. Over time, they rehearse the trauma like a movie playing again and again in their minds and soon the bitter spirit that has been building is becoming much easier to justify. We become comfortable with our hurt and numb to its devastating affects.

If we allow “bitterness” to spring up in our lives then we are looking for “trouble”. It will spell trouble for us and trouble for others; it will trouble our families, it will trouble our marriages, it will trouble our churches, it will trouble our health, it will trouble our joy, it will trouble our friendships, it will trouble our ministries, and it will trouble our relationships with Jesus Christ. The devastating reaches of a bitter heart are often grossly underestimated. One angry saint that is harbouring the pain and anger of unresolved problems can do more damage to himself and others then he will ever really know. What did the apostle Paul do when the opportunity to harbour bitterness presented itself? He said, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works… At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge”, II Timothy 4:14,16. There is no hurt so deep in your life right now nor pain that you feel that is so great that God’s grace cannot reach down and bring healing and cause you to reach out and extend forgiveness.

Post by: Matthew Little

This post appears in the April 2012 Open Bible Bulletin.

“Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night?” Job 35:10b

It was on a fateful night in 1910 in the small town of Harrodsburg, Kentucky that a man found himself unable to sleep. He decided to get up from bed and walked over to the window to take in the darkened landscape. Expecting perhaps a tranquil moonlit scene, his eyes instead were met with horror as he saw flames racing across the field toward the neighbour’s house. The alarm was raised and Mr. and Mrs. Vetch, owners of the home, fled just as the fire consumed their dwelling. Sadly, their daughter Sarah and her three young sons were not able to escape and died in the blaze.

Earlier that evening, a pastor named Luther Bridges had just finished up a series of special revival meetings elsewhere in Kentucky. At age 26, Pastor Bridges had already gained a favourable reputation as a gifted evangelist and preacher. He had gone to bed that night in anticipation of reuniting with his family, whom he had left in the care of his in-laws two weeks before. How he wanted to share with his beloved Sarah all the wonderful things God had done during the special meetings. It was later that night Mr. Bridges was awoken and given the news that there had been a house-fire and his wife and boys had all perished.
In coping with the loss of his family, Bridges went on to pen the words and music to the now famous hymn, “He Keeps Me Singing.”

There’s within my heart a melody—Jesus whispers sweet and low, “Fear not, I am with thee—peace, be still,” in all of life’s ebb and flow.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife. Discord filled my heart with pain; Jesus swept across the broken strings, stirred the slumb’ring chords again.

Feasting on the riches of His grace, resting ’neath His shelt’ring wing, always looking on His smiling face—That is why I shout and sing.

Tho sometimes He leads thru waters deep, trials fall across the way, tho sometimes the path seem rough and steep, see His feet-prints all the way.

Soon He’s coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky; I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown; I shall reign with Him on high.

Chorus: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus—Sweetest name I know, fills my ev’ry longing, keeps me singing as I go.

Luther Bridges (1884 -1948)

In 1914 Luther Bridges remarried and served for the next eighteen years as an itinerant evangelist whose travels took him across the southern United States and countries as far away as Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Russia. After 1932 he served as a pastor in churches in North Carolina and Georgia until his death in 1948.

Although none of us would welcome the tragic events that shaped the young life of Luther Bridges, we can rest assured that our same God still gives songs in the night.

May Jesus keep you singing!

Post by: Jack Caron
NBBI Faculty, Web Administrator

Follow me on Twitter @jackcaron

What is it about certain people that, when they are gone from us, we ask ourselves this question, “What makes their memory so persistent and their loss so sharply felt?” The Bible says, “the memory of the just is blessed”, Proverbs 10:7. This was vividly brought to my attention when one of our graduates, who is a veteran missionary, sat across from me in my office and said “I have been walking around the campus soaking up some good memories. The men I studied under were anointed.” The unshakeable commitment to the Word of God of his teachers had become a foundation plank in his own ministry over these years as he serves on another continent. The joy of any teacher is when his students travel further, dig deeper, rise higher and reach more people with the truth of God’s Word then ever the teacher did. John, the apostle, said “I have no greater joy than to hear my children walk in truth.”, 3 John 4.

Of all the joys a Bible School teacher could have, there would be nothing that thrills the heart more than knowing that the Word of God is being studied, lived and taught by those into whom he poured it. He then knows that they “… received it not as the word of men but as the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe”, 2 Thessalonians 2:13. The King James translators wanted their lives to be involved in translating the Word of God because they knew it would be valuable for time and eternity. They valued it as an “inestimable treasure” that would grow of itself. “….the preaching of God’s sacred Word among us; which is that inestimable treasure,

John Hoag, NBBI Chancellor

which excelleth all the riches of the earth because the fruit thereof extendeth itself…”.

I recently attended a gospel concert with my wife and granddaughter and how my heart rejoiced as these gifted young men sang harmoniously, joyfully and worshipfully. Biblical principles were shared and, at one point, the stage cleared and the gospel was presented logically, clearly, and powerfully from an open Bible. It was evident to me from those young men that they treasured the Word of God. It was evident to me from that former student that he remembered NBBI because of the “inestimable treasure” it set before him and I could observe the “fruit thereof extending itself” in his ministry. Whatever we deposit to students as teachers in this age, may we leave them with the “Word of God” and it will “extend itself through a fertile life.”

Post by: John Hoag, NBBI Chancellor

This article appears in the February 2012 Open Bible Bulletin.  Click here for the pdf version.

Below you will find pdf copy of the February 2012 Open Bible Bulletin. If you would like to see all the online articles from our monthly Open Bible Bulletin (current and past) please visit this link:

http://nbbi.ca/category/open-bible-bulletin/

Below is the pdf copy of the January 2012 NBBI Open Bible Bulletin. We will be posting the individual articles separately in the coming days.

(Updated: December 31, 2011)

“Thou art worthy, O Lord”, “Thou art worthy…” and “Worthy is the Lamb…” These three phrases are found in Revelation 4 and 5 and are appropriately called by C.I. Scofield, “Universal adoration of the Lamb who is King.” As I thought about these phrases and about this season, I was reminded of the adoration given the baby Jesus by those present at and near His birth.

Luke records these instances of praise. The first is found in Luke 1:46 where Mary, Jesus’ mother, sings and prays with joy that her Saviour will be born. She calls Him mighty and merciful at a time in her life when she was still learning to trust and at the same time questioning how this miracle could have occurred. He is worthy of our praise even when we don’t fully understand His will.

The second instance is found later in the chapter and records John’s father’s voice of praise. Zacharias blesses God for salvation in the house of David and for his son, John, “the prophet of the Highest.” Adoration and praise to Jesus should be given for those faithful servants He raises up for His glory.

In Luke 2, the shepherds were the next recorded ones to worship Him. After the angels appeared to them, they travelled to Bethlehem and testified of the One they had seen. (Luke2:20) “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, …”

The overflow and result of our love and adoration for our Saviour should be the telling of the good news of salvation.

Simeon, the temple priest, praised God as he held the child Jesus and called Him God’s light and salvation to Jew and Gentile.

May we, during this season of celebrating Christ’s birth, be careful to love, praise and worship Him. He is the One who eventually died and rose again to pay the penalty for our sin so that we might live for eternity in Heaven. Let’s celebrate the season for what it really is – the birth of God’s greatest Gift.

This post is by: Robert Booker, NBBI Vice-President

The above article appears in the December 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

Last night I received a phone call from a friend whose aged mother was in the hospital, living her last few days on this earth. My mind quickly drifted and fond memories of times spent with this friend flooded my mind. I would love to share a couple of those humourous stories with you but space does not permit. We don’t spend much time together anymore, but the Christian bond that had been made in those early days of our Christian lives will never be broken. I will always remember my friend!

November, of course, is the month US we set time aside to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. World War I and World War II seem so distant now. There are few living who experienced those most difficult days and we are so quick to forget their sacrifice. Last summer, as I was browsing the web, I came across my grandfather’s attestation papers for the Naval Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. He made it in just as the first world war had ended. As many in his day, he had a great desire to fight for freedom. Many of our friends will remember the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and still quite fresh in all of our minds are “Desert Storm,” the Gulf war, “9-11,” the destruction of the Twin Towers and our continuing struggles in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have all been touched by those who gave of their lives. We will always remember our friends!

Over 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth to fight a battle which would bring freedom forever! Humanly speaking, it didn’t seem like much of a battle. Even while He was being betrayed by one of His own, Jesus Christ calmly told Peter to put away his sword and then healed the enemy’s guard whom His disciple had wounded. He gave hardly any defense when accused by the authorities. He didn’t even struggle when being led to his death. I suppose secular historians of that day would have said His final defeat took place when He was nailed to and crucified on the cross, but just the opposite was true. In Romans 5:8 we read, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When Jesus Christ died on that cross, He paid the penalty which was set by God Himself as the punishment for our sin (Romans 6:23). Three days later, when He rose from the dead, Christ conquered the grave, He conquered Satan and He conquered death itself to bring new life to those who would receive it (1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

In 1973, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. After listening to my brother explain the wonderful news of salvation, later that night, I knelt beside my bed and accepted God’s free gift of salvation. Christ became my Saviour and my closest friend. I will always remember this Friend! Will you?

Post by: Larry Rushton, Open Bible Bulletin Editor

What are the dreams that you have for your life? What are the plans that you have already you to where you want to be? Where are the decisions that you have planned for your life going to take you? Who are you listening to for advice? Where does God fit into all of this, if at all?

In Exodus 2, we are introduced to a man that had the miraculous written all over him. In his childhood, he most certainly would have died had God not intervened and spared his life. He was destined to be poor had God not, through the sparing of his life, seen fit to put him into the king’s palace. His life from conception to manhood had the fingerprints of God all over it.

This man’s name was Moses. Moses was born a poor Israelite, a slave in Egypt. But soon he found himself in the palace of Pharaoh. He had it all. He had, in the palm of his hand, what most people spend a lifetime only dreaming of; fame, power, fortune and respect. Scholars believe that, by the time of the events of Exodus 2, Moses was an experienced military man having probably led victorious campaigns against other enemy nations. He lived in the most important home of the most powerful nation on the planet at that time. He was the prince of Egypt, the wealthiest, most cultured and most advanced society in the known world of that time. He was highly educated; he was trained at what was known as the Temple of the Sun, the most outstanding university of the day. He was exposed to all the wisdom of Egypt. In fact, in Acts 7:32, we find out that Moses was a man mighty in “words and in deeds.” We might say he was as prepared as man could possibly make him. Yet, in Exodus 2:15, we find him on the backside of the desert having just killed an Egyptian.

As Moses sits down by this well, he can’t understand where it all went wrong. You see, all of the training that Moses received in Egypt did not prepare him for the divinely anointed task of delivering
God’s people.

Before he killed the Egyptian, Exodus 2:12 says, “…he looked this way and that way…” That is, he looked around but he never looked up. Had he looked up, he would have found the answers that he so desperately needed.

He spent forty years having men train him to be the most intellectual, successful, powerful, influential and effective person, but none of it helped him become what God wanted him to be. Now he is on the backside of the desert and God has enrolled him in the Divine Institute of Learning. It was a bachelor’s program. But not lasting 4 years; it took 40. Someone once said, “Moses spent 40 years thinking he was a somebody; he spent another 40 years learning he was a nobody; he spent his final 40 years learning what God can do with a nobody.”

I am thankful for the students that God has brought our way this year. Students, who like Moses, need God to do a preparatory work in their lives that the world (Egypt) can never accomplish.

Post by: Matthew Little, NBBI Faculty, Dean of Men

This article appears in the October 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

In July our family made our summer trek to visit relatives and Church family in PEI. The main reason we went though, was to see my aunt, now in her 80s, who was dying of cancer. As far as I knew, there was no evidence of salvation in her life. Before I went to visit her I asked the Lord to give me an opportunity to share the Gospel. She sat with me at her kitchen table along with other relatives and halfway through our visit, she became tired and had to return to bed. As her door shut, I thought to myself, I will never see her again or get another chance to tell her of the love of Christ. In a bold attempt to gain access to her room, I asked her daughter if I could go in and pray with her. She said “yes”! I couldn’t believe my ears because they are very closed to the Gospel and they know where I stand as a believer. I went in, took my aunt’s hand and told her that I loved her very much and the God of heaven and earth had sent me that day to tell her that Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for sinners like me and He died for her too. I quoted 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” I told her I had found eternal life and I wanted to share it with her. As we talked more, I told her that Jesus is truly the way, John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” I then prayed for her and her salvation. I wish I could tell you she accepted Jesus as Saviour but she didn’t, not while I was there. God knows the heart and He knows the time and hour one will be saved. I believe that and must keep my focus on things above and doing the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Is there someone in your life who needs to hear the truth; a co-worker, an acquaintance, a friend or a family member? If God is prompting you to share the Gospel with someone today, maybe you should. Eight years ago, I let an opportunity pass me by in giving my uncle the Gospel. He died two days later. I promised the Lord then that I would never allow that to happen again. Even in an uncomfortable situation, I needed to keep my focus on why the Lord sent me there. Be ready always! 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

Post by: Kurtis Kent, Director of Food Services

This post appears in the September 2011 Open Bible Bulletin. (click link to download the pdf version)

The Cave of Adullam

There are times when life becomes downright intimidating. We experience seasons of great disillusionment, discouragement and even despair because of many of the situations that are normal to life. Any given day can present us with new challenges in the realm of our health, finances, relationships and unmet expectations. None of God’s people are exempt from knowing difficulty as we journey through this broken world in these sinful, mortal bodies. Together, we experience trials that are untimely, uncomfortable, unwanted, unpredictable, undiscernable, uncontrollable, unprovoked, and seemingly unbearable. What are we to do? How are we to cope?

May I suggest that when life bears down with all of its unforgiving pressure that you find a cave and get in it. Now, before you think me to be harsh, let’s be reminded that that is specifically what David did on a number of occasions. There were times when David was being pursued by King Saul (I Samuel 22-24) and feared for his very life. It was in the caves of Adullam and En Gedi that David found refuge. David knew he served a great God but was experiencing some great difficulties as King Saul was bearing down on him, with the purpose of destroying his life.

The first two verses of Psalm 57 offer us incredible insight into the very heart and mind of David as he crouched in the shadow of a cave, crying out to God.

“Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most High; unto God that performeth all things for me.”

Even as David was hiding in the shadow of the cave, he was, more importantly, hiding in the shadow of God’s wings. What a beautiful, poetic picture of God’s care for His children in their times of great distress. Imagine, the very presence of God was to be found in a darkened cave in the Judean wilderness. David’s experience teaches us how we can trust God in the midst of personal tragedy. David is able to experience comfort in the presence of God because he had
expressed confidence in the person of God. Notice how verse seven depicts David’s confidence in God, in spite of the uncertainty of life’s events.

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.”

It has been said that when life becomes bizarre, only one’s relationship with God calms the soul. My friend, unfortunately, we won’t escape some of the common trials of this life, but when they come, we can certainly flee to the caves of God’s merciful presence and there hide ourselves in His comforting embrace.

Post by: Keith McMahon, Assistant Campus Pastor, Faculty

This article appears in the July/August 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

Dr. R. Barry Beebe

The command to be Spirit-filled and the evidences of the Spirit’s filling are found in Ephesians 5:18-6:19. Men especially are to treat their wives as Christ cherishes the church (Eph. 5:25,28), to be husbands worthy of honour, respect and authority (Eph. 5:22-24,33). Men are to be faithful in the area of the servant/master relationship (Eph. 6:5-9). Today this would be imaged in our employer/employee situation. They are to be dedicated Christian soldiers in the battle against evil and the evil one (6:10-19). Men are to wear the armour of God and stand against principalities and powers.

Men also are to be godly dads and granddads; men who encourage rather than discourage the next generation coming behind them. Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Colossians 3:21, “Fathers provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

Let’s look first at what fathers are not to do.

1. Do not provoke your children. The word provoke means to vex, irritate or exasperate. It means to bring up and bring out wrath, anger and frustration. It means to stir up their flesh rather than their spirit.

2. Do not bring them to the point of wrath/anger. The word wrath means deep feelings of malice, leading to deep roots of bitterness. Don’t cause children to be emotionally and spiritually scared for life.

3. Do not discourage them.The word discourage means to bring disappointment, despair and depression. This will produce children who are crushed and broken in spirit rather than in will; children who lose heart and lose hope.

Now let’s look at what fathers are to do.

1. Raise them (bring them up) – to nourish and rear. The idea is to fertilize them so they will grow to maturity, morally and spiritually.

2. Nurture them – to train, discipline and chasten them in love and godliness. It is to train children to resist evil and battle against the world, the flesh and the devil.

3. Admonish them – this refers to instruction, exhortation and encour- agement. It refers to motivating children to do right and to invest in good works and good decisions.

Fathers have a great influence upon their sons and daughters, especially in their teen years. Be wise in raising up children rather than putting them down. Treat your children the way God treats you!

Post by: Dr. R. Barry Beebe

This article appears in the June 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

Robert Booker, NBBI Vice President

I am intrigued with the simplicity of the demands of God on the nation of Israel as stated in Micah’s prophecy. They are found in Micah 6:8 and they are these: “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

At the time of this writing (about 730 BC), the northern kingdom, represented by its capital, Samaria, was about to be overrun by Assyria from the north. The southern kingdom of Israel, represented by its capital, Jerusalem (see Micah 1:1), was much farther in time from their defeat by Babylon which would take place one hundred years later. Still, God graciously warns them all of the impending judgement.

In Micah 1,2 and 3, God outlines their sin. The people were idolatrous (Micah 1:7), covetous and violent (Micah 2:2). Their political leaders “hate(d) the good and love(d) the evil” (Micah 3:1-2), and their religious leaders were in the ministry only for the money (Micah 3:5-11).

Chapters 4 and 5 are chapters of grace. Micah relates God’s gracious dealing with them in the future by describing the millennium, the gathering of Israel to their homeland, and the birth of Jesus the Messiah.

Then, we come to chapter 6 and the clearly stated requirements of our holy God which is applicable to all dispensations.

“To do justly” not only means to make correct judgments but it implies that my personal responsibility before God is to do right, to live righteously. He will not be pleased with anything less than that. This demand really is my responsibility to myself.

“To love mercy” has to do with my relationship to others. This phrase strongly urges me to extend to others the mercy and love that God, through Jesus, has extended to me. Paul clearly states the New Testament version of this phrase in Ephesians 4:32, “…forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

The final requirement is to “walk humbly with thy God.” This describes my relationship to God – that is, simply to walk with Him in all humility. Two of the words for “walk” in Strong’s Concordance are “march” and “follow.” What a thought! To march behind our God, walking as Jesus walked, imitating Him as faithful soldiers.

The requirements of God are clear. What will be my response?

Post by: Dr. Robert Booker, NBBI Vice President

This article appears in the May 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

The first one, found in Psalm 119:17, is “Deal Bountifully with Your Servant.” The word “deal” means hand out what is due. Of course, the adulterer and sinner, David deserved eternal death the same as each one of us. But, because David loved God and in faith looked forward to the coming Messiah, he could say, deal “bountifully” or generously, plentifully and graciously with me. David wanted to live a triumphant and victorious life, paying careful attention to God’s Word.

David’s second request is “Open Thou Mine Eyes”, verse 18. This is not a request for physical healing, but rather, it is a request that God, the divine Healer, would peel off David’s spiritual cataracts; those things that slowly develop and cloud our vision of God. Notice he wanted to behold wondrous things out of God’s Word. Expect more!! When you go to God’s Word, are you really expecting God to speak to you, to give you something that could be life-changing? Friend, that is where most of us fail. We forget what God has done and can do for us, through us and in us and we don’t come expectantly.

The third request is found in Psalm 119:19-20. “Do Not Hide Your Commandments From Me.” David said he was a stranger in the earth. We would be silly to suggest that David was not a citizen of the nation, Israel. He was their King. But he looked beyond this and recognized his true, eternal home, Heaven. In living his life on earth, David did not want to lose sight of God’s laws while enforcing the laws of the land. His heart’s longing desire was to continually remain true to God’s Word.

Request number four was “Remove from Me Reproach and Contempt.” The word “reproach” means to tell someone that he acted wrongly, especially when you would not expect him to do so – an honourable request for a man in his position. “Contempt” means to despise as worthless or insignificant, disobedient to lawful order. David had the pressure of princes wrongfully speaking against him, but he could honestly say, “thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors.”

In this prayer, David’s conversation reveals his love and dependence upon God and His Word. If this mighty, successful and beloved king needed guidance from God’s Word, do you think that you could use His guidance? “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”

Post by: Larry Rushton, NBBI Registrar, Open Bible Bulletin Editor

This article appears in the April 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

There are a number of principles that are in force in this text. They are principles that truly apply to believers today.

1. Our relationship to the King is based on a covenant: David had made a covenant with Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:3). Our salvation is based upon the New Covenant that our King has inaugurated in His death and resurrection (Mat. 26:26-28). The basis for both of these covenants is
   love and grace.
2. Our reality before the King is one of lameness: Just as lame Mephibosheth, from Saul’s kingdom, had been given entrance into David’s kingdom, to sit at his table, so has our God brought believers, in all of our spiritual lameness, into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col.1:13).
3. Our response to the King must be that of humility and loyalty: When Mephibosheth heard the words of King David he responded by bowing himself before the king and uttering a statement of absolute humility. He knew that the king’s kindness far exceeded anything that he deserved. Further, in chapters 16-19 we read of David’s departure from Jerusalem and of Mephibosheth’s loyalty as he remained faithfully preoccupied with the return of his king. So too should our response be one of utter humility and loyalty. Those who best appreciate God’s mercy are those who having accepted the invitation of King Jesus, and recognized the enormity of His kindness, look forward to His coming (1 Tim. 1:12-17; 6:14-16).

Post By: Keith McMahon, NBBI Faculty

This article appears in the March 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.

But a monumental shift has taken place that has knocked us from our traditional moorings and has set us afloat on a sea of compromise. We have become a generation of non-separating evangelicals. We no longer are separating from those that deviate from the “faith that was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3b). 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 warns the believer to not be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” In fact, it says “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” The word “separate” refers to the setting of a boundary. Darkness, error and cooperation with false doctrine must be out-of-bounds for the believer. Many believers are like Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, who followed the Lord, but when asked to join wicked King Ahab said, “I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee…” (2 Chronicles 18:3). This compromising decision was met with the swift indictment of God, “Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.”

Those who deny the fundamentals of the faith must not be given “spiritual recognition” by God’s people, and certainly not spiritual cooperation. Evangelicals have stopped contending and have begun compromising the faith. They are accepting the non-evangelical element as legitimate and equally Christian. The lack of separation by God’s people has led to a growing spirit of confusion amongst the unsaved and believer alike. Separation should not be viewed negatively by a Christian but rather positively. It is boldly declaring that you are exclusively on the Lord’s side. It is a decision to give no aid or to render no service to the enemies of the Gospel. Love them; yes, reach them; yes, but do not dignify or support their error. To take such a stand may sound the alarm of many and cause others to view you as some kind of spiritual maverick, but never forget that it puts you squarely into the camp of thousands of believers who have marched faithfully through the corridors of history.

Post by: Matthew Little, NBBI Faculty

This article appears in the February 2011 NBBI Open Bible Bulletin

My family and I were missionaries in north central Saskatchewan, before we came back to NBBI. While ministering there, I met a man who was very quiet and unassuming. He was a grain farmer and was interested in making money and growing some of the most beautiful crops in the area. He was not involved in the church and when it was over, he was one of the first individuals out the door. I began to minister to him and his wife and soon found out they were having marital problems. Through this time of ministering to them, they began to come to Wednesday night Bible study. After one of the studies on salvation, he realized he was not saved and that night he gave his life to Christ. As the Lord began to work in his life, he was being convicted by many things that had become so natural to him and all he knew. One Sunday night, a few months later, he and a friend came to my house with bewildered looks on their faces. He asked me this question, “Is it wrong for me to be growing malt barley? Malt barley is what they use to make beer and whiskey, among other things.” We talked about the Lord and His Word and his testimony before the unsaved. This field of barley was right on the 23 Highway and the Weekes Grid Road. Everyone that went to the town of Weekes, or the town of Porcupine Plain, or Hudson Bay passed this field. The field of barley was two weeks short of being good enough to sell as malt.   Monday morning, as my wife and I were driving out the Weekes Grid Road, we saw a 25 foot swather cutting down the crop of barley. He was losing thousands of dollars and selling the barley for pig feed. Farmers from all over the area knew exactly what he was doing and most of them thought he was a fool. I Corinthians 1:27, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.” Some stopped on the side of the road to watch him cut down this pricey crop. They talked about it and him at the Golden Age Club and coffee shops in the area. You see, he knew his testimony was everything and his focus had changed from earthly to heavenly. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

This past summer we lost Charlie Allen to cancer of the stomach. Let me tell you something about my dear friend Charlie. All the people that came into his hospital room heard of their need for Jesus Christ. In the end he read a verse that depicted his short walk with the Lord. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Charlie’s favourite saying was, “I just want to get it right.” He got it right!

As we step into a new year is our focus on earthly things or heavenly things? When we are focused on Christ, we can never get it wrong!

Post by: Kurtis Kent, NBBI Food Services Director

Dr. R. Barry Beebe, NBBI President

The year of our Lord 2011. We are now entering a new year given by our Lord Jesus Christ and a new year for our Lord Jesus Christ.

The designation of the years of human history as B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini – in the year of our Lord) did not begin until A.D. 525. Some have wrongly assumed that A.D. refers to “after His death.” This would result in the 33 years of His life being undated and falling between 1 B.C. and A.D.1. It has also been tradition to place the B.C. after the number of the year and to place A.D. before the number of the year.

Many who do not embrace Christianity have argued against these historical designations and have promoted the idea of B.C.E. (before the common era) or C.E. (the common era). China, in 1912, adopted the Georgian or western calendar and designated each year as W.E. (western era). In 1949 the communist take over of China resulted in the designation of C.E. (common era).

I guess we should not be surprised if the world, one day, refuses to recognize the seven day week since it originated in Genesis 1. No matter how hard historical revisionists try, there is no denying the impact of God Almighty, the Holy Scriptures, the nation of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ and the true Christian church on the history of mankind. History is actually “His Story,” the account of a holy, loving God, seeking to redeem man- kind and reconcile each one to his/her Creator.

This year we need to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ. In His mercy and grace, He has given us another period of time, made up of 365 days, in which to bring glory, honour and praise to His glorious name. Let us not lose our focus to things, people, events, trials and worldly distractions. Let us daily keep our focus on Christ, His Word, His will and His work. Remember it is the year of our Lord 2011.

Post by: Dr. R. Barry Beebe, NBBI President

The Christmas message is such a powerful one because of its scope and individual relevance. As those shepherds gathered, over 2000 years ago, to carry on their ordinary work responsibilities, they were witnesses to the most creative evening service ever attended. Imagine an outdoor service where angels led the worship. The message that was proclaimed had relevance for all people and provided a personal revelation for the shepherds in attendance. The message of the birth of the Christ Child was clear. The directions as to where they could find Him were specific. The angels instructed them concerning a message to be preached to all men and a place where the shepherds could personally go to find Him. Today, the message of the same Saviour is still being preached, however, the Babe of Bethlehem is known to us as the Lamb of Calvary and the exalted, living Saviour who sits at the right hand of God. There, at the right hand of God, He lives so that we can face today and tomorrow, no matter what they bring. The message today is not go find the babe but call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 10:13.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

The message of the good news of Jesus Christ is still for all people, however, may you this Christmas, remember that Christ was born for you personally. God, from the beginning, intended the message of Christmas to have a personal meaning. The message of the prophet Isaiah and the angel is “unto you is born…a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

As you read this, the joy of Christmas may be marred by the difficult circumstances in which you find yourself. Isaiah tells us that the Saviour is a “Wonderful Counsellor,” meaning there is no confusion in His counsel, no hurt resulting from following His counsel and He, unlike human counsellors, is not limited. He has the ability to empower you to do the right thing.

He is also “the Everlasting Father” which means you can have a relationship with God your Father and that relationship is eternal. Several of us have known the loneliness of losing a beloved mother or father and the great void that leaves in our lives. Hallelujah, the Christmas message is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is, for the believer, a Father Forever.

Recently, you may have experienced rejection, and that hurts. Perhaps you have known hatred, which left not dealt with, can destroy. Come to Jesus Christ and you can begin to experience a love that will carry on through eternity.

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 2:7

Post by: John Hoag, NBBI Chancellor

This article appears in the December 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.

“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee.” Psalm 39:4, 5a

A couple of years ago my boys and I were able to go with some friends on a summer fishing trip to one of our favourite spots in Maine.  These all-too-short getaways are something we always look forward to and this one was especially exciting for my four-year-old son Benjamin.  It was his first major overnight adventure with us and he could barely contain the thrill of this rite of passage.

As we made our journey deeper into the woods along bumpy dirt roads, I kept my camera handy to snap photos of any wildlife that might cross our path.  With my eyes peeled for moose and bear, I was intently focused on the road far ahead and almost missed the wonderful scene that was playing out much closer to me.  It was a quick glance in the side mirror that grabbed my attention and brought instant joy to my heart. There was my little son, smiling face in the wind, thoroughly enjoying the whole experience.

As I was reflecting on this moment, captured in time by my camera, the words stamped on the mirror stood out to me, “OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.”

In James 1:23-24 the Bible warns us that we need to take heed to God’s Word and be doers and not just hearers of it.  James likens this process to “a man beholding his natural face in a glass” who should not fail to correct what he sees.  In other words, the mirror only reflects an image back and tells us what we really look like.

Unlike a glass mirror, which can only reveal the superficial, the Bible is much better in that it has a marvelous way of peering deep into our souls.  Hebrews 4:12 puts it this way, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Frankly, and more often than I like to admit, I look into God’s Mirror and I don’t like the reflection that comes back because it shows my own heart.  Sins that have remained hidden and unconfessed glare back at me and demand action.  Thankfully, God does not leave us to fix these things on our own, but instead uses that same Mirror to show us the solution (1 John 1:8-10).

Finally, a mirror reveals just how fleeting this life is. Looking at the photo of my son, I cannot help but visualize another little boy, which not so long ago enjoyed the same things.  Now when that boy stands before a mirror, he sees hair once parted that has now departed and a face once youthful that wrinkles when he smiles. Where have those in-between-years gone?

The two mirrors tell a story, the one of frailty, brevity and loss and the other of hope, redemption, and eternal life (James 4:14; Titus 3:7).  As we get a glimpse of the reflections, we would do well to heed their message because OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.

Post by: Jack Caron, NBBI Missions Director, Faculty

Robert and Avis Booker

Psalm 84:1-12

The psalmist was in trouble! He was going through a “dry spell” according to Psalm 84:6 and he longed for strength, safety and refreshment. I am sure we have all been in this situation and perhaps even today you are discouraged, facing trial and temptation, insecurity or defeat. If you have a Bible with titles under the chapter headings, you will see the term “Gittith” under chapter 84. “Gittith” literally means “winepress” and refers to being tested and tried with a view to judgement. This gives us a clue to his situation. So the Holy Spirit has given to the psalmist an encouraging word to strengthen him and a timely word to pass on to us who often can relate to his circumstances.

First, the psalmist referred to the sanctuary (tabernacle, courts, Psalm 84:1,2). From Psalm 84:4 and Psalm 84:10 we understand he is talking about the temple or tabernacle where God dwelt. God had given Moses explicit instructions in Exodus 25 concerning building that first house for Him. In fact, in Exodus 25:8, God refers to the tabernacle as a “sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” What God is saying in Exodus and in Psalms is that His desire is to dwell with His people and His presence would insure their safety. Notice in Psalm 84:3 that even the most fragile and insignificant of birds can find rest in Him. So, in times of trial we find this sanctuary – His presence.

Second, the writer speaks of God’s strength. In this time of pressure and judgement, he was weakened and cried out for help. In Psalm 84:6, the “valley of Baca” means “place of tears” but notice that the “place of tears” turns into a well of water, refreshing and rejuvenating the weary and discouraged soul. In his journey (toward Jerusalem, Psalm 84:7) he found his strength in his faithful God.

Third, he stated that God is his shield. When difficulty comes my way, I need protection. The writer likely had in mind the scaly hide of a crocodile or other animal from which the soldier’s shield was made. Sometimes the shield was small but often it was big enough to stand behind and receive full protection. When the evil one (Ephesians 6:10-18) sends his darts of wickedness, discouragement and trial, I can run to the safety of the full protection which God provides.

Fourth, the psalmist realizes that his God is a sun. Finally, it seems the trial, the judgement is over – the sun is shining through. He senses God’s grace and glory and blessing. I am reminded of Malachi’s statement in Malachi 4:2, where, referring to the millennium, he calls Christ the “Sun of Righteousness” (arising) with healing in His wings.”

May I encourage you today, as those struggles come, some light and some severe, that, as with the psalmist, our God is a sanctuary, our strength, a shield and sun.

Post by: Dr. Robert Booker, NBBI Vice President

This article appears in the October 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.

Larry Rushton

“Thoughts of warm summer nights by the campfire, visions of strolling across the beach and dreams of completing a number of stagnated projects piled high on my desk have swept across my calendar like a speeding, consuming tornado, swallowing up my summer and spitting it out into a new calendar quarter called Fall.” So starts the 33rd chapter in the book called, “Life as a staff member” by Larry D. Rushton.

Summer has slipped by and another year of ministry to our students has begun. Our role again has switched from praying for our students to participating in their ongoing training and in the development of their spiritual growth. What a responsibility! What an awesome privilege!

Writing this article was on my mind as I read 1 Peter 4:7-11 during my devotions one morning. My thoughts soon drifted beyond my personal application to encompass your responsibility to the students you have sent to us. May I suggest four things which I believe you can be doing for our students this school year.

The first is found in verse 7, “…watch unto prayer.” Whatever you do for our students, or should I say your students, make sure praying for them is a high priority on your list! Notice the verse says watch unto prayer. Don’t just pray, “God bless George at NBBI.” Pay attention! Be watching for specific needs like a difficulty in a certain subject, a budding relationship with a young lady, rela- tionships with his roommate or other students in the dorm, his practical Christian service assignment, and I could go on.

Next suggestion, which I found in verse 8, is “have fervent charity” or, love them to death. Care for them! If you could only see our students’ faces when they receive care packages from home or letters from good friends or their church youth groups. You will make their day and maybe get them through a difficult year by one act of kindness.

The third suggestion is “use hospitality,” verse 9. Some of these students may end up in your home this year as they travel with a musical group, the SEM group or work in your church as a youth leader. Help them enjoy their first taste of ministry!  You may encourage a student to desire full-time Christian service for his or her future.

The final suggestion, verses 10-11, is allow them to use their gifts and serve. I will be ever grateful for Pastor Arian Groeneveld who encouraged me to step into his pulpit as a student and preach, lead services, lead youth group, sing and play guitar. He taught me to serve.

What can you do for your students at NBBI?

This article appears in the September 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.

Matthew Little, NBBI Faculty

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up the fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” Hosea 10:12

The Jews of Hosea’s day had hardened their hearts to the Word of God. They had left off its warmth and light and huddled around the coldness of their own ideas. How easy it is for us to set aside God’s Word in favour of man’s opinions. God said to Israel, as He may very well be saying to you, “thou didst trust in thy way” (v. 13b). Maybe God’s Word has taken a back seat in your life. What is the answer to such a dilemma?

First, “…break up the fallow ground…” There may be hardened ground in your heart that needs to be softened so that the seed of God’s Word can once again begin to penetrate and impact your life. Start to cultivate the soil of your heart. Cleanse your heart from the hardened soil of indifference, till up the dangerous roots of worldly affections, and plough up deep rooted weeds and thorns of sin and selfishness. This is the preparatory step. It is the initial step of obedience whereby we signify to God that the soil of our hearts has been left unkempt and uncared for. What sinful barriers may be preventing the seed of God’s Word from penetrating your heart and changing you?

Second, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness…” God’s Word, once more, must become the source and rule of righteousness in your life. It is as simple as returning to that which you have been neglecting. Once the soil has been cultivated, then the seed of the Word must begin to be scattered once more.

Third, “seek the Lord…” The farmer works hard to prepare the soil and to plant the seed, but he should do it all with his eye toward God who is the only One Who can bless his efforts and pour down upon him the showers of blessing. We can prepare the soil of our hearts and spread the seed of God’s Word, but we must always do it with an eye toward the One who brings the increase and blessing.

Dr. Howard Hendricks once had a lady come to him boasting about how many times she had been through the Bible. Hendricks looked at her and said, “Madam, the real question is how many times the Bible has been through you.” As God looks within your heart, I trust He finds cultivated soil and much seed.

This article appears in the July/August 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.

Keith McMahon, NBBI Faculty

By Keith McMahon

Recently, my dear wife Beth and I had the wonderful opportunity of touring Israel with a group with Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. It was an incredibly humbling and enlightening experience. Since our return, many have asked “what was the highlight of the trip?” That’s a tough question to answer! For me, getting acquainted with the lay of the land certainly has enhanced my Bible reading. But even greater, getting better acquainted with the heart of our Saviour, for His people, Israel, has enlarged my perspective.

As we traversed the land in which Jesus Christ lived and ministered, I often thought about His compassionate heart for Israel and the unique privileges that God has graciously made available to His special people, in the land that He has given to them. Frequently, I found myself thinking ahead to what will be one day when, at His revelation, Israel repentantly recognizes Him as their Messiah. It is only then that Israel will fully experience all that God has purposed for her.

A Rainstorm on the Sea of Galilee

At the same time, I couldn’t help but be thankful for so many privileges that I enjoy as a disciple of Christ. On one particular day, our group enjoyed a most intimate moment of reflection as we sat in a tour boat upon the Sea of Galilee. It was my joy to share some thoughts from God’s Word. I had chosen a passage from Luke 5:1-11, where Jesus, while sitting in a fishing boat, taught the crowds along the shore of the lake of Gennesaret (Galilee). It was at this time that He prompted Peter to launch out into the deep and let down his nets to catch some fish. In his obedience, Peter, along with the other eyewitnesses, had the privilege of gaining a glimpse into the deity of Christ as it was manifested in His person and power. I would like to share with you seven distinct privileges of discipleship that arise from this text. As disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ we have the privileges of:

1. Being taught the Word of God (Luke 5:1-3).
   

   Teaching from a boat on the Sea of Galilee

2. Launching out into greater opportunities with Christ (Luke 5:4).
3. Observing God do what only He can do in our lives (Luke 5:6,9).
4. Helping others observe God do what only He can do (Luke 5:7,10).
5. Coming to terms with our sinfulness, in the light of Christ’s holiness (Luke 5:8,9).
6. Experiencing the abundant, immeasurable grace of God (Luke 5:6).
7. Refocusing our priorities and pursuits in this life, in accordance to God’s call upon our lives (Luke 5:10,11).

Dear friend, won’t you take a moment or two today and quietly reflect upon the Person and power of Christ, along with the privileges of discipleship that belong to those who know Him?

This article appears in the June 2010 NBBI Open Bible Bulletin. Click here for a printable pdf version.

John Hoag, NBBI Chancellor

Conscious that at my age I have more days behind me than before me, I am preparing for the “stretch run” and have been reading Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. I have turned to the epistle of Joy as I remembered with fondness my predecessor, Ken Robins who so role-modeled the joy of the Spirit. Paul’s prayerful remembrance of the Philippians caught my attention and two words leaped out, “with joy”.

Philippians 1:3-4, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.”

Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians as servant to saints. That was not just a formal salutation from Paul it was the “culminating characteristic” of a humble man’s lifetime ministry for God. He respected and loved the people of God who he refers to as saints. He thanked God for them and his prayerful remembrance of them was always accompanied with joy. Joy characterized the apostle Paul’s ministry from start to finish. Joy was a career choice goal for Paul, Acts 20:24. It can be defined as cheerfulness, inner calmness, and when included with the word “rejoice” in this epistle, can be found 16 times in these few short chapters.

Paul’s joy came not from having the conveniences of comfortable living; it came from conforming to the will, Word and work of God. The will of God brought Paul to Philippi and, the Word of God is what he preached and taught there. He met a praying woman named Lydia; a demon possessed woman whose conversion led to a riot in the city, landing Paul in prison. In difficult circumstances, Paul and Silas sang praises at midnight and the jailer was converted, took Paul into his house, fed him and “rejoices, believing in God with all his house.” There is nothing that brings joy to a godly person’s heart than “productive prayer meetings”, “powerful workings of God” and “conversions in the midst of controversy”. Paul remembered the past with joy.

Paul addressed the present with concern over the disunity, murmuring, disputing and self-centredness that prevailed in their service for Christ. Christian workers working under the Holy Spirit are, in the words of the late A.W. Tozer, “Co-labourers not Competitors.” Paul encouraged the factions to “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Joy is a mark of Spirit-control and A.W. Tozer said it best, “As long as His Spirit is in control, there can be no such thing as competition by those who are under that control.”

Post by: John Hoag, NBBI Chancellor

This article appears in the May 2010 Open Bible Bulletin. (available in pdf)

Eric Liddell - Missionary, Olympic Gold Medalist

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

Recently, while watching the Vancouver Olympics, I saw a short program on some of the greatest Olympic athletes of the last century. Although there were truly a number of well deserving champions, my personal favourite was not among them. To me no account of the games would be complete without the story of Eric Liddell (1902-1945), who represented Great Britain at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

Eric Liddell was raised in China, the son of Scottish missionaries. During the 1924 Olympics in Paris, he went on to win a gold medal in the 400 metre dash and bronze in the 200 metre. Liddell’s story was made famous in the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire, where his unorthodox style of running with his head thrown back and mouth wide open was depicted on the screen for all to see. Liddell also made headlines at the games for his withdrawal from two additional races, in which he was favoured to win, because the heats were scheduled on the Lord’s Day, Sunday. This strange, “Flying Scotsman,” as they called him, along with his Christian faith, was the talk of the world that summer.

When asked why he was so fast, Liddell simply said, “I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. When I run, I feel His pleasure.”

In 1925, just one year after his Paris victory, Liddell moved back to China so he could serve as a missionary. This was in keeping with a calling he had felt long before his Olympic ambitions. It was in China that he would devote the remaining 20 years of his life to serving Christ.

One of the first jobs Eric Liddell worked in as a missionary was as a teacher at the Anglo-Chinese College in Tianjin. It is said that Eric’s influence there helped shape a generation of future Chinese leaders; many of whom carried with them his Christian beliefs and values.

In 1941, after the Japanese invasion of China, Liddell was placed under arrest and subsequently died of health complications on February 21, 1945. Ruth Tucker, in her book From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, writes this of Eric Liddell, “His sudden death came as a shock to his family and friends and to his fans the world over, but it was a testimony of the sacrifice of a man who had so consistently put his faith in God above personal ambition and fame.”

The world may have well forgotten about Eric Liddell, but this remarkable figure in Olympic history remains for me one of the great role models of the Christian faith. Truly, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD.” We would do well to follow that same path.

Post by: Jack Caron, NBBI Faculty

This article appears in the April 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.

Here are some outside links that might be of interest:

• Eric Liddell Center in Edinburgh: http://ericliddell.org
• Eric Liddell depicted in Chariots of Fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY6NKM9cC7w
• More information on Eric Liddell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Liddell

Robert Booker, NBBI Vice President

By Dr. Robert Booker

Most Bible commentators believe that the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 were actual churches in Asia. Not only did they have messages to be applied to the church universal and local, but God, through John, was also instructing us regarding the history of the church. The first church mentioned, Ephesus, refers to the first century church. If each subsequent church logically follows history, then Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22 describes the present day church.

From verse 14, we must understand that throughout history, and in these “perilous times” (II Timothy 3:1), Christ is faithful and true and He is the accurate Witness to the past, present and future. No matter how difficult times are, how poorly we conduct ourselves, or how cold the church gets, Christ is faithful and gracious.

How did God view this church at Laodicea?

First, He said it was “lukewarm.” It certainly wasn’t “hot” (on fire) for God and it wasn’t “cold.” It was best characterized by being a nauseous “lukewarm.” I can’t think of any time when a lukewarm drink would be satisfying. Is the way that we worship and the heart with which we conduct ourselves, self-gratifying or God-gratifying, and does the world see in us and our churches the answer to their deep, longing thirst? Every local church should be notorious in their community, that is, notorious for their unity and notorious for their love both for one another and for the lost. Isn’t this what Christ meant when He said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” in John 13:35.

Second, He said the Laodicean church was “lacking.” In verse 17, it seems that they didn’t realize their greatest need which was a spiritual need. As today, their offering plates were full but they were spiritually destitute. The preaching and teaching of the Word of God must be prepared, predominant and passionate so that the Spirit of God will apply it to the hearts of His people and cause us to be Christlike. Our every need is addressed and supplied by Christ and His Word. In verse 18, He said the answer to their need was testing fire, holiness and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.

Third, He said the church was not “listening.” Jesus, who should be the centre of the church and pre-eminent, (Colossians 1:18) was on the outside, knocking, asking to come in. Perhaps pride, arrogance and dictatorship had crept into the church and had taken Christ’s rightful position. How careful we must be whether church, school or institution, that Christ always is the focus of our worship, teaching and reason to exist.

If we are now living in a Laodicean-like era, then may we sincerely determine to be faithful, to represent Christ well, and to allow Him pre-eminence in the church.

This article appears in the March 2010 NBBI Open Bible Bulletin.

Matthew Little, NBBI Faculty

1 Kings 8 takes us back to one of the most celebrated events in Jewish history. The Tabernacle of the wilderness had given way to the Temple in all of its magnificence and splendour. After seven long years of sacrifice and labour, Solomon completed what his father could only dream of. A new era had begun as the Temple stood as a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness and the crowning achievement of the Jews. The congregation of Israel gathered around their king as he stood with outstretched arms by the altar of the Lord (1 Kings 8:22). What a powerful gesture this was. Solomon wanted the nation to know that he expected the success of his prayer to be linked to the sufficiency of the sacrifice. So too we learn that God will heed our prayers because of the sufficiency of our sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Three keys can be noted in this chapter that will unlock the doors that lead to the pathway of powerful service.

First, Solomon recognized that God was much bigger than his plans, activities and accomplishments (1 Kings 8:27- 28). Here is this splendid piece of architecture, and yet we find a humble confession that God would not be bound to it or by it. God cannot be limited to nor confined by our ministries, no matter how great we may think they are. His work reaches beyond the confines or borders of our influence and His work will not rise or fall based upon what we might be attempting for Him. We are often guilty of overestimating our greatness and underestimating the greatness of God.

Second, Solomon asked that God’s eyes would be towards this Temple (1 Kings 8:29). King Solomon wanted himself and his people to live under the watchful eye of God and be open to the scrutiny of God. As believers, we must faithfully serve the Lord, and do it in such a way, that we would not fear the glance of God upon us. It is also impressive to consider where the eye of God will be found. God will certainly take note of the place where He can say, “My name is there.

Third, Solomon wanted God to “maintain their cause” (1 Kings 8:49, 59). This is a world where everyone has rights and everyone has a cause. The saint has a cause and the apostle Paul summarized it beautifully. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). If God doesn’t maintain our cause, then we don’t have a cause. When is it that we need God to maintain our cause? “At all times as the matter shall require.” (1 Kings 8:59)

These three things together paint a wonderful picture. We should recognize the greatness of God, live under the watchful eye of God, and trust in the power of God to maintain our cause.

This article appears in the February 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.

Keith McMahon, NBBI Faculty

Recently my physician told me I really needed to start walking each day. Like so many of us, my flesh is growing… and it’s starting to take a toll on my well-being. My doctor said that I should view walking as an investment in my future. I couldn’t help but agree (she made me shake hands!) and see, as well, the spiritual parallels of this good advice. In the Scriptures the spiritual health of a believer is directly linked to how he walks. Notice Ephesians 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light”.

A number of years ago I heard a Bible teacher offer a great definition of walking, “In the process of walking, each step is the manifestation of the beginning of a fall, and with each step there is the temporary loss of equilibrium.” One only needs to imagine a toddler unsteadily learning to walk to truly grasp the truth of this definition. When a child is learning to walk there are a lot of anticipated and actual falls that are experienced in the process. We have all seen children hanging on to something as they learn to walk, perhaps a nearby coffee table, or better yet, a parent’s hand

This picture of walking presents us with an opportunity to visualize our spiritual walk. For the believer, each step of our lives should be an act of complete dependence upon the Spirit of God. Instead of holding on to the things of this world, or depending upon the strength of our own flesh, we must be found instead laying a firm hold upon the  outstretched hand of God as He seeks to lead us. We are, after all, His dear children. His desire for us is that we might grow in our dependency upon Him. He wants for us, His children, to grow in our reliance upon the power and ability of the indwelling Spirit of God.

Walking in the Spirit will keep us from experiencing many harmful things that we might otherwise bring upon ourselves. This is why the apostle Paul wrote “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16). The key to our victory over the sinful desires of the flesh is to walk in the Spirit.

What does it take to walk in the Spirit? It takes a yieldedness to God that comes through humility, honesty, brokenness, obedience, agreement with God’s Word, and an understanding of God’s character. All of these characteristics are evidence of spiritual health in the believer’s life. Each year many folks make it their New Year’s resolution to walk more. Nothing wrong with that. But this year, won’t you make it your resolution to walk more… in the Spirit of God?

Post by: Keith McMahon, NBBI Faculty

This article appears in the January 2010 Open Bible Bulletin.  Download the pdf copy here.

By Mark Bredin

(This address was originally given at the 50th anniversary celebration of NBBI in October 1994.)

I am going to read from the Word of God in Deuteronomy chapter 8, pick out three verses from this passage and on them hang my thoughts as I seek to review with you, the history of New Brunswick Bible Institute.

All Scripture is not about us and this passage is not about us; it’s about a people called Israel. But all Scripture is for us and this passage is for us and the principles that are here set forth are just as applicable today as they were when they were commanded.

“All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”

Well, there is our first thought. God commanded the Israelites to remember the past. Two dangers confront us when we begin to think about the past. The first is that we forget it altogether, and God warns these people against that. He uses this word `remember’ here, “remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee.” I know that Paul said we are to “forget” those things which are behind, in Philippians 3, but let me quote a good friend of mine commenting on that passage,

“To what things does the apostle refer when he speaks about forgetting those things that are behind? Did he forget the precious dealings of God with his soul throughout the whole of his wilderness journey? To that idea he would flatly say `perish the thought’! We believe he refers to all those things which have no connection with Christ. The things in which the heart might rest and nature might glory. Paul or any other child of God or servant of Christ should never forget a single scene, or a single circumstance in his whole earthly journey, which in anyway is illustrative of the goodness and the loving kindness, the tender mercy, or the faithfulness of God.”

Why, may we ask, was Israel charged to remember all the way which the Lord their God had led them? It was assuredly to draw out their hearts in praise for the past and to strengthen their confidence in God for the future.

Verse 5 of this passage says, “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.” We are not only to remember the past, we are also to consider the present. The verb `chasteneth’ is in the present tense and in Hebrews we read, “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

Verse 7 says, “For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valley and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey.” We are not only to remember the past and consider the present but it seems to me, we are also to anticipate the future.

First of all, let us briefly think about the past, the past as it has to do with NBBI! How far back does NBBI go? Well, from a practical point of view, the first students arrived here in October of 1944. There were just a few on the staff, John and Maureen Parschauer, and a young lady by the name of Helen Dosso. They were all graduates of a small Bible school in Saskatchewan which I will talk about in a few moments. Helen Dosso eventually went off to Nepal, as a missionary, to spend her life with Christ out there. The Parschauers went off to Germany after ten years here at NBBI. So we have to arrive at the conclusion that this must have been a missionary school, for the first three teachers went to the mission field!

Let me take you back to those early days. The first official board meeting of NBBI was held on November 13, 1944, just a week or two after those first ten students arrived. But let us go back still further to November 13, 1856. What does that date have to do with NBBI? On that day, in the small village of Kelso, Scotland, a young man was born by the name of William Johnston Millar. Unknown to him or to any other, apart from God, this young man was destined to become one of the fathers of the Bible school movement in Canada. I call him the grandfather of NBBI.

D.L. Moody

In 1876, when he was just 20 years of age, D.L. Moody landed in Glasgow, Scotland and young William Millar attended his meetings, heard the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus and this is what I read about him, “He yielded himself to the claims of Christ and for the next 56 years until he went to heaven he demonstrated that that was a reality in his life.” He went to Africa for a short time, served in Scotland and in 1910 sailed for Canada. He was then 54 years of age and he only had another 22 years to live. In my humble opinion, these were probably the most fruitful years of his life.

Mr. Millar served with T.T. Shields for a short while at Jarvis Street Baptist Church in Toronto, Ontario and then left to go out West. He was a Baptist pastor who concluded his last pastorate in a small town called Congress, sixty miles south of the city of Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. He had a practice in his ministry that when he concluded a pastorate he conducted two weeks of special meetings. He himself was the evangelist, and in that two weeks, after his last pastorate, there were twenty or thirty people saved. Among them were two young men who were to have a very profound influence on this school. One of them was Herbert Peeler and the other was Ed Erickson.

William J. Millar

Let me read you a little bit about Ed. “He was born in 1909 of hardy pioneering Scandinavian parents, and spent the first 21 years of his life on a farm in Vanguard, Saskatchewan, just ten miles from Pambrun. At the age of 16 his father died and Ed had to quit school, take care of his mother and the nine other children in the family. He had no formal schooling after sixteen.” Listen to what we read about him! “Liquor, the dance floor and a merry, godless living became the pattern of his life, until one day in Vanguard he was invited to some gospel meetings that were being held there.” Who do you suppose the preacher was? It was William Millar. And William Millar led Ed to Christ, as he had already done in the case of Herbert Peeler. I’ll tell you more about them a little later.

After Mr. Millar concluded his pastorate in Congress, he got on a northbound train and headed for Moosejaw. He planned to transfer to the Transcanada train and go out to Vancouver where he would take another train down to California. He was then 72 years of age. When he got off the train and was walking the platform in Moosejaw, two business men who had heard he was coming went down to the train station, walked up to Mr. Millar and said, “Mr. Millar, God has burdened our hearts to start a Bible school, and we want you to be the teacher.” Right on the spot he accepted the challenge and the Moosejaw Bible Institute was born.

Herbert W. Peeler

The school lasted for only four years. Keep in mind that the Great Depression was on in those days. Anyway, the school started and who do you think went to school that fall – Ed Erickson and Herbert Peeler. You couldn’t get a greater contrast. Brother Peeler was a genius as far as academics are concerned. Ed, remember, had to leave school when he was a teenager. He struggled in every class and through every exam. Peeler got an average of 94% in his Bible school career. Ed was a straight “C” at 71%. But do you know what, friends? God gave Herbert Peeler the gift of teaching and He gave Ed Erickson the gift of evangelism.

Ed applied to the Canadian Sunday School Mission after his first year at Bible School. One of the questions asked was, “What will you do if we don’t accept you?” Ed answered, “I’ll go anyway.” Out he went to many of the small school houses scattered all over the Prairies. Sometimes his beloved friend, Herbert Peeler travelled with him. They were there preaching the glorious gospel the night that John Parschauer, his brother William and his sister Tina were saved! The Parschauers were in a dance band at that time. On the way down to the meetings they put up posters announcing a dance, on the way back they tore them all down and they never played for another dance. Rather, they yielded their lives to the Lord Jesus! The Moosejaw Bible Institute closed its doors in 1932. There was no money to carry on!

There were two families down in Pambrun who had a vital interest in the Moosejaw Bible Institute, the Dicksons and Maureen Parschauer’s mother and father, the Gambles. They sent word to Mr. Millar after the school closed and told him that there were many young converts in their area. They invited him to come down and have Bible classes over the winter. This 76 year old man, and his young student, Herbert Peeler, who just graduated from school, took the train down to Pambrun where six girls decided to take the courses they offered. Suddenly, Mr. Millar had a stroke and within a week or two he was in heaven. Now the responsibility of this school rested on the young man who just graduated. He taught those girls that first winter, but there were young men clamouring to come also. There was a tall, skinny fellow from Pontex, just a few miles down the road named Ken Robins. His brother had attended Moosejaw, but had died suddenly. I think the death of his young brother was one of the things that arrested Ken and eventually resulted in his coming to Christ.

How were they going to house these boys? They didn’t have any buildings. But about three miles down the road, there was an old schoolhouse for sale. Mr. Dickson put in an offer of $200 for it, even though he didn’t have a dollar in his pocket. The offer was accepted. Now what was he going to do? He phoned his banker and told him, “We have a problem. We bought a building for $200 but we don’t have any money. Will you take my cheque for $200, honour the cheque and in 90 days I’ll pay you?” The banker said, “I know you well. I’ll accept your cheque.” So they moved this little one room schoolhouse into Pambrun, partitioned off the back ten feet to make two bedrooms and a narrow hallway, and turned the 6′ x 6′ porch into a kitchen. Ken Robins, John Parschauer and two other young men landed there to join the six girls. The year was 1933.

John and Ken roomed together in one of the small bedrooms for three years. I saw a picture the other day in which the four boys were standing behind a blackboard. They had made a sign and as soon as I looked at it I could see Ken Robins all over it! In his beautiful handwriting he wrote, “Champion Cooks of Canada!” Then he drew a great big pot with one handle. Underneath it was the word “porridge.” The fellows had to cook for themselves in those early days and they had lots of turnips and porridge. The girls were in the other little building doing their own cooking as well.

It was my privilege recently to see that building. They had a full blown Bible school going. There were two bedrooms in the back of the old schoolhouse, a cook house in the front and a chapel and the classroom in the middle. They had ten students and one wonderful teacher, Herbert Peeler! Last May, just after he had resigned from teaching, Mr. Peeler told me that he had taught for 60 years during which time he had never missed one class! When I met him, slept in his home and chatted with him, I said to myself, “I know now why NBBI had such wonderful men of God in its beginnings such as John Parschauer and Ken Robins!” So in 1933 that small school started.

How interesting! There was at that same time a young fellow by the name of Mark Bredin. Ken and I were born in the same year. I was living in the town of Orangeville, Ontario and was out peddling bread, the best bread in town, “Bredins’ Bread.” A fellow asked me, “What are you doing Sunday?” I went up to the door with my basket of bread, buns, cakes, tarts, cookies and you name it we had it, and I said, “Well I work on Sunday.” We always baked a day ahead in those days. I worked seven days a week and I got the big wage of $7 plus board for that work. The only secular job I ever had in my life paid a dollar a day. That was great preparation for the work of God, great preparation for coming to NBBI! I thought I was a millionaire when I came here and made $75.00 a month. That was big money when you consider that at the first official board meeting of the Moosejaw Bible Institute, they passed a motion granting Mr. Millar $40 a month. He was the only teacher they had and he taught all day long for $40 a month. In that same meeting they passed another motion in which they inducted a man by the name of A.L. Stewart as the President of the Board. A.L. Stewart was my wife’s uncle. The Bredins are connected to A.L. Stewart, a wonderful man of God. By the way, in that second class in Pambrun there was another fellow named Stewart, Art Stewart. He was a cousin to my wife. He became a evangelist for God. I guess that’s why God brought us here.

So off into the work of God they went. Ken and John roomed together for three years and then went out into the work of God. They both got their eyes on the two young girls who eventually became their wives. By the way, Ken Robins graduated in the spring, and joined the staff in the fall. From the very first year of his graduation until the year of his death, he was a teacher in Bible schools. John joined the staff of the Briercrest Bible Institute.

We’d better back up for a minute. Another young man, in 1927, had come up from the States to the city of Winnipeg. He had a great passion to reach boys and girls for Christ, and out of his ministry the Canadian Sunday School Mission was born. What a combination, friends! I heard a veteran missionary from Germany who was at the very first camp at the Canadian Sunday School Mission. She told me that at that camp they had two tents, one was for the sinners and the other was for the saints. All the kids who weren’t saved went into “the sinners’ tent.” As soon as they got saved, the very day, they transferred them over to “the saints’ tent!” Get them saved and then teach them the Word of God and how to live for Christ. It is no marvel to me that the three Western Provinces of Canada, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba had more Bible schools per capita than any place in the world. They also sent more missionaries per capita to the foreign fields than any place in the world. Authorities tell us that 75% of all evangelical missionaries come out of the Bible school movement in North America. We shouldn’t be ashamed to be a Bible School friends. I’m not ashamed of it. I believe that the Bible School movement has done more to reach this needy world for Christ than any other movement.

Eventually, after teaching at Millar Memorial Bible Institute for some years, Ken and Ruth were married and travelled to Winnipeg. Ken became the director of the Canadian Sunday School Mission for Manitoba. John was interested in the Canadian Sunday School Mission as well, but how in the world did he get all the way down to New Brunswick?

The year was 1938 and the place was in the backwoods of Juniper, New Brunswick. It was a “don’t blink your eye when you go through, or you’ll miss it” type of place! There was a woods camp up there with a man running it by the name Clayton B. Clark. At that time, he was a godless person. Into the camp one day in 1938, walked a young missionary. He was a Shantyman by the name of Ken McLellan whom I had the privilege of meeting some years later. He visited me up in Northern Quebec and I remember him so well, a wonderful man of God. He asked Mr. Clark for the privilege of having a meeting with his men. Mr. Clark said, “Yes you can have a meeting but don’t count me in, I will not be there!” Ken McLellan eventually said to him, “Mr. Clark it’s your choice, but if you continue on this course you’ll end up in hell.” That was a short, brief, to the point sermon! God the Holy Spirit took that word of exhortation to Mr. Clark’s heart and in a short while he was in the hospital with lots of time to think about it. God began to convict him of his lost state. As soon as he got out of the hospital he hurried over to his uncle’s place at the top of the Hartland Hill. His uncle, Mr. Wells Shaw was a Primitive Baptist preacher. Mr. Clark yielded his life to the Lord Jesus Christ, in New Brunswick, just five years after the boys graduated from the Bible school out west.

Mr. W. J. Hill, from the Saint John, New Brunswick area, was out west and met up with the director of CSSM, Mr. Aikenhead. Mr. Aikenhead found out he was from New Brunswick and was very interested in him as he wanted this mission to stretch right across Canada. The only name that Hill could come up with was the name of C.B. Clark. He said, “When you go to New Brunswick, get a ticket to Hartland, and ask for a man by the name of C.B. Clark.” That’s exactly what happened and that explains why NBBI is located in a place called Victoria, N.B., rather than St. John or Halifax or Moncton!

The very next year two young ladies, Gladys Wakeland and Alberta Davis came down. They stayed for a year and travelled by bicycle all around the back roads of this area, visiting schools and reaching boys and girls for Christ, initiating the work of the Canadian Sunday School Mission. Because of their efforts, the mission decided to send a man to pioneer the work. Who did they think of? Well, they thought of a man who was a pioneer, John Parschauer. While He was in Saskatchewan, teaching at the Briercrest Bible Institute, they invited him to come to New Brunswick.

Let me read what he wrote to me just a short while ago, “I arrived in Hartland in the spring of 1943. I was unofficially engaged to Maureen. I stayed with Clayton Clark that year and he offered me a car and told me that there was no church or Sunday School out back or East of Hartland.” So, Mr. Parschauer began his ministry. This is what he said about it here, “After that, I visited many public schools – invited myself in. I sang a couple of choruses and made known the Bible memory contest.” For learning 33 Bible verses each child would get a New Testament and if they memorized 300 verses, they could come to camp for a week for free! So CSSM came into action down here.

Ed came along in 1944 with Mr. Peeler and had a V.B.S. down in Sackville, NB in the Main Street Baptist Church (one of the oldest Baptist churches in Canada). In that campaign some were saved who became the first students at NBBI. Mr. Erickson, Mr. Peeler, Mr. Parschauer and Mr. Robins were also there! Because they needed V.B.S. workers and could not get them, they decided to start a Bible school. John went back after that first year, married Maureen and in 1944 they landed in Hartland. Mr. Clark had an empty house in Rosedale and NBBI started. There were just three teachers, John and Maureen Parschauer, and Helen Dosso, and ten students. The next year the campus was moved to Victoria, and Ken and Ruth came along to help. The very next year the Bredins blew in. Ruth, Mildred and I have been here since. My beloved friend Ken has gone on before to Heaven.

What do you need to have a Bible School? First of all, you need to have a faithful God. That means He is true to His Word, He answers prayer and He stands behind His promises. Then you need to have a man of God. That’s how the Moosejaw Bible Institute, the Millar Memorial Bible Institute, the Briercrest School and Prairie Bible Institute came into being and that’s how New Brunswick Bible Institute got started. John Parschauer came to Victoria, N.B. along with his godly wife, Maureen.

Then you need a board, a group of men to assume the leadership of the organization. Well, that board was already established. It was the board of the Canadian Sunday School Mission. It also became the first board of the New Brunswick Bible Institute and consisted of: C.B. Clark, Chairman; William Fraser, Treasurer; C.E. Rideout (a potato dealer in Hartland,) Vice Chairman; Gurston Day (who had a little transportation business in Hartland;) and Zanner Orser. How could I forget Mr. Orser? He was blind and when he prayed you could hear him a block away. How he cried out to God in those board meetings. Finally, John Parschauer was also on that board. Ken Robins became part of the board in 1945.

A very interesting gentleman by the name William `Billy’ McGee, born right across the river, went to Houlton, Maine as a young man. God caused him to prosper in his business and he was very frugal in his life. Billy McGee had prayed for years that God would start a Bible school in Houlton. He supported Bible schools all over the place such as Moody Bible Institute, a school down in Los Angeles and London Bible Institute when it started. When NBBI was born he said this is the answer to my prayer and I now turn all my interest away from every other school to NBBI.

He was a shrewd business man, he always had a deal in his hands. When they bought this property in Victoria for $4,000, Billy McGee said, “I’ll give you $2,000; you raise $2,000. For every dollar you raise, I’ll give you a dollar.” That was his scheme. Everytime we had a big deal. Every dollar you raise I’ll give you one. I don’t know how many thousands of thousands of dollars he gave to NBBI. He came to live with us the last year of his life. That was the deal – I’ll build your house, if you let me live there. The little house on the hill cost $6,000. He gave us $3,000, and we had a room there for Billy McGee. He had a very quaint saying. He used to write to us who were on the board saying, “Do what can.” That was his favourite expression. When he went home to heaven, he left the residue of his estate to NBBI. At that very same moment, the property across the road came up for sale and there was more than enough money in his estate to buy it. People had prayed for years that NBBI might have that place, but the old lady who owned it said, “I’ll burn it down before they get it!” We bought the ten acres of land and the two buildings for $9000. Billy McGee bought it with his money after he went to heaven.

In 1946 Bill Simonson, Wilbur Brownrigg, Robert McLean and I all became part of the board. A little later Walter Whitehouse joined us. His beloved wife got saved and she began to pray for Walter. Eventually after one year he got saved and became one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Church in Somerville. Glen Duff joined the board in 1952. He is now our present Chairman. Then came Emery Tozer and Ivan Smith and, of course, many, many more since.

Every one of the original board members that I sat with and prayed with and discussed with, apart from John Parschauer, is in heaven today.

You not only have to have a man and a board, but you also have to have a staff. I told you how God had prepared the original staff, two young men from Saskatchewan and their wives, then Mildred and I. We were having Youth for Christ meetings in Halifax in those days, and I was the director. I was always looking for speakers. Lindsay Johnstone, who was in the first class of this school, blew into Halifax and came in one night saying he was giving his testimony! He said, “Jack Wyrtzen asked me!” Jack was our speaker that night.

Lindsay told us about this school and eventually we invited John Parschauer to speak at our rally. I can remember John, Maureen and little Donna coming in that old Chevy. They found out my wife was an English teacher which they were in desperate need of, so they hired her and had to take me in the deal! (By the way, the same year that John Parschauer ended up down here in N.B., I also came through New Brunswick. I was headed for Halifax. I had never been East before in my life and the day after I landed, I met the best girl in Nova Scotia! And the Lord, in His mercy, gave her to me as my wonderful wife.) Then Ernie Klassen and Harold Duff came along, and I better not forget these two men and their wives, Clarence and Shirley Knowles and my beloved neighbours and friends, Joe and Gladys Kerr. Clarence came on staff on the very day he finished his first year at Bible school. He was student and staff. Then when he graduated he joined us full-time. I marvel at them. No matter how early I got up, I saw Clarence heading out for the barn to milk the cows when all the students were on vacation. I saw Joe getting that old machine out to plough the yard. I saw them as they trained young people outside the classroom. The students learned a thousand lessons from these men which they couldn’t have from us, however brilliant we were as teachers!

Then an Irishman by the name of Bob Dowie came along. He became a member of the “big three.” You see, some of the big three had dropped off! Ken, John and I were the original big three. John left and Harold Duff, Ken and I became the “big three.” Then Mr. Duff left and Bob Dowie took his place.

I better not forget to mention Marion Young and Marion Graham. I used to say to Marion Young, “I have three consciences: the first is inside of me, my wife is the second and you are the third!” What my wife couldn’t tell me to do, Marion Young sure managed to.

You’ve got a man, you’ve got a board and you’ve got a staff. Of course, you need students, don’t you? I went out the other day and just looked around at the photos in the foyer. I often do that. Let me draw to your attention a few names from those early classes. Med Wry. If you knew Med, you will remember his favourite saying, “Thus saith the Lord!” He was a great evangelist for God, a great lover of young people and a great worker at camps, in the woods and wherever else he could preach the gospel. Med is in heaven now! John Jones was also in that first class, along with his wife, Faith. In the second class was Ken Garnett! Ken is in heaven now as well. That was a wonderful class. There were six in that class and five of them went to the mission field, the highest percentage of any class that ever graduated from NBBI! They went to six different countries; Bolivia, Panama, South Africa, Brazil, Chad and France.

In 1949, Verna Lawson was born in a little place out back of Woodstock. Verna was saved in the Woodstock Baptist Church. She was the first graduate of NBBI to go to the great subcontinent of India. Fern Dunnett, went to heaven just a few months ago. She had gone to the Sudan in Africa and served the Lord until she was invalided home. In the next year Sterling and Joyce Clark went to British Guyana, South America. In 1952, who could forget Jean Shepherd – vivacious Jean? To receive one of her prayer letters was to be lifted to the heavenlies. She is now retired from the mission field, after serving all those years in Ethiopia. Then, Wilbur Matthews went to the revival meetings up in Sillikers. He got saved, his sister got saved and his brother got saved. The three of them all went into the service of God. Wilbur went to Kenya to serve the Lord. I was there just after the revival, and also had the joy of teaching others who were saved. Gene Tozer and his little wife, Nita came. They were saved that week too. I tell you, God did more in one week than we can do in ten years, in the moving of the Spirit of God. Bob Dunlop and Marge were in that class. A Missionary Pastor is what I call him, a great preacher of the Word of God.

The next year, in 1954, Mable Ayer was the first to go to HCJB in Ecuador. She also went to heaven just a few months ago. Out of the first eight classes, fifteen grads are now in heaven! Isn’t that amazing. There are three former staff members in heaven, Ken Robins, Maureen Parschauer and Loela McClure, who was a secretary here for a short time.

And what more shall I say. For time would fail me to tell of Edgar Garnett, Vi Hope, Don Wilson, Carroll Hill and Ronello Knightly. They were around here in the days of wooden ships and iron men. They were giants. I remember Carroll and Ronello swimming in the St. John river with the ice cakes floating by! God sent them up north. Carroll, is the director of the largest Indian mission in Canada. Ronello, a fellow who had such a struggle with his studies, is a field director out west for the same mission.

I could tell you a few things about men by the names of John Hoag, Bob Booker, Dave Doherty, John Boyd and John McKim. And then there are Wayne Carter and Eric Rozelle, my wonderful friends. They are also in heaven! Marianne Carter called me on the anniversary of her dear husband’s funeral. I remember when she was just a little girl. She gave her life to be a missionary. Then I got to thinking about all those campus kids. The Robins, the Dowies and the Knowles, they produced a Bible school by themselves!

I wrote this down, “What a joy, what a privilege to be a teacher.” I have spoken of just a few students. There are so many others, including many of you who are graduates.

The Bible school movement is now well into its second century. The first Bible school in North America was founded in New York in 1882. Listen to its name, “The Missionary College for Home and Foreign Missionaries and Evangelists.” What a name! Who do you suppose founded that school? Well, he was a Canadian and a Maritimer, if you will. He was born on P.E.I. and his name was A.B. Simpson. D.L. Moody also came along and he founded the Moody Bible Institute just four or five years later. And all of that followed a very significant event. In 1858 there was mighty revival in the Eastern United States. I am told that American churches added 1 million converts within a space of 18 months!

Let me quote, “As Bible institutes, we enter the second century and we not only enjoy great success, but we face severest tests.” This was a message given at the 100th anniversary of Moody Bible Institute by its Vice President, Dr. Kenneth Hanna. He said “We are now living in the down side of expansion. More schools are competing for fewer students. Bible college enrolments have declined by 11.9% in the last four years.” So I guess we better just settle it. Do the best job we can with what we’ve got. Teach them the Word of God. Teach them to do the will of God. Students expect education that leads to employability and if that’s why our students are here, they are in the wrong place. The reason for this place is to train young men and women to serve the Lord.

“A permissive society has also taken its toll on evangelicals,” says Pollster, George Gallup, Jr. After doing a survey, he wrote these words, “There is no doubt that religion is growing, but we find there is very little difference in ethical behaviour between church goers and those who are not active religiously.” Righteousness is not growing, friends!

Here’s what Dr. Hanna said we should do as we face the second 100 years of Bible school ministry:

1. “We must reaffirm our historic purpose. God has raised up a distinctive kind of school to meet the spiritual needs around the world. Each institution must carefully examine why it came into being. Bible schools dare not change their mission. The future belongs to those who know who they are and why they exist.” Those are good words for us at NBBI.
2. “We must sharpen our focus. With limited resources they must learn to do a few things well. Broadening the program to attract students is often self-defeating. In the process, distinctions are blurred and quality diluted. Successful Bible schools must specialize. They must know who and what their students are. Historically, Bible schools have given ordinary people a chance to learn the Word of God and become servants of Christ.” That is certainly true and has been for all these years at NBBI.

“We must be servants in the institutions.” By love, serve! The old adage of find the need and fill it still applies. “Bible schools that identify and meet the real spiritual needs of people are still in demand, so are their graduates.”

This is what he told his audience at Moody Bible Institute. I think they are excellent words for all of us at the New Brunswick Bible Institute; for board members, for staff members, for students and even for those of us who are retirees, as we face the future!

This message (edited for length) was given by Mark Bredin at our 50th anniversary celebration in October of 1994

Matthew Little, NBBI Faculty

Nothing has so changed the course of humanity as the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the central figure in human history. His birth was unrivalled, His life was undefiled, His nature was divine, His message was the message of God, and His power was no more clearly evident than when He conquered the grave. He is the Perfect Sacrifice for man, He is the Sufficient Sacrifice for man, and He is the Only Sacrifice for man (John 14:6). Yet, God revealed the Wonder of wonders, His only Son, to a group of unsuspecting shepherds.

In Luke 2 we are brought face to face with three beautiful truths concerning the incarnation taught to us by the shepherds.

First, the birth of Jesus was an act of divine intervention. We did not break into God’s light, He crashed into our darkness. God reached out to man, man did not reach out to God. In Luke 2 there is a recurring thought; man was living his life the way he wanted and God broke into the darkness of human experience with the glorious light of His Son. Notice the phrases employed in this chapter. The angel of the Lord “came upon them… said unto them…” (vs. 9,10), “made known” (vs. 15), “which was told them” (vs. 17), “told unto them” (vs. 20). The birth of Jesus Christ was an act of God, an intrusion of God upon the common affairs of man. It was nothing short of miraculous, nothing less than divine! It was not in the heart of man to look for a Saviour (John. 3:19) but it was in the heart of God to reveal One. Christmas should remind us of the wonderful thought that God reached out to us through His Son, took us not only from the place of darkness but from the seat of darkness (Psalm 107:10), and has given us light.

Second, the birth of Jesus Christ and His subsequent life demands immediate attention. The shepherds said, “let us now go” (v. 15), and “they
came with haste.” (v. 16). The word “haste” refers to diligence, urgency and speed. Jesus’ birth demanded from them an immediate response. It evoked in them a desire to take action now. Today is the day of salvation! A splendid revelation was met with a speedy response.

Third, Jesus’ birth resulted in a divine boldness, “…they made known” (v. 17). As these shepherds left that divine experience they published abroad what was told them – a “Saviour” was born. I can only imagine how boring the conversations of a shepherd must have been. Sure there was the odd intense story of fighting off a wild animal but, for the most part, they lived in a world of monotony. Now, finally they have something worth talking about. God has revealed Himself to us through His Son; may we be eager to seek Him, and bold to proclaim who He is to others around us.

As someone so adequately stated, “Don’t get so wrapped up in what the world has to sell that you miss what God has to give.”

This article appears in the December 2009 Open Bible Bulletin.  Download it here!

John Hoag, NBBI Chancellor

By John Hoag

Close to 2,500 years ago Jeremiah stood in the ashes of Mount Zion. The place of worship devalued by God’s people now had been totally desecrated by the enemy. The temporal things around him destroyed and desecrated, the man of God looks heavenward. “Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever, thy throne from generation to generation.” Lamentations 5:19. He finds consolation at the eternal throne of God. What a contrast – the eternal throne of God with Mount Zion, which was in ashes.

Thank God that Jeremiah’s life was not to be determined by the verdict of history but by the verdict of eternity. The man of God was motivated not by fear of man but faith in God. He refused to lay the blame for the defeat of God’s people anywhere else but to their own sinful entanglements. With his own people unresponsive to the Word of God, and persecuted by a leader supposedly representing God, Jeremiah powerfully stands amidst the ruins as a man who knows God.

A permissive society has taken its toll on evangelicals… there is no doubt that religion is growing today in North America but I am quite certain that righteousness is not growing. Sanctified leadership is a crying need in our churches and that means the New Brunswick Bible Institute has an important role to play in sending godly young people to serve Christ in our churches. Mark Bredin once said, “Bible schools that identify and meet the real spiritual needs of people are still in demand and so are their graduates.”

Declining Bible school enrollment across the country concerns us but we dare not fall into either of two dangerous errors. “I have little sympathy for a ‘Go Back to’ movement,” said the late A.W. Tozer and I would agree. We can’t sit down with founders, pioneers, or patriarchs for that matter and recover the past. Neither do I have much faith in the future dreams of an emerging church that disconnects from tradition, and past history in such a way that common faith is not relayed to the next generation. We must rather look up to the throne of a God, who reveals His will and His ways in His Word.

Mark Bredin, quoting Dr. Ken Hannah of Moody Bible Institute, once wrote, that in periods of decline “Bible schools dare not change their mission. The future belongs to those who know who they are and why they exist.”

Someone has suggested “God always has the final word.” The flood destroyed the old world but God remained. Job despaired of life but realized that being linked to the eternal God was what was important, Job 42:5-6. An entire generation of Israelites died in wilderness but God remained. Psalm 90:2, God will not forget us if we don’t forget Him.

This article appears in the November 2009 Open Bible Bulletin.

By Jack Caron

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

19th-century preacher, Phillips Brooks, was known to be a quiet and even tempered man. However, even he suffered times of aggravation and irritability. One day a friend saw him anxiously pacing the floor like a caged animal. “What’s the trouble, Mr. Brooks?” he asked. “The trouble is that I am in a hurry, but God is not!”  All of us can probably relate to this statement.

In this age of “instant gratification” our society has become quite unaccustomed to waiting for anything or anyone.  After all, we drive fast cars, dine on fast food, so that we can pursue careers on the “fast track.”  This crazy lifestyle has become so out of control that couples now visiting Las Vegas can get married at a drive-thru wedding chapel and then proceed down the street for a quick stop with the drive-thru divorce attorney.  Is it any wonder why so many lives around us are coming apart at the seams?

Certainly God’s people are no exception to the temptations of the hurried life.  The Bible is replete with illustrations of ordinary folks who had to learn to wait upon God.  These would include people like Abraham who saw 100 years pass before God would give him a promised heir (Gen. 21:2).  Men like Moses who served 40 years in Midian tending sheep before the Lord could use him for the task of leading His people out of slavery (Ex. 3:15).  The scriptures tell us of others like Hannah, who, finding herself barren and ridiculed, cried out to God year after year for a son.  In His time, the Lord answered and gave her a boy named Samuel (1 Sam. 1:20).  It was this same Samuel who would later anoint King David (1 Sam. 16:13).  And it was through David’s lineage that God promised to send a Savior who would establish an everlasting throne. (Luke 1:32).

History also reveals some of the greatest missionary endeavors involved those who learned to wait upon God.  William Carey, known as the father of the modern faith mission, labored for seven years before the first Hindu convert was brought to Christ in India.  Adoniram Judson faithfully preached in Burma for seven years before he saw any response to the gospel.  In parts of western Africa, it was 14 years before anyone was baptized and received into the Christian church; and in Tahiti, it was 16 years before the harvest began.

Our prayer during this 66^th year of classes at New Brunswick Bible Institute is that we would find renewed strength by waiting on the Lord, and in so doing, run without weariness, walk without fainting and ultimately find ourselves soaring like eagles. (Isaiah 40:31).