Fear! This word has gripped our world in these recent days of uncertainty. Order and stability have all but vanished and we are left with a sense of helplessness and despair. It is amazing how quickly life’s circumstances can rob us of joy and hope. Did you know that fear was also present with those at the time of the Christmas story? In Luke 1:12-13, John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, was told by an angel not to fear. Matthew 1:20 further adds that Joseph, who appeared to be torn as to what to do with Mary, was told to “fear not”. In Luke 1:29-30, Mary was also gripped by the thought of what her unexpected pregnancy would mean and an angel encouraged her to not be afraid. We can also consider the shepherds in Luke 1:29-30 who had their fears calmed by a host of angels. In all of these situations, it was the presence or “present” of Jesus that would calm the fearful hearts. Whatever you are facing today, fear has met its match in Jesus Christ. Oswald Chamber once said, “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
At NBBI, we are confronted with the same fears that you are. These are challenging days for all of us and we realize that you are facing uncertain days also. But, like the saints of Jesus’ day, our hope is in the presence or “present” of Jesus. God is at work on our campus and our students are growing and thriving in their walk with God. (A few testimonies have been included with this letter). They are learning that Jesus is at the center of a peaceful and a joyful life. Every day I pray that God will touch the hearts of these students and raise up a host of Christian workers from their midst to go out and change our world with the gospel. These may be dark days but we are seeing the light of God’s Word at work every day on our campus. Our students are hearing the call to “Go” and we are already having many respond, “Here am I; send me”.
We want to thank the countless supporters of this ministry for standing with us during these difficult months. We couldn’t continue without you. The same God that has brought us this far will continue to carry us through. We are reaching out to you at this Christmas time and asking if you would consider giving a special Christmas gift to NBBI. Your special gift will ensure that we can get through the remainder of this semester and enter 2021 on solid financial ground. Along with you, our supporters, we move forward by faith. Someone once said, “Fear can keep you up at night, but faith makes one fine pillow”.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire staff family, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Christ-centered, faith-filled New Year.
Yours to count on,
Matthew Little
President
