Numidia Mennonite Bible School - Reflector Yearbook (Numidia, PA)

Page 10 text:

FACULTY BRANCHES! Yes, branches are an important Part Of the fruit-bearing tree or vine. Jesus, on His way from Bethany to Jerusalem, Mat- thew 21:18-20, saw a fig tree with branch- es and leaves, and being.hu11g1'Y, he Went to the tree for fruit, but it had none. Jesus said, Let no fruit grow on thee hencefor- ward for ever , and it withered away. n 15:5,6 Jesus said, I am the viii yiglare the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me Ye C3-11 do nothing. If a man abide not 1n. me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them 1nto the fire, and they are burned . The importance of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ is very clearly stated 1n these verses, and it is also clearly statefi, that it is our responsibility to maintain this relationship, if we would bear fruit and glorify our Father in heaven. This vital relationship is a must if our prayer life is to be meaningful and effec- tive, as a branch that bears much fruit, because it receives its life-giving.vital1ty from the vine. John 15:7 . What kind of a branch are YOU? -Edwin H. Gehman LET US GO ON The experiences during the first three weeks of Bible School have shown the powerful influence of the Gospel. A con- stant saturation of the students of the Word, prayers, preaching, and teaching has resulted in some very definite soul searching. Some victories have been won. Illumin- ation has resulted in some objects going into the Idol Box. Prayers still ascend to God that His Spirit would influence more trips to the box. Satan hates the revelation that the one who is his conqueror has all sufficiency for those who ask for His grace, and brings glileirt wills to complete submission to ris . May God bless and guard these youth that they may go on from victory to V1C'C01'Y-' May they develop into strong pillars in the church of Jesus Christ, for the promulgation and defense of the Gos- pel, and unto the glory of God. I -Irvin S. Shank MESSAGES FAITH AND WORKS If the heart is right nothing else matters. This may be true of a beet or an onion, but not of a fruit tree. Among people professing Christianity it is often the dying groan of those whose heart is NOT right. To boast of a flourishing faith in the absence of fruit as the evidence, is like lauding the merits of a lamp that doesn't even shine. The room is- dark and you beg for light, but I insist the room is well equipped with beautiful lamps. Even though they do not work, rest assured that all is well because the lamps are there - why you can even feel them! So be content and get busy with your lessons! Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. .... For as the body without the spirit for the lamp without lightj is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:17, 26. -Ervin N. Hershberger THE BIBLE- A BOOK USED FOR DECEPTION The Bible was given by God to bless and save the human family, but the Devil has ever used it to deceive. In the Garden of Eden he used it to deceive Eve, by just changing the thought a little. When he tempted Christ in the wilderness, he again put a false interpretation on the Word, hoping to deceive Christ. Today there are many preachers and teachers, who have no fear to put any interpretation on the Word they choose. For instance in Mat- thew 7 :1-5 they see only the first two words judge not , and then with these words they also choose to use I Samuel 16 :7, and then come to the conclusion that they are altogether powerless, yes, even out of place to correct any thing in the lives of their members, because they can- not see in the heart , neither dare they judge . Anyone who even desires to look into the heart is out of place because God says, by their fruits ye shall know them , and fruit is always on the outside - NEVER IN THE HEART. Galatians 5:19-23. Yes, the works of the flesh, as well as THE FRUIT of the Spirit are manifest on the OUTSIDE. Once ITIOTC dear students, may I urge you, as well aS others, to do as Christ did--take the Word at what it says, for it is a sharp sword, and much harm can be done if used other- Wlset --M. S. Stoltzfus -5-

Page 9 text:

in Y nd ill I rg -ore the on-- A ed. L 1:22 to me. . .all ung irit- the t to 3 we Jrth and :tive lteg- mugh was fvice e is the E C311 f We IDOW uide. sling mis- will stent step' and f the con- , our 3 C811 eling .rgole MATRONS A MATRON'S PRAYER Father in heaven, would you look down on earth where I am with a fmaily of seventy? I have things to say about them. Not tattle-tale things. Not complaints. Not flattery. Things like thanks and concerns and - and - maybe a little righteous jealousy over them. I know they have their faults, but they know this too. Some- times they get noisy when they should be studying. Usually they don't mean to, they just forget. They have so many other things to talk and laugh about. They enjoy each other so much. Youth should, should- n't they? Also they should learn when to be quiet, shouldn't they? They 'are so full of life, Lord. They should be, shouldn't they? Is it all right for me to enjoy their fun the way I do -- if I know when to direct them back to study and worship and quiet? Some come to me with their prob- lems - a headache, a cut finger, a sore throat, a rust stain, a rip, a knotty lesson, a hurt, a troubled conscience. Help me to offer love along with the needed pill, band- aid, needle and thread, lesson explanation, sympathy,listening ear, guidance. Some need reprimands now and then. Let me pronounce these firmly yet kindly, bring- ing remedy instead of hurt. Some deserve praise. I want to express this at the right time, in the right place, to the right per- son. All of them need guidance. May I, having walked the road a little farther than they, know enough to lead, care enough to point out pitfalls, and love enough to draw them patiently along. I want every one to make life's journey safely. Well, I've done a lot of asking and not much thanking. I am deeply thankful, though. I'll have to go now. There's a knock on my door. It may be Henry need- ing a new band-aid for his cut finger. Thank you for listening. And thank you for Jesus, in whose name I've done all this asking. Amen. --Ida B. Bontrager M E S S A G E S OUR MASTER'S STEPS We hunger and thirst for the word of the Lord. So we gather together to study His Word, And learn how to use and to wield the Sword, As we travel the path that our Saviour trod. But now our paths leave the mountain top To serve our Master at home or the shop. We know that Satan will tell us to stop, But we want the path that our Saviour trod. y ' -Anna W. Eshbach HIS SERVANTS I appreciated working, sharing, fellow- shipping and studying God's Word and praying with the young people. It has been an encouragement to me, to see the many young folks that desire to do God's will, and obey His commandments. These words express my prayer and desire for each student: Are you serving Jesus with your might? Are you making sunshine chase the night? Are you spreading gladness as you go? Are you leading others Christ to know? Are you preaching Jesus by your life? Are you helping others in the strife? Are you gladly giving all your days? Are you teaching others Christ to praise? Are you doing ever Christ-like deeds? Are you scattering gladness, just like seeds, Soon to bud and blossom, sweet and fair, And to pour their fragrance everywhere? Serving Jesus all along the way, Serving Jesus, faithful night and day, Serving your Master as you onward go, Lift this ensign high. Ever faithful, let there come what mayg Always ready any price to pay 3 Loving your Master as you onward go, Serve Him, faithful till the end. -Luella H. Ebersole -4-

Page 11 text:

else I OI' an 1110118- Often aft is fl the S like 0esn't JU beg 'I Well Even sured 'S are IIII S0 Sons! liisliis 0 Y thout 'ks is erger s and il has .en of f just en he again Word, re are I have Jn the 1 Mat- xt two these Iamuel In that , even in the ey can- e they to Iook ecause know yuffllde IatianS fshy as it are more veII 89 Word lWOl'df Ufher- rlflfus CARE There are several ways that things affect us. When we were infants in our mothers' arms, and knew nothing more than the guidings of instinct, we were Without a care in this world. As we grew, and began to explore and learn our capabilities for life, certain problems also became a part of us. These problems or cares however were rather momentary and usually of short duration. After the assigned tasks or situations that brought on the care were completed, we could run and play. These were carefree days of our life. How pleasant it was with parents who loved us and one another. They planned things for our good. Care seldom took much of our time. As life continues to be a succession of unfoldings, we begin to sense various aspects of responsibility. This brings care rather sharply to the forefront. The temp- tation then comes to be indifferent to responsibility. This we call carelessness. Isaiah speaks of ye careless ones and reminds us that to ignore moral respon- sibility now, brings unpleasant consequen- ces in the future. To be careless is a universal temptation, to everyone in one area or another of our life. Satan wuld have us exercise undue care in material things: what we eat, what vie drink, and what others will think. o us. Promising us that all our material needs shall be supplied, God desires that we give our primary attention to things eternal. As we cast all our care upon Him, I Peter 5 :7, He assures us of His care over us. Our chief care then will be to please and honor Him, which in turn leaves no room for the I couldn't care less atti- tude, which is sometimes in evidence among us, but will lead us forth in a life of holiness and zeal. . -Jesse N euenschwander I WILL SING UNTO THE LORD Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admon- ishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in yourhearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16. .In the Bible we are told that God gives gifs unto men. I am happy the Lord has given me the gift of singing, and that we can be admonished by singing hymns. I feel singing has done more for my spirit- ual life than any other one thing. In my youth when my life wasn't as it should have been, it was the gospel songs that convicted me of sin. So I am happy today for what singing has done for me, and I want to thank the Lord daily for His grace and wonderful power in leading my life, and allowing me to be used in this capacity. To help young people find peace and joy in serving a living Saviour is my desire. . Singing in the Sunday-morning worship service is very important. Consider what it would be like, were there to be a wor- ship service without singing. Singing is one aspect of worship we can all engage in. And let us never think of singing as a burden, but as a privilege whereby we offer praise to God. Have a blessing ready as you pass along, Have a word of kindness, or a cheering song, Many dread the morrow, with its frown- ing sky, Give them hope and courage 'ere you pass them by. -Aaron Weaver - ABIDING IN THE VINE We Christians enjoy many blessings as we live daily with our Lord and Saviour. One of them is the blessed opportunity of abiding in the vine. As Jesus says in John 15, He himself is the true vine, we are the branches, God is the caretaker. The way God has arranged to keep us alive, strong and well nourished is surely marvelous. The source has a bountiful supply of pure soul food that can never become contaminated. So as we live and abide in Him we will bring forth much fruit, for the glory and praise of His name. This is J esus' constant desire for us. Now the caretaker needs to prune the vines to keep us healthy. When this takes place we want to submit to Him so He can make a good job of it. Sometimes this causes a wound, but we know that after- ward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness. So, dear youth, let God prune, purge, bend you in your young years, that your life will bring much glory to His name. ' -Sidney Gingrich