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

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ASSURANCE Christian assurance means to be con- ' our security in Christ. It is bgliigdaggured of our salvation. It is not being self-confident, neither is it based on our emotions. Assurance IS basl!-Id Ofl having a knowledge of the truth of God s Word. A living faith produces assurance in our Christian life. I John 3:2 says, Now are we the sons of God . It IS a present tense experience. Some reasons why people do not have assurance are: lack of the true knowledge of Godg lack of faith in God and t His Word, lack of a genuine new birthg failing to claim God's promises, and not being a true disciple. Our assurance can be lost or forfeited when the enemies of doubt, fear, and anxiety attack us. Assurance, if misap- plied, can create carelessness. We need assurance for victorious Chris- tian living. Romans 10:7 tells us that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. We know that we have assurance if we believe and have faith as stated in Hebrews 11 :1,6. Acting upon the knowledge of truth gives us assurance. Obedience and trust also contribute to our assurance. There were five of us in this class, taught by Brother George Hofer. We spent a profitable three weeks learning about this essential to victorious Christian living. y -Shirley Shirk and Lorraine Wenger APOSTASY The term apostasy means a departing from the truth. Those who at one time f ll o owed God are drawn away of their own lusts, to follow seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, as I Timothy 431 mentions. ' Whenever people start to question the Bible and make it fit their situation, they will stray from the truth. The Word of God stands forever, and it is just as relevant for us today as it ever was. We see many signs today which are an evidence of a falling away. The Bible may be preached, but often is not practiced. There are those who have yielded to en- tertainment and dramatics to please their perverted desires. As Christians, we have a responsibility to guard against apostasy. Jude 3 tells us to earnestly contend for the faith. He- brews 1:17 shows us the importance of obeying church leaders, because they watch for our souls, as they that must give account. According to Romans 16:17, 18 we are to mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to doctrine we have received. If we will remain true to God, we must believe what the Bible teaches, and then continue to walk in this light. -Sara Landis WE HAVE AN ANCHOR Will your anchor hold in the storm f s o It is safely moored, 'twill the storm with- llfe, stand, When the clouds unfold their wings of For 'tis well secured by the Saviour's strife? hands When the strong tides lift, and the cables And the cables passed from His heart to strain, mine, Will your anchor drift, or firm remain? Can defy the blast, thro' strength divine. We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll, Fastened to the Rock which cannot move, Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love. -23- H J are my ' prev Y. firs of t foun of ti afflic true segn Worf Hell Tl Chris unde apos1 empe while types as M John Cath' same gan. the r perse ers. . religi. t Q 0u1 130 us Hfttuaj World Ways help t are Q0 many

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.?.':,.'-f,f i'..i REAR. ' a in M, far LW' 'Nl th: zum WMI aqgmt 'bu Gillerich IRAQ Zi w2.'f..'l'g..t t'U'fi!i0fni ?Z..'i'i. 'mf 'Q---G'-il?'.'.13 :meer FNME dna-nam eniilthehill :un-my rwwhiiwdvlw ' 'GM rn'-21 2.225 3 lbillidil fnvlilsgg l niifigkfa a 'h,9 ,lgt ul' av' M wal' ni' I al ?v - .1'--55 i fl Q l'af :gli GOD, PEACE, BLISS With Brother Willis Halteman, as our teacher, We have learned many things con- cerning God and the good things He has for us. First of all, we studied of God the Father, who is enthroned in Heaven, watching over His saints on the earth. The Word teaches that God always was and always will be, and that His greatness is beyond our comprehension. We studied of the Son Jesus, Who was sent to die for the sins of men, and also of God the Holy Spirit, who convicts men of sin and brings them unto repentance. The Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, is a priceless gift. Next, we find that God has promised in His Word, that if we meet the conditions we have His peace in our hearts. This peace comes only if we follow the leading of the Spirit, as He guides us in our Chris- tian life. - As we study further in the Word, we find that God has promised a reward to all that are true to Him in this life. This reward is a, home in Heaven, where all is Peace and Bliss, and where we are away from the presence of sin forever. We have many accounts of people who, when facing death, spoke of the things they saw as they passed from this life to glory. All of these give us glimpses of the beauty and joy of Heaven, and our prayer is that all the young folks in this class might live a holy life and be partakers of the reward, promised to them' that love im. --Leon Baer REDEMPTION See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are'evil. Ephesians 5:15-16. ' We students and our instructor, Paul Witmer, redeemed our time wisely in redemption class. We ,discussed the method Cod used to redeem the firstborn Israel- ites. He chose the Levites to take their place., Since there were more firstborn Israelites than Levites, the remaining two hundred seventy-three were redeemed with s1lver. , We talked about how 'we were sold under sin, but then redeemed b blood I y ., God sent His Son who is our only hopehof redemption. We looked at references fore- telling His coming. , Some of our time was used in discussing what we've been redeemed from. We read Ephesians 1 :1-14 and noted how many references refer to the redeemed person's position in Christ. . After .discussing the wonderful gift of redemption, I'm sure we as a class could each say with the song writer, Robert Fletcher, The Savior's love will I declare, Who hath my soul, redeemed, The joyful news to others bear, That .I have been redeemed, What blessedness is in that word: Redeemed! redeemed! thro' Christ the Lord, Forever be His name adored ' Who hath my soul redeemed , ' ' -Lois 'Peifer SEPARATION AND NoNcoNronMrrY ' But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I 'untotthe world. Galatians 6:14. This was the theme verse of our class as we- studied the subject of separation and nonconformity, which is one of the most vital and extensively taught subjects in the Bible. The Doctrine of Separation. and Non- conformity, if believed, will be manifest by an outward expression in our conduct, speech, appearance and every area of life. The New Testament teachings on sepa- ration from the world and conformity to Christ were clear to our Anabaptist fore- fathers. They had no difficulty under- standing and practicing them. It cost them their 'homes and lives. They sacrificed all because they knew there were more endur- ing 'things ahead.- The church today is facing one of the greatest spiritual' tests in her history. The Bible is true, is to be taken literally and is for all generations. We are to remain faithful to God and His Word. The things of this world shall pass away, but God's Word shall stand forever. 'These truths have meant much to me through the three short weeks of this study, taught by Brother Aaron Shank. . -Betty M. Martin 7 .....22' ..

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: ' . :ty 0: Emi TQ gmritathell hm I and 431 lo . Tlsworlii . Uluatas .Umm Ulhkhare giggihkmgl , . Pmfiied. ltlcltuedtoen' Diesen, Sir Ilfuwmih-. f.1w3uf1f,1 MP' hmllle- hmmfflnceof I bw: lhey Tidihtmugt Nmmlszw, I! Itichcause WlU!od0c!rine bGd.Iemust ildilkll W -knlmdie ummm is 'VW u-n9 W flfw DIVISION III CHURCH HISTORY AND MISSIONS sukvsv or cl-luncl-I I-ns'roRY And I say also unto thee, That thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18. Yes, how true the ten students of the first three weeks and the fourteen students of the second three weeks in this class found that verse. We surveyed the history of the' church and saw the persecution, affliction and many trials that faced the true church of God, and how there was a segment of people that stayed true to the Word of God, even though the gates of Hell fought against it. The study in church history began With Christ, and told how the church grew under the teaching and preaching of His apostles. The rise and fall of kings and emperors brought in the Catholic religion, while in some cases it brought in other types of religions. Later reformers such as Martin Luther, Huldreich Zwingli and John Calvin started to rebel against the Catholic church. We learned that at the same time the Anabaptist movement be- gan. Their beliefs were frowned upon and the reformers from the Catholic Church persecuted and killed many of their lead- ers. But never again did the Catholic religion have complete control. I Our teacher, Edwin Gehman, presented to us how many of these experiences are actually being relived again in today's world of many religions. We also discussed WHYS in which we as true Christians can help to avoid these many pressures which are Wming upon us, and which have taken many other churches into apostasy. -William Schuler CANADIAN MISSIONS A Before Jesus left this world, He told His disciples and He is telling us today, All power is given unto me. Therefore, go ye into all the world. Just how much does Jesus mean to you? Are you not so over- whelmed that you want others to know of this wonderful Saviour? I I V In this class, taught by Brother Paul Witmer, we are studying aboutnvarious missions in Canada, why and how the work was begun, and what is being done now. The work at Topley-Landing, British Columbia, began about five years ago, with a concern that the isolated groups in the Northwest would become selfish and in- grown, unless they would look beyond their immediate borders and see the needs of others. In additiion to the colonization work at McBride and Crescent Spur, there are presently four permanent workers liv- ing at Topley, working with the Indians there and travelling by boat to four other villages. ' ' The Northern Light Gospel Mission bef gan in 1938 at Red Lake, Ontario. There are 75 full time workers on the field, which covers approximately 4,800 square miles. Our aim is that through this study we might be brought to a deeper realization of the necessity of expanding the work of the church into other areas, where live the thousands of people who each have a never-dying soul, but yet have never heard the name of Jesus. Let us pray the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest. , . -Rachel Siegrist ....24...