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

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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...

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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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JEWISH EVANGELISM Cod said thx Jux would , , i if ' be watched. For the Lord's portion is lns peopleg Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He. . . led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye fDeuteron- omy 32 :9, 105. Not only has the Lord been watching the people of Israel, but the eyes of the world are upon them: some with awe, some with envy. For three weeks our Jewish evangelism class, taught by Ervin Hershberger, joined the world-wide audience. We studied not only the consequences of the brief summer war of 1967, but also considered the Jew's history. We read from the Jew's rich leg- acy of God's promises. We watched God's peculiar people as they struggled and intermittently triumphed through t h e ages. God grieved because His people were stiff-necked and rebellious. They flatly re- fused His Son, the Messiah. Now the Jew, with his own unique blend of problems, is figuring in the preview of God's final plans for His people. I think our class began to feel a small part of Christ's compassion when He wept over Jerusalem There is a new ur en . g cy for us in the words, Go ye into all the world. . . . -Jane Peifer BIBLICAL BASIS FOR MISSIONS In this class it was interesting to notice that while Christian missions in the full meaning of the term began only with the New Testament, the fact should not be overlooked that the missionary idea is found all through the Old Testament. We noticed how God used his people to bless others t 'd ' ' ou si e the Jewish nation. For example, the life of Jonah who was sent to N inevah to warn the people of the de- struction to come, if they would not re- pent, shows us that God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews. We also made a stud commissions to the chulicif 'Reine great ccgmmand and our duty arid 5 -hmsts s are the good news f C -pr1V1leget0 world. Every born again Clllililsigalglg the have a decep burden for lost souls Arggxl-2 in a posi ion to be d ' he may call us? use of God Wherever This study has h ll d ' dedicated life, soc vleeldgll ills to lr a , e a 1 Iggbslzgih which God can win sinnelgsli -Fannie Esh ANABAPTIST LEADERS AND TEACHERS The second class period of the day at Bible School during the last three-week period found eight faithful sisters meeting in room live on Monday, Tuesday, Thurs- day and Friday, with Brother Lester Shirk as the instructor, using the textbook Glimpses of Mennonite History and Doc- trine, written by John C. Wenger. This book, along with the class discussions, has proved to be a real blessing to me. A few of the outstanding Anabaptist leaders we have studied are Conrad Grebel, who was the founder of Anabaptism, Felix Manz, who was drowned, and George Blaurock who was burned at the stake. These fore- fathers were faithful and submissive to God through various types of persecutloll, such as beatings, drownings, ston1ngS and burnings at the stake. Just as thi-1S6,.0l1I' forefathers, were tried a n d remallled faithful to God, may we ever, by the grace of God, be true and faithful, no matter what the cost may be. Faith of our fathers! living still In spite of dungeon, fire, and SW0f'd3 O how our hearts beat high with JOY When e'er we hear that sl0ri011S Word! Faith of our Fathers! holy faith! We will be true to thee till death! -Evelyn Detweiler But ye shall -receive power, Ubftef' that the Holy Ghost is come upon 240243 and ye shall bewitness unto me both in Jeru- salem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utterrnost part of the earth. ' -25 - l l l l Bfol to tl 111110 clotl hair the son! fitte to C ' the sion Gr nel t ment musi A They impa chan Tl crow not ls inter have each com! Tl class bette UI for r thee T. Sens teac clas: stud cedl had larg Cove secc Wor