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

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REMINISCENCE How 'rime flies! Already five years of Bible School are hisfory. Efernify will only reveal whaf has been acccomplished. Many young boys and girls have been challenged fo live a holy life. Many have dedicafed fheir lives fo serve God in a greafer capacify. Oh, how we wish we could say fhey are all living for fhe Lord, buf we know of some fhaf have fallen prey fo our enemy fhe devil, and are living in sin. We do reioice when we see fhose who have been fo Numidia Bible School and are sfill faifhful fo God and fhe church. I chal- lenge each one who reads fhese lines fo pray for fhose who are faifhful, fhaf fhey may re- main, buf especially for fhose sfudenfs whom we know are living in sin. lf we pray earnesfly God will surely answer in due fime. The effecfual fervenf prayer of a righfeous man availefh much. James 5:l7b. -Aaron Weaver SPIRITUAL FRUIT The word fruif in fhe New Tesfamenf is commonly used 'ro describe fhe resulfs fhaf are produced by a Spirif-filled life. The word fruif also presupposes life. Fruif-bearing is a process 'rhaf fakes place only in 'rhe realm of life. In Galafions 5:I9 'rhe aposfle Paul, in re- ferring fo fhe resulfs manifesfed by one who is spirifually dead, labels fhem as fhe works of The flesh. Following fhis in verse 22 he uses one word fo label fhe fruif wifh which a Spirif filled life is laden. He says fhe fruif of fhe Spirif is love. Then he uses eighf words fo describe and clarify 'rhe meaning of love. I. Joy-fhe consciousness of love. 2. Peace-confidence of love , 3. Longsuffering-habif of love 4. Genfleness-fhe manner of love 5. Goodness-fhe acfion of love 6. Faifh-fhe vision of love 7. Meekness-fhe fone of love 8. Temperance-fhe law of love In John I5 we read abouf fhree yields of fruif. I. No fruif. 2. Much fruif. 3. More fruif. Which of fhese yields characferizes our fruif-bearing? ls my life and your life more heavily laden wifh fhe fruif of fhe Spirif 'rhan if was lasf season? -Donald E. Nolf 7 AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST Fellow sfrangers and pilgrims, do you know fhaf you have a very high calling fo fulfill dur- ing your sfay in fhis world? The Lord has com- missioned you fo be an ambassador. Lef's iusf pause for a momenf and fake a glimpse af fhls high office in fhe world governmenf sysfem. An ambassador is a person commisisoned by fhe ruler of his own nafion fo live in a foreign counfry, and fhere fo faifhfully represenf and promofe his home counfry. In orderfor his service fo be successful he may nof gef in- volved in 'rhe affairs of 'rhe counfry he is visif- ing, buf endeavor fo live a peaceful and blame- less life. This gives us a picfure of our greaf calling. Our cifizenship is in heaven. God, our greaf ruler, has commissioned us fo sfay in 'rhis for- eign counfry fo represenf and promofe our home counfry, which is heaven. By God's grace and power, may we keep ourselves unfangled from fhese earfhly fhings and live peaceably wifh all men, as much as is possible, and hereby faifhfully fulfill our honorable calling. -Leighfon Marfin GOD IN THE FLESH ln fhe beginning was fhe Word, . . . and fhe Word was made flesh. l do nof infend fo plumb fhe depfhs of fhe incarnafion, buf would like fo call affenfion fo fhe 'rerms John uses fo describe whaf he saw in Jesus. God had in fhe pasf been preparing fhe way for fhe Saviour fo come info fhe world. To finife minds His sfeps were painsfakingly slow. Buf fhe fime came in God's plan when fhere broke upon 'rhe world fhe flash of lighf we call 'rhe incarnafion. John says, And we beheld- his glory. Whaf did John see? He saw fhe only begoffen of fhe Fafher, full of grace and frufh. As we observe Jesus in his minisfry, as we see him dealing wifh individuals we are conscious of all fhe facfs abouf God, full of grace and frufh. Grace speaks of fhe greaf love fhaf mofi- vafed God in his work of redempfion. Trufh describes God as a God of iusfice and holi- ness. lf speaks fo us of a God whose lighf of frufh exposes all fhe works of darkness. Jesus came fo declare fhe Fafher whom' no one had ever seen. And we beheld his glory, full of grace and frufh. -Harold Good

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DIVINE ATTRACIIION Why sfand ye gazing up info heaven? This same Jesus, which is Taken up from you inTo heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go info heaven. AcTs l:l I. There are many aTTracTions Today calling for our affecfions, buT weias Chrisfians need To be looking unTo Jesus, The auThor and fin- isher of our faifh. lf ye Then be risen wiTh ChrisT, seek Those Thingslwhich are above, where Chrisf siTTeTh on The righT hand of God. Sef your affecfions on Things above, noT on Things on The earTh. Col. 3:l-2. Can we Trufhfully say .as PeTer said, To whom shall we go? Thouhasf The words of efernal life. John 6:68. And l, if l be liffed up from The earTh, will draw all men unTo me. John l2:32. ' ' We need To be confinually reminded of heavenly values in order To keep our eyes and mind upon our precious Saviour who has done so much for us. We owe our whole life To' I-lim. Wherefore, beloved, seeing ThaT ye look for such Things, be diligenf ThaT ye may be found of him in peace, wiThouT spoT, and blameless. ll PeTer 3:I4. I -Norman Reinford . i FELLOWSHIP As This word comes To our mind's eye, iT immediafely leaves a warm cosy feeling in our hearTs as we Think of some of The rich experiences we have had wiTh fellow Chris- Tians in The pasT. We may Think of a special Time when God spoke To us aT a service, which changed The course of our lives. Also, There may have been Times when we meT in small groups, wiTh special prayer concerns. Through which we were richly blessed. Again as we consider This word, we realize ThaT iT is derived from The words fellows in The same ship. Thinking Then of fellows in The same ship, we know ThaT They are headed for The same shore. ln case of a sTorm, They will all work TogeTher To reach ThaT shore safely. If The ship begins'To fill wiTh wafer, They will all faifhfully dip ouT The wafer, in order To avoid disasfer in The midsT of The sea. .This should Teach us a vivid spirifual lesson on Chrisfian Fellowship. As The Sforms of Life are raging, we encourage one anofher To con- Tinue in The sfruggles ThaT none mighT sink beneafh The waves. , , ln a more posiTive way, I-leb. I0:25 ad- monishes us noT To forsake The assembling of ourselves TogeTher as The manner of some is. buT exhorfing one anoTher. Whaf kind of ex- horTaTion do we receive in our assemblies? Heb. lO:24 has The answer, LeT us consider one anofher To provoke one anofher unTo love and good works. Before you wenT To a service. did you ever feel as Though somefhing was wrong, or ThaT perhaps you had cooled in your Chrisfian experience? Then during The service you received whaT you needed as a sTimulanT To provoke you To confinuein love, working for The masfer? I We also believe ThaT sinners have fellow- ship when They geT TogeTher, because They have common inTeresTs. They likewise enjoy one anoTher's company in fulfillingfheir lusTful desires. Paul, in Eph. 5:l I, Tells us as ChrisTians To have no fellowshi wiTh The unfruifful works of darkness, buT raflier reprove Them. ,-Clarence E. lvlarfin GREAT NEED or THE cl-lunci-I WiThouT any doubT we believe The greaTesT need of The Church Today is a company of separafed sainfs of God who will refuse To be swayed by The world's program or,iThe visible Church's aposfacy. No greafer blighf has ever beseT The Church of Jesus Chrisf Than The blighT of compromise and conformify To The world and iTs program. , , We are a redeemed people, a peculiar people, and an holy nafion. We are To shine as lighTs in The world and firmly refuse To bow before The gods of compromise and worldly sfandards. The line of difference befween The Church and The world has almosT been wiped ouT, and Those few of Chrisfls followers who dare To be differenf and refuse To go along wiTh The crowd are so small in number ThaT They are looked upon as odd and peculiar, and even fanafical and narrow-minded. IT does cosT somefhing To be differenf and separafe, buf iT is The only way which leads To'The highesT reward. The whole Bible pleads for a life and walk of separafion among believers. Wherefore come ouT from Them, and be ye separafe, saiTh The Lord, and Touch noT un- clean Things: and l will receive ou, and will be a Fafher unTo you, and ye shall be my sons and daughTers, saiTh The Lord AlmighTy. II Cor. 6:I7-l8.' A -LesTer Shirk 6

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LIBERTY For generaTions men have been searching Tor liberTy. YouTh Today are calling Tor Tree- dom To do Their Thing in This generaTion. Ivlany are The expressions oT This search Today, such as unkempT hair, rebellion, speaking againsT The esTablishmenT, eTc. ln The second episTle oT PeTer we read oT Those who walk aTTer The Tlesh in The lusT oT uncleanliness, selT-willed, despising governmenT and speaking evil oT digniTies. Having Torsaken The righT way, They beguile unsTable souls. While They promise Them liberTy, They Them- selves are The servanTs oT sin. BreThren, we have a, message oT liberTy. IT The Son shall make you Tree, ye shall be Tree indeed. Jesus came To bring deliverance To The capTives oT SaTan. Being Then made Tree Trom sin, ye became The servanTs oT righTeous- ness. Romans 6:l8. Ye shall know The TruTh, and The TruTh shall make you Tree. ln ChrisT we are made Tree Trom The works oT The Tlesh To live aTTer The spiriT. STand TasT ThereTore in The liberTy wherewiTh ChrisT haTh made us Tree. May our hearTs be Tilled wiTh The love oT ChrisT, The ioy oT salvaTion, and The peace ThaT passes undersTanding as we live a genTle, longsuTTering, meek, TemperaTe, liTe oT TaiTh. -Clarence R. Good 1- MEDITATIONS To mediTae means To ponder, To dwell in ThoughT, conTemplaTe, or plan. The Virgin lvIoTher oT our Lord kepT all.The sayings per- Taining To The ChrisT child. She pondered in her hearT The prophecies concerning His TuTure work. ' The amounT oT acTiviTy in Today's socieTy does noT lend encouragemenT To, nor oTTer much Time Tor mediTaTion. The enemy oT our soul does noT wanT us To med-iTaTe. IT is how- ever, imporTanT Tor all ChrisTians, boTh young and old. YouTh musT conTemplaTe, laying The ToundaTion Tor a proper course oT liTe. Older ones need To ponder on communicaTing a True paTTern oT ChrisTian discipleship. While Abraham's servanT was searching ouT a wiTe Tor Isaac, he wenT inTo The Tield To med- iTaTe. He TelT The need oT giving much ThoughT To The TuTure. God had a purpose Tor his liTe. He made ample provision Tor iT, and Isaac needed To prepare Tor ThaT discovery. He had To ponder on TuTure responsibiliTies, and serv- ice. His new role in liTe demanded serious mediTaTion. Upon The appoinTmenT oT Joshua To suc- ceed lvloses, and lead Israel To Canaan, God demanded ThaT he mediTaTe in The law day and nighT. His responsibiliTy oT enTrance inTo Ca- naan, claiming Their inheriTance, and disTribu- Tion oT possessions called Tor much and serious mediTaTion. MediTaTing on The Word brings one To submission and obedience To God. We discover our dependence on God, and The need Tor greaTer TaiTh, resulTing in divine en- ablemenT Tor The Task. David as a shepherd had much Time To med- iTaTe. The godly Take Time To mediTaTe. Ap- preciaTion Tor The ScripTures and mediTaTion Therein yields sTabiliTy and securiTy. Perennial pleasanTness, proTession, possession, produc- Tion, and prosperiTy are The TruiT oT mediTaTion. Do noT simply read The Bible, mediTaTe upon iT. Phil. 4:8, Think on These Things. --Paul L. WiTmer xv lrii-l1.1 T THE RIGHT PLACE Jesus said, l go To prepare a place Tor you , John l4:2. This cerTainly is The righT place. One prerequisiTe Tor geTTing To The righT place is being in The righT place now. IT we Tind ourselves aT The wrong place Through- ouT eTerniTy, iT's cerTain we TrequenTed The wrong places in our lives. The Bible Tells us oT places To avoid. The enemy's Tire is simply The place oT compromise which always spells Trouble. We musT be care- Tul noT To be Tound in The place oT idleness as David. A ship To Tarshish may seem inno- cenT enough, and yeT iT we Tind ourselves There as Jonah, iT becomes The place oT disobedi- ence. WaTch The juniper Tree. iT meanT The place oT discouragemenT Tor Eliiah. There are many more. ' We should be in The way , lGen. 24:27I, like Eliezer. This is The place oT TaiTh. Elisha, was righT There, in The place oT perseverance. To see Elijah be Taken up. Here am I. Send me , llsa. 6:8I, is The response oT a person in The place oT conTribuTion and service. The saying you c-an'T be in Two places aT one Time applies, if we are in The righT place Jesus will receive us as He said, where I am There ye may be also. John l4:3. -Alvin Snyder 8