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

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ous world abouf us, fhus causing us fo come shorf of -Gods gracious promise of enfering info fhaf glorious resf provided for all fhose fhaf love Him and keep His commandmenfs. Lef us confinually sfrengfhen each ofher by praying for each ofher. -Benjamin C. Eshbach REJOICE EVERMORE In everyfhing give fhanks: for fhis is fhe will of God in Chrisf Jesus concerning you. I Thess. 5:I8. lf we reallybelieve fhe verse in Rom. 8:I8, fhis isn'f so hard fo do. And we know fhaf all fhings work fogefher for good fo fhem fhaf love God, fo fhem who are fhe called accord- ing fo His purpose. This promise is fo 6od's called ouf ones. If we remember fhaf God wishes us fo be happy even more fhan we do ourselves, we realize fhaf fhe hard fhings are permiffed in our lives fo burn ouf fhe dross so we mighf shine as gold. Neifher murmur ye. as some of fhem also murmured, and were desfroyed of fhe de- sfroyer. I Cor. I0:l0. And why shouIdn'f we be ioyful, when our sins are forgiven, when we have fhe promise fhaf he will be wifh us fo fhe end, and is pre- paring a home in heaven for us? We are ungrafeful fo complain abouf cir- cumsfances when God gives everyfhing good, and confrols all evil. ' And fhe very God of peace sancfify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirif and soul and body be preserved blameless unfo 'ghggcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ I Thess. -Anna W. Eshbach JESUS TEACHING ON DISCIPLESHIP Jesus made if abundanfly plain fhaf a greaf deal is involved in becoming a Chrisfian. To many people if mighf appear fhaf Jesus made fhe way of discipleship foo difficulf, and fhaf He appeared fo be pushing people away 3 from Him when fhey showed inferesf in Him and His message. This is, of course, nof frue, buf if is frue fhaf He said some very shocking fhings. When fhe mulfifude followed Him, according fo Luke I4, He furned fo fhem and said, You cannof be my disciples. Whaf a surprise if musf have been fo fhe mulfifude fhaf day when fhey heard Him speaking abouf haf- ing fheir parenfs, brofhers and sisfers and 'rheir own lives also if fhey would be His disciples, and whosoever he be of you fhaf forsakefh nof all fhaf he hafh, he cannof be my disciple. Jesus is requiring an undivided Ioyalfy in order fo be a disciple of His. Jesus makes if plain 'rhaf fhere are deep-seafed and far-reach- ing implicafions in discipleship. He makes if very clear fhaf wifhouf faifhful obedience we are non of His. He also makes if clear fhaf discipleship cufs deeply info fhe individual's life, and inferferes radically wifh his former habifs and way of life, and involves recognifion of fhe Iv1asfer's lordship in all of life. -Paul H. Ebersole INFLUENCE Drop a pebble in fhe wafer, Jusf a splash and if is gone, Buf fhere's half a hundred ripples Oufward circling, on and on. Ever wider fhey are spreading, Till fhey pass beyond your sighf, So do words and acfions ever Spread in waves of wrong or righf. Soul fo soul fhe influence passes, Oufward widening evermore, Oh, whaf recordfrhey deliver On fhe greaf efernal shore. Some do nof seem fo realize fhaf fheir con- ducf and conversafion may and do influence ofhers for good or for evil. - All have an influence for good or for evil upon fhose wifh whom fhey are associafed. which nof only fends fo enhance or hinder fheir happiness and usefulness in fhis life buf involves fhe mosf serious consequences imaginable,- even fhaf of efernal desfiny. -Luella H. Ebersole

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EDITORIALS WHAT IS YOUR GOAL'-' Sfriving onward, pressing forward Life divine fo gain, We will ever make endeavor Unfil we affain, Whaf defains we'll casf aside, By fhaf promise fo abide: Who endurefh, life securefh, And fhe prize shall gain. These words penned by Phillip Friedrick Hiller in fhe I8fh cenfur sfi I voice a challen e DECISIONS Life is filled wifh decisions. ln one single day fhe average person makes numerous decis ions, from fhe fime he rises unfil refiring fime. The housewife may have fo decide whaf fo prepare for breakfasf, or whaf fo add fo her shopping lisf. The farmer will decide when fo planf his corn and when fo mow hay. The Bible is filled wifh many accounfs of persons making decisions, eifher wisely or fool fo Chrisfians foday. The message of fheie words draws our affenfion fo Phillipians 3:I4. l press foward fhe mark for fhe prize of fhe high calling of God in Chrisf Jesus. Whaf are we sfriving for? If we are real Chrisfians, we will be sfriving for fhe sfraif gafe fhaf leads fo life efernal. Perhaps we are looking for a place of honor in fhe world, financial securify, or presfige in our social circle. These are inferior goals and are wrong for fhe Chrisfian. These fhings would defain and weigh us down on our heav- enly journey. They would nof lead- us in af fhe sfraif gafe, buf af fhe broad gafe fhaf leads fo desfrucfion. Friend, whaf is your goal in life? Efernify is' involved. ls if fo please fhe Lord? Are you frying daily fo exemplif Chrisf in your life wifh fhe aid of fhe I-lolly Spirif, or are you frying fo please self? -Daniel Sfrubhar ishly. The far reaching effecf fhese decisions had are overwhelming. These decisions are recorded for our benefif, so fhaf we may learn fo choose wisely. , We, as youfh, are consfanfly facing -many imporfanf and far reaching decisions. Cer- fainly fhe choices which wemake in youfh will have a greaf influence upon our course of life. Whaf principle shall we employ in making our decisions? Are we going fo make fhem wifh only fhe presenf in mind or shall we con- sider fhe fufure? Are we going fo allow fhe world fo influence us.in making ourldecisions, or will we decide in fhe Iighf of C5od's Word, and wifh efernify in view? lvlay we ever be enabled by divine wisdom fo make wise decis- ions. Choose you fhis day whom ye will serve. Joshua 24:l5. I g -Pha res L. Fisher PRINCIPALS' AND MATRONS' MESSAGES THE UNSPOTTED LIFE Pure religion and undefiled before ,God and fhe Fafher is fhis,--fo keep himself un- spoffed from fhe world. James l:27a,c. The world abouf us is full of evil. lf's ideals and pracfices are opposed 'ro fhe will of God. The people of fhe world are consfanfly being guided by fhe prince of fhe power of fhe air. This one, Safan, . is endeavoring also fo enfice and lead- away such who have pledged I-heir lives fo be loyal fo Chrisf. Jesus prayed ' I for us, nof fhaf we should be faken ouf of fhe world, buf fhaf we mighf be kepf from fhe evil pracfices of fhe world. True love for -God is fhe greafesf incenfive fo living fhe unspoffed life. Obedience fo our God is fhe greafesf evidence of our love. Lef each one of us fruly show our love ifo Godiby a full submission fo all fhaf I-le has spoken, by confinually being on guard, wafch- ing, praying, and feeding much upon His Word, lesf fhe enemy deceive us and cause us again fo become spoffed by an evil, adulfer- 2

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FACULTY EVE.N UNTO DEATH? In fhe sfudyof church hisfory I am chal- lenged repeafedly wifh fhe willingness of sainfs fo make fhe supreme sacrifice of fheir lives for fhe cause of Chrisf and His Church. In fhinking of fhe courage of 'rhese noble marfyrs, I cannof help buf wonder whaf fhe reacfion of our generafion would be foward- persecufion such as fhe faced. Would we as a group be of such caliber as fo counf fhe faifh more precious fhan our very lives? I believe fhe answer fo fhis quesfion is found in how we are sfanding for fhe faifh righl' now. The person who is willing fo sfand for whaf is righf, even in fhe face of opposifion from friends and relafives, is showing fhe same moral fiber fhaf leads one even fo deafh for fhe cause, if fhaf is required. The person who adapfs fo fhe parficular group he is wifh af fhe momenf, yef claims fo have a fesfimony when wifh -6od's people, will be fhe very one 'ro deny 'rhe faifh when fhe heaf is applied. I believe Bible School is a means God is using fo build up our young people fo give a faifhful fesfimony for His name, even unfo deafh, if need be. I believe 'rhis because I seelfolks going from here and sfanding for whaf is righf regardless of fhe opposifion fhey are facing. , May we all defermine by God's grace fo be all Hewanfs us fo be in fhis generafion. regardless of 'rhe cosf. -Glenn lvl. Sensenig , lT'S RISKY If's foo risky fo eal' food and drink wafer. I mighf swallow some poison. If is foo risky fo drive a car on fhe highway, I mighf have an accidenf. If's foo risky fo have a iob, I mighf nof do my work righf, efc., efc. Such is foolish reasoning, we all agree. Buf such reasoning is employed in more imporfanf areas of life. Some do nof wanf fo become a Chrisfian for fear fhey cannof hold ouf fo fhe end. Some do nof 'resfify for fhe Lord lesf fhey do if wrongly, buf if's worse nof fo say anyfhing. Some will nof affend Bible Schoo. lesf fhey discover a needed change in fheir life. If's a risk fo expose one's life fo infensi- MESSAGES fied Bible sfudy and a Biblical fellowship if we do nof wanf fo change. However, if is impossible 'ro face 'rhez re- sponsibilify relafed 'ro fime or efernify wifhouf a risk. By avoiding 'rhe risk we become con- quered. In essence. such-are saying our Lord is a hard man, reaping where He has noi' sown, gafhering where He has nof sfrawed, and likewise incur God's iudgmenl' according- ly. lvlaffhew 25:24-30. God's remedy for risk is revenue or ready refurns. The Efhiopian eunuch who exposed himself fo fhe Bible, wifh Philip as his feacher, became disfurbed, confused, and his normal pursuif of fravel was inferrupfed. He yielded himself fo aufhorify over him as symbolized by fhe rife of wafer bapfism. Buf God's rev- enue for him was a clearing of his m-ind-no longer in confusion or disfurbance+buf ioy in his hearf and fravelling on his way reioicing. The kingdom of God- is nof meaf and drink: buf righfeousness, and peace. and ioy in fhe HoIy,Ghosf. Romans l4:I7. To have peace and ioy is a giff from God fhaf can only be experienced and never fully explained. If may mean changing iobs, clofhing, hair arrangemenf, cars, companions, efc. Yes, if is risky fo be exposed fo fhe Gospel if we we have our mind made up nof fo change, buf if is foo risky nof fo fake fhis risk. -Isaac K. Sensenig SECRETS-REVEALED , Somefimes we wish we would know iusf which da Jesus will come for us. Then by faifh we hear Him say, I+ is nol' for you 'I'o know 'rhe fimes or fhe seasons which fhe Fafher hafh puf in his own power, lAcfs I:7l. We also wonder why fhe Aposfle John was nof fo wrife whaf fhe seven fhunders uffered, and fhen we hear again, fhe secref fhings belong unfo fhe Lord our God. lDeuf. 29:29l. Buf Jesus came and Ieff us, his friends, in on all fhe secrefs fhaf fhe Fafher fold him. Nof only 'rhe fhings 'rhaf had been kepf secref since 'rhe world began, buf also fhe fhings of fhe fufure which are for us and for our children 'ro know. A special blessing is given fo fhose who read- and who hear and who keep fhe revealed fhings. -Oliver M. Keener 4