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

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STONES MADE READY When Solomon was building the magnifi- cent temple unto the Name of the Lord God, the inspired writer informs us that it 'twas built of stone made ready before it was brought thither. I Kings 6:7. Solomon had thousands of workers in the quarry split- ting, cutting and chipping the rock. These enormous stones of up to ten cubits C I Kings 7:l0J were conveyed to the building site and silently laid together without hammer or axe, revealing the incredible intelligence of the architect and the liawless accuracy of the workmanship. God, the Master Builder, is likewise pre- paring a spiritual house by the submission of human beings to His plan and purpose. We, as lively stones, are part of that spiritual house. I Peter 2:5. God is cutting, chipping and polishing us so that some day we will lit right into that eternal building. God uses the crushing hammer of His Word to chip the rough edges of pride, coveteousness, worldliness, hatred, lying, discouragement, carnality, etc. off of us. If we are not will- ing to yield to the loving blows of His ham- mer, He will cast us aside. Sometimes it may be hard to see God's plan for our life, but rest assured, He knows what He is doing and He will finish His temple! -JAMES BURKHOLDER BE STRONG In Joshua 1:8 the Lord commanded Josh- ua that the book of the law should not depart out of his mouth, but he should continue to meditate therein day and night and ob- serve to do according to all that is writ- ten therein. In Joshua 1:9 Joshua was instructed by the Lord to be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goestf' The same recipe that Joshua was to use is still good for us today. Let us notice some of the ingredients for being strong in the Lord. 1. The Word of God needed to have first place in his thought life. 2. He was to observe and do that which he was commanded. 7 3. He was to recognize the presence of God in their midst. What we need today is strong pillars of the faith who do not become discouraged or intimidated by the world, but who are ready to be counted and to give a witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ. I Corin- thians 16:13. Here at the Numidia Bible School the weak can be strengthened, and the strong can become stronger. As we allow the Word to have its proper place in our life, it will bring the results that God intends for it to bring. Ephesians 6:10, 11. Finally my breth- ern, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. -JoHN K. SENSENIG 'GI AM DEBTOR The above words express the deep-seated conviction of a man whose life was consumed on the altar of Christ-honoring service. God is looking for such people today. Students who come to Numidia Bible School with this conviction are an asset to the school. Hope- fully, those lacking this conviction upon ar- rival, acquire it during their stay. Many reason thus: 'Tm not a debtorg all my bills are paid. Even so, if you are a Christian, you are in debt for two reasons, and few owe more than the Christian Men- nonite. First, having been on the receiving end, you owe a debt of gratitude. Among your greatest benefactors are your parents. No generation stands on its own feetg it stands on the shoulders of the former generation. Most of us have come also under the in- liuence of friends, teachers and preachers from whom we have received things more valuable than gold. Think, too, of the many in former generations whose sacrifices have enriched us. Second, you belong also on the giving end, you owe a debt of service. Others need what you have received. Freely ye have received, freely givef' CMatthew 10:83. The Christian holds the key that can unlock the prison in which many are held captive. Peter said, 'tSuch as I have, give I thee. What will you say? -MERLE RUTH .'1L'. EZ' A -ef'- PIOUUL. J . cn--1' - tiliiiifi .- of 3 ,n -3, llffr' :li 1 nes fflilf. chafariff if best PfO'ffr',. when M 'e'r and U5Ufi'.'i.r, enCf- www Tne in the Vior-I C our Pfflfcz f Q .1 love G03 , He forging. lice. dffliv fit' as He 519195 Y tothe SUV' ' the cross lense. BCI' - lilehand help The WOfi.f seek a COTY'- seek an in:-fi not away. Yi -v-ff' Ii closer nan H 1ohnIlfl.I even so sexi IHI Clin and . stinet nhgg I to the Lori that nom his Creamer of Gnd the Hon- Q iIHS Qi fall of Cliill He Xktiufkf Whkh He didn- nn the xwherggors Wtifks XL T I Jtiim W Cam We J K' Ohh

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EVIL DAYS,' In my teen-age years an aged man, known as a roadwalker, was hit by a car near our home. We walked up to him and found him lying crippled along the roadside. As we tried to help him, his first reaction was, Let me alone, will yalw He was like what some- one said about the truth taught in Ecclesiastes 12: 1. Old age seems to have a peculiar in- capacity for improvement, the old tree will sooner break than bend. Old age too has its own temptations. It is prone to fear every- thing, and to doubt everything, but not will- ing to learn anything. It has a weariness that cannot bear disturbance, though every- thing important is at stakef' It naturally seeks rest. Let me alonef' cries the old man. Let me die as I am. IfI am wrong, I will be wrong. I am too old to learn. It is to late to think of anything new. If the tree be crooked, it must remain crooked, and as it falls, so it must lie. Young people, when- ever you observe these evil days of old peo- ple, think of the words of Ecclesiastes 12:1. The aging years of an unsaved man's life soon narrows down to the evil daysn of declining interest in change for the better. Those evil days remind us of the need to use our vital youthful energy to go deeper with God. We must exercise ourselves in His service, and wait before Him daily that we may experience the promise of Isaiah 40:31, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall Walk, and not faint. It is possible to grow older and in a spiritual sense be younger. Though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Now is the time to start avoiding those evil daysn of Ecclesiastes 12: 1. -ISAAC K. SENSENIG NONESIMUSH : USEFULNESS vs USELESSNESS In Philemon VII we read that Onesimus was in time past unprofitable, but now IS profitable. This means that his former use- lessness had given way to a present useful- ness. The reason for this marked change in his life is implied in verse ten where One- simus had experienced a new beginning. Use- lessness is a result and by-product of sm. Therefore the only way to enter into useful- ness, is to accept God's plan for deliverence from sin. The usefulness of this Bible character was greatly extended because: 1. He had no selfish reservations, evi- denced by a willingness to return to his former master. 2. He was willing to take up Christian service right where he was, as seen in his ministering to the Apostle Paul's needs. 3. He identified with a scriptural group, as seen by Paul calling him a brother beloved? This implies his identifica- tion with the nucleus of believers at Rome. Our usefulness is also enhanced when we decide that: 1. No price is too high for total peace. 2. We will be willing to do that which is at hand to do. 3. We will blend our personal abilities for group interest in the scriptural body of the church. The challenge to be useful to the Lord in time is properly understood when we recognize that our present degree of useful- ness will eventually issue into itls eternal counterpart. -DONALD NOLT ASSURANCE For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. I Thessalonians 1:5. Assurance is a vital part of our Christian experience. First of all, to have assurance we must confess our sins, and allow God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Any one who is living in sin and rebellion toward God cannot claim assurance. Another test of assurance is whether or not we keep his commandments. Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. To claim assurance, we must also love our brethren for God is love. We are glad to know that all the require- ments for being a child of God do not need to be achieved in our own strength, for then we would all fail. We thank God for the resurrection power made available for us today, that we can live victorious lives, and be assured of a joyous end in Christ Jesus. -AARON Z. WEAVER 6

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CHALLENGE Each of us needs to be challenged to help produce within us the best qualities for God. Children contest each other in a variety of activities. Those related to physical exer- cise help build strong bodies. Other activi- ties related to secular areas help produce character and workmanship. Talents are best produced by proper exercise. When children grow out of childhood, they put away childish things. Youth needs and usually wants to be challenged to obedi- ence, faithfulness and loyalty. The best source of challenge is found in the Word of God which points us to Christ, our perfect example. He challenges us to love God and men as I-Ie loved, to forgive as He forgave, to serve as He served, to sacri- fice, deny self and live for the good of others as He did, and to crucify the flesh and yield to the Spirit as He did. Faithful soldiers of the cross are also a valuable source of chal- lenge. They contribute much to our spiritual life and help us to be better Christians. The world accepts challenge because they seek a corruptible crown. The Christians seek an incorruptible crown, one that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for eternity. May every challenge we accept result in a closer walk with our Lord until He comes. John 20:21. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Go ye. -PAUL WITMER THE WAY OF CAIN Cain and Abel were inclined to human in- stinct when bringing an offering of sacrifice to the Lord God. Cain brought an offering that would not be acceptable at the hand of his Creator, and he was shown by the grace of God the error of his way. How quickly we find that the sinful nature has overtaken the human family after the fall of Adam and Eve. Cain became very angry with his Creator. He would not yield to a changed attitude which the Lord indicated to be necessary. He did, however, permit his hatred to develop into the slaying of his brother Abel. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. I John 3: 12. We sense a number of mistakes that led Cain down to his final end. We see first he proceeded to offer that which was un- acceptable. Surely if his brother, Abel, knew what constituted an acceptable offering, Cain could have known also. Then when his Lord would have helped him, he would not take heed but became very wroth and slew his brother. Again the Lord speaks to him, but the results are not beneficial to Cain. He finally goes from the presence of God, a fugitive and a Vagabond. May this be a lesson to us not to be sat- isfied with a form of worship, nor to only be satisfied to be in the presence of those that have a true worship experience, but that we ourselves might worship in Spirit and in truth. -TITUS BURKHOLDER FROM THE HOLY MOUNT TO THE VALLEY OF SERVICE In Matt. 17:1-8, we have the account of Jesus giving Peter, James and John a fore- sight of Himself in His future Kingdom. J esus' face shone as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. Peter was inspired to the extent that he wanted to stay there. He said, It is good for us to be here? The impressions Peter received there are reflect- ed in his epistles when he refers to seeing Christ's majesty, and hearing God's voice while on the holy mount. As Peter, James and John went down into the valley of ser- vice, the inspiration they received from that experience contributed to their entire min- istry and service. As we leave another Bible School term, we're called to a life of sacrifice. There are three special sacrifices which we as believer-priests shall offer to God. 1. Our bodies, Rom. 1211, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice. 2. Of praise, Heb. 13:15, By Him there- fore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 3. Our substance, Heb. 13:16, But to do good and communicate forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Someone called these, the sacrifice of Per- son, Praise and Purse, and should be offered by each of us. -EDWIN W. MARTIN 8