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

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FACULTY ESAU'S PLEA Bless me, even me also, oh my father, were the plaintive words coming from the lips of Esau as he came to realize that his father had given the choicest blessing to his brother. It is ,interesting to see how much he wanted the blessing now and, yet, he had so lightly esteemed the birthright when his bod- ily appetites ran high. We do not excuse J acob's and his motherls craft whereby they secured the blessing for Jacob that Isaac intended for Esau. But one is reminded again of Esau and his choice as we see young men and women barter away their birthright and the choicest priv- ileges of the posterity for a mess of worldly pottage. Those who sell their birthright as did Esau often wish and long for the blessing which the birthright represents but are not able to obtain it. Had Esau been willing to weep for his folly as he wept for the lost blessing, God might have yet richly blessed his life. May God endow us with wisdom so we will have the vision to see the value of re- taining our integrity in the hour of carnal desire. Then one will not need to beg and long for God's blessing but rather they will be showered upon those who value them as God wants them to be valued. -JESSE NEUENSCHWANDER ,-il. QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT God in His divine wisdom and power has given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to the church here on earth. Given to fill us with comfort and peace, the Spirit of Truth dwells within these temples of clay. Our challenge and calling is to walk in the Spirit, to bear the fruit of the Spirit, to be of one Spirit and to heed that inner voice as He guides and directs in various areas of life. God gives solemn warnings in the Bible regarding our grieving, quenching and blaspheming the Spirit in our lives. This can be done in many ways. It can be done by our attitudes toward authority, the Bible, our parents, or that which is right. The Spirit can be quenched by sensual, selfish or world- ly thoughts. We can quench the Spirit by disobedience, immodesty, or by simply refus- ing to follow His leading. May we ever use the grace God gives us and never stifle the moving of the Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. -DAVID N. WADEL MESSAGES J EALOUS The scripture tells us that God's name is Jealous. His zealous care for and His exclu- sive devotion to His people prove Him to be true to this Holy Name. The history of the Israelites in the wilder- ness proves to us that he was jealous for them in that he provided a leader in the great, but humble man, Moses. He took them out of Egypt, fed them in the wilderness, brought them to Canaan, and showed mercy and longsuffering, while they many times re- belled against Him. He wanted them to worship Him as their one and only God. God is also jealous over His workmanship that he has created in Christ Jesus and wants us to be pure and fully separated from our former affections. We should be exceeding- ly thankful that He has made us a new man and accepted us into the beloved. Therefore let us never betray this Jealous God or spoil His workmanship by doing anything con- trary to His will. Let us pledge ourselves to be true to our Jealous God in all of life so that we can be presented to the bridegroom as a pure, chaste virgin and enjoy the ceaseless ages with Him in Glory. -SIDNEY GINGRICH L.li -- CHANNELS FOR GOD And all things are of God, who hath re- conciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconcilia- tion. II Corinthians 5:18. It is a marvelous thought to think that an Holy God would call men who are unlove- able and sinful by nature to be used in His program, the Church. He seeks those who are willing to yield their wills to His will, and who are ready to render obedience, submission, and unerring loyalty to His Word. He seeks such who will not be ashamed of Christ and His Word, but who allow the teachings of the Word to find practical expression in every day living. The question comes then, Are you this kind of a person? Are you the quality of vessel that God is pleased to work through? Are you a channel God can use to pour out His blessings on others because of your faith- fulness? Channels only, blessed Master, But with all thy wondrous power Flowing thro' us, Thou canst use us Every day and every hour. -BOYD Y. CAMPBELL 4

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THE SATISFIED SOUL For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:9. People are longing for peace, rest and security, but they are looking to the wrong source for these things. In Psalm ll9:l65 we read, Great peace have they which love thy law. Jesus told the disciples in Mat- thew 1l:28, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. We need to come to Christ by giving up our own way for His better one. If our minds and hearts are full of the things of this world, God cannot fill us with his good- ness, because there is no room for it. If the Lord has satisfied our longing soul with His goodness, the desires for the things of this world are no longer there, because God's goodness is so much better. Then when our souls have been satisfied we give ourselves in service to others in order to bring them to the place where they can also have their longing souls satisfied. In order to keep our souls satisfied, we need to partake of His Word and fellowship with Him just as we need to replenish our physical bodies with natural food. -ANNA ESHBACH A WORTHY WALK The way a person walks often reveals something about his character. It can be vigorous, straight, purposeful or aimlessly wandering about. When time and purpose are of little importance, it will easily be recognized in the way we walk. Our walk may also reveal family characteristics. We sometimes hear people say, He walks like his father. Faithful discipleship is often described in scripture as a walk, such as Enoch who walked with God, or as that of Noah who faithfully did what God commanded him. Also it is to walk worthy of our vocation and to be consistent with our calling. It is to be a follower of God as dear children. Faithful discipleship is to choose the right path and walk in the straight way, avoiding the company of those walking on the broad way. A faithful disciple will walk circum- spectly being aware of his surrounding dan- gers and being time conscious, realizing the shortness of time. He will use the opportun- ities as they present themselves, because we will not pass this way again, 3 Our profession of godliness can be greatly marred by an inconsistent and careless walk. The only right course to take is to walk worthy of our profession in full submission and obedience to Him who has called us, with full confidence and assurance that our lives are well pleasing unto God. -PAUL EBERSOLE MY PRAYER FOR YOU Bible School is a mountain top experience for most students. We rejoice when we see students grow in their Christian life, having their convictions strengthened, and a greater interest in spiritual things. How wonderful to see an increased desire to always please Him, being submissive to His will. So this is my prayer for each of you, after you leave Bible school. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. Colossians 2:5. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Thessalonians 5:23. -LUELLA EBERSOLE Office Report ENROLLMENT RECORD Approximately 282 different persons were here at Bible School this year. Our enroll- ment was as follows: December 31 - January 18 ...... 102 January 21 - February 8 ............ 102 February 11 - March 1 ............ 97 March 4 - March 22 .................. 59 The following states and provinces were represented: Pennsylvania, Delaware, Flor- ida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ken- tucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, Alberta, British Columbia, Mani- toba, Ontario. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5, 6. -BRENDA HARBOLD -'Blei were li S O I fzihffh brolhff' warllfd lirhdl' 6 ily HPF Weill craft Wh Jacob U one iS ff 35 WC 5 away' ileges Cl pgtlagc. did Esau which th able to 0 l-lad E folly as l might la' May C will have taining Q' desks. l long fort be Slime as God ul Qt? SUCH Lie Sllilii to 2 to Q5 g of TES Q Ort ff lift SQ - bf rf wifi li I '- A HIS5 BTV: . and Fig-T Cin if 53. bl' 017 H- oufwl rs-Cf -r. . ' ,N Nf:fl ng rx I Q.. i QQ'--L. -- -4 Q H1-N' s W5 M. Sex.'L-l . l , X, ' I ' '. -C '- . , .,. mf r-1, , :--.3 midi . U. , . lair 5 -. xt- s I. .. . 0' l ft. ' s

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TORCHES FOR TRUTH The far-reaching influence of a faithful life is seldom seen in as clear.a light as .111 the case of the three Hebrew saints of Daniel 3. The fiery furnace episode was the means of spreading their influence over most of the then known world. The Scripture tells us that Nebuchadnezzar called the leaders of the provincesfrom h1S entire kingdom together to the dedication of an image erected by him. It was this group that witnessed the refusal of these. three Hebrew saints to bow to that heathen image. It was this group that witnessed the power of God in delivering them from the fire. Doubtless, the account of their loyalty and resulting deliverance was a subject of para- mount interest on their return to the various provinces. This was likely accented by the king's decree telling of the incident and de- manding worship before the God of Heaven. God used this incident to call the atten- tion of the world to Himself. He is doing the same today with individuals that are re- fusing to fit into the mold of a godless society. An undying loyalty and a willing- ness to be counted for God, even on issues seemingly small, is the key to unlocking a ministry of usefulness for God, the scope of which is staggering. Let us be faithful so our lives will be torches for truth, torches that have the potential of reaching even to the ends of the earth. -GLENN M. SENSENIG GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS In the midst of his lamentations, Jeremiah bursts out with the great truth. It was born out of a realization that were it not for the faithfulness of God, things would be a lot worse. He rejoiced that the mercies of God which are new every morning kept them from being consumed. God's faithfulness provides a tremendous anchor for the soul. The values reach into every area of life. It equips the Christian to face life realistically and victoriously. Knowing that God has never failed any of His promises enables us to exercise faith in Him. The challenge then is not to God's faith- fulness but rather to our faithfulness to Him. Jeremiah concludes that it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth, 5 Not that older folks shouldnit, but because there is no better time to begin. F aithfulness to a faithful God promises a rewarding life both now and forever. -DAVID BURKHOLDER BONDAGE TODAY Independence is a vital part of religious freedom today. The Jews of Jesus' day ex- pressed this when they responded to him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, ye shall be made free? Let us view this blind boast of these people as an expression of the carnal mind. The truth of the realms of light and darkness is obscured, if not altogether hidden from them. Jesus has just spoken to the believing Jews, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeedg And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. From our vantage point, we recognize that our Lord spoke of spiritual liberty. As the discourse continued, Jesus said, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeedf' As we find this freedom in Christ, we recognize the establishment of new ties to Christ. Jesus is now Lord of our lives. Notice I Corinthians 7:22. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's free man: Likewise also he that is called being free, is Christ's servant. Our adversary is not ignorant of this fact and would endeavor to bring us again under his bondage. God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Let us consider two prongs of our adversary's attack, false doctrine and false brethren. Satan delights in half truths and he uses false brethren to promote them. Paul cap- tures the satanic purpose of these men in Galatians 2 :4, writing that they might bring us into bondage. Paul says in verse five they gave no room for these brethren, not even for an hourg that the Truth of the gospel might continue. To this end we invoke God's blessing on the Numidia Bible School students that ye may be free indeed and that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. I Bondage indeed, but what a glorious rela- tionshipg liberty indeed, but what gracious confines. -EDWARD KER L,- .Uv ln hom? 50Oll5f its 02' thing. ins I0 '1 mm. I will bf is to 34:1 tree he C. . ' I I7- bllzlrv cite: you ple. Ltini L Qf Ili. ... YOUU iii . ..-.. tlJ'l'r'i' ' sLii...4.L I .. l. Ines :- USS OEET '- with GQC Hi' r 5 Nfl: WC 'f i . . A..-U , Qu' .,.. l0.:., T lfllfll' :ff Wifi 55 iii R33-,' il lim: Lf. . x lv Yfvigl-. I J-Y.. ' h Lg, . ra- ' AN ixj. .OWS l w 1' DL- uf 'iff Q . X .- s w i. . , - .jx - 5, n .. 5 , -.. in ' 't-1: