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

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NOW OR LATER Your life is made up of choices, But some things you must do either way- 4'Now, you can do them by free willg Later, you will be forced to obey. After death the Lord controls you. He determines which way you will take. The way which you now are choosing, Determines the choice He will make. Salvation is now offered to you. You can respond to Christls gentle call, Or refuse to listen to Him, 'Till He thunders from His judgment hall. You decide while you are living If you will kneel before Jesus now. You can stand in proud defiance, But, every knee to the Lord will bow. You can break yourself on Jesus, Or you can yield to your own lust. The life which has not been broken, Will by Christ, then, be ground into dust. You can lose your life for Jesus. Or you can save it and say, lt's mineln The loss refused in the present Will be loss through eternity's time. '6Take the path of least resistance, You can avoid all the suffering today. Then the future will have tormentsg Suffering, from which you can't get away. Dear Friend, it is 'fnow or later? It will be just a matter of time 'Till those which once were rebellious Will yield to His eternal design. -Harry M. Erb BLUSHING To blush is a sudden spreading of color in a person's face because of excitement due to shame, guilt, confusion, or surprise and sudden joy. It is a physical reaction to an emotional dictum that usually expresses one's feeling without audible words. The prophet Jeremiah 16:15, 81123 la- mented the fact that impenitent Israel had reached a place where they were no longer ashamed of their sins. Their hearts were hardened to where they could mix religion and their sins without any noticeable em- barrassment. They could deal falsely and not bat an eye. This is pride at its worst. 6 Occasionally one finds among young peo- ple those who try to develop and groom their self-confidence to the point where they can hardly be embarrassed. Things that would normally cause one to blush are simply turned into a joke. God is not pleased with that kind of brazenness, and He will not overlook it. There are many circumstances that one faces that should cause us to blush if we are in any way partakers. The shameless nudity, vulgar talk, sensual joking, defam- ing parents, resisting authority, etc., are things that should cause us to blush if we are even amused by them. It is our prayer that each student will cultivate a sensitive conscience so that we can properly react to mistakes, and allow the blushing beauty of true character to shine forth. -Jesse Neuenschwander 1 l11-1:11-1- ENTER THE STRAIT GATE Toward the end of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he tells us of the danger of want- ing to walk on the broad road. He says the wide gate and the broad way lead to eternal punishment, yet many choose to go thereon. Jesus says the way that leads to eternal life is the strait gate and the narrow way. The word strait has real meaning to us, giving the idea of a strict, rigid experience. The Bible shows that this uncompromising way is the only life that is really satisfying, safe, and sure. Jesus, inviting us into this experience with him, says I am the door', into this strict, well-disciplined life. In this world we get into some tight places, but our Shep- herd says, I'll take you through safely if you keep your heart and eyes set on me. In this tight place we will by Godfs grace strip off all the things that hinder us, con- tinuing to faithfully serve Him. The final result of faithfulness will be that the glori- ous gate of Heaven will swing open for us. -Sidney Gingrich

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DEVOTION TO GOD S FEAR Stabl1sh thy word unto thy servant who IS devoted to thy fear Psalm 119 38 The fear of God 1n a New Testament sense does not denote being afraid of God but a reverence that comes from a compre hension of who God IS and the conse quences of disobedience In the Old Testa ment economy God dehberately cultivated c1rcumstances to produce fear in his peo ple But in our day God does not keep His fear upon us by terr1fy1ng manifestations but by a knowledge of Him through the Word and the work of the Holy Ghost in our hearts The fear of God 1n a New Testa ment sense IS not opposed to or incompati ble with love but it IS a reverence that 1S born of love I John 4 18 A person devoted to Gods fear will ex press that fear by a reverent sober and meek l1fe His life w1ll be the exact oppo site of a reckless life Our prayer IS that the t1me spent at Blble School by each student th1s year will result 1n a greater and healthier devotion to the fear of God that w1ll then f1nd expression 1n a careful life and an 1ncreased sens1t1ve ness to God's will. Glenn M. Sensenig . SPIRITUAL PRIORITY John, writing to Gaius, says, '4Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as they soul prosperethf, How did John know that Gaius prospered spiritually? Precisely the way we are known today: by the testimony of the brethren. If and as we walk in truth, the quality of our walk cannot be hidden. Looking again, we perceive that the health and material aspects of this beloved brother were sub standard to those of his spiritual inner man. The concrete scrip tural evidence testifies that Gaius had a truly fruitful life. His report shows that he discerned that obedience and spiritual prosperity are inseparable. Do we desire the prosperity that char acterized Gaius? If so, our decisions in life must hinge on their impact on our inner manf, and not upon that which is highly esteemedi' among men. We must find, know, and cherish this truth, for he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever? Edward R. Kerr THE ENGRAFTED WORD Receive with meekness the engrafted Word James 121 The word engrafted means to implant the same process we know as putting a good tw1g into a w1ld tree The first step to grafting 1S to cut away that which IS foreign from that which 1S to be lmplanted Therefore we have a respons1b1l1ty to get rid of all that would hinder the growth of the Word of God The next step 1S careful plac1ng of the engrafted Word It IS only as we allow the sap of the Splflt of God to flow through us that we w1ll be a success and grow on to maturity The pr1mary purpose of the engrafting process IS to produce good fru1t where otherwise there would have been w1ld fruit In the process of the cutting away of the flesh and the reception of the engrafted Word the fruit that 1S received 1S the salva t1on of our souls Paul M Freed ONE THING IS NEEDFUL Martha was not an 1rrel1g1ous person who had no interest 1n s1tt1ng at Jesus feet. She loved her Lord and wanted to please Him. Her problem was, she was cumbered with much serving. Martha becomes a picture of the frustration the Christian faces when the one thing is not uppermost in life. The frustration of Marthals experience becomes evident. The word cumbered suggests being dragged around or being driven. She was driven to the place that she became upset at Mary. Finally, she chided Jesus for not caring that Mary did not help her serve. Rather than agreeing, Jesus commends Mary for sitting at His feet. The commen dation was that Mary was paying primary attention to eternal and spiritual matters, rather than serving the physical needs. He promises Mary that the good part she has chosen will not be taken away. There are many activities in life which are necessary in their place, but can cause us to become encumbered. We need con stantly to sit at the Masterls feet and learn of Him, for this is that good part which Jesus said shall not be taken from us. This will not bring frustration but will rather fill our life with purpose and satisfaction. David Burkholder 9 cc - cc ' ' ' 39 . 99 . , , . . . 9 9 ,, . . - , . 9 . 5 9 . ' , - 9 9 - I . 9 9 ' ' 9 9 . . . . . . . . 0 - , - - . . . . -- 0 U , ' 9 , . . . - u s 1 a , 5

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ON BEING FREE Freedom IS a basic need of mankind God has graciously provlded us with free doms formula Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free John 8 32 THE APPROVAL OF GOD As fra1l needy creatures of the dust IS It possible to meet the approval of an omni potent all knowing God9 The resounding answer to this quest1on lS YES w1th the prov1s1ons He has given It 1S 1ndeed humb . . . , ' , ' a a a , cc . . 1 a , . H3 . 1 . 0 I 0 - I c 1 ' ' 3 9 7 The preceding verse If ye continue in my word? reveals two elements which are essential to knowing truth. The one is a knowledge of Christls Word. As we feed upon the Word, we find the realities of time and eternity put into a proper per- spective. This then provides us with an appropriate frame of reference from which to direct life's activities. The other element is an obedience to the Word. Intellectual knowledge of God's Word unaccompanied by experiential know- ledge limits our ability to know truth. This in turn excludes us from being made free. Finally, how does knowing the truth make us free? The answer- is found in Christ's equating Himself with Truth. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed? John 8:36. -Lester H. Weaver HCONSIDER THE WONDROUS WORKS OF GOD These are the words of Elihu in Job 37:14. Job could not understand why a righteous and holy God would allow him to suffer intense physical, mental, and spiritual pressures. Perhaps a worse prob- lem was when his friends falsely accused him of robbing the poor. Job longed for a fair trial: Oh that one would hear me! . . . that the Almighty would answer me! Elihu admonishes Job to consider God's works in nature, His omnipotence, and His great redemptive work at Calvary. In light of all this, we must say as Elihu, Teach us what we shall say unto him, for we can- not order our speech by reason of dark- ness? Job 37:19. There may be times when we suffer dis- couragement or pain. There are times when we will be falsely accused as Job was. We will be scoffed at, or misunderstood: but we do well to realize that God?s works are wonderous. The Psalmist says in Psalm 4, Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still? - Oliver Hess ling to sense how far we 1n our own strength come short of God?s approval. In II Tim- othy 2:15 we arel instructed to study to show ourselves approved unto God. With the Bible as our textbook, we find that it is possible to continually be under the approval and blessing of God. The ques- tion each must face is whether this is our true condition. With this as our greatest goal in life, we should avail ourselves of opportunities to deepen our understanding of what God requires of us. The study of the Word in personal and family devotions as well as the Sunday School and mid-week prayer meeting is a help in gaining this approval. The exposure to God's Word at Bible School is an asset to knowing and experi- encing this approval. May each of us be assured of God's approval now, that we may have it in eternity. -David N. Wadel TRANQUILITY Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee? Isaiah 26:3. Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them? Psalm 199:165. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God? Matthew 5:8. The statues of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes? Psalm 19:8. The light of the body is the eye: if there- fore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light? Matthew 6:22. There- fore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, Iwill liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock? Matthew 7:24. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee? Psalm 84:4. How calm and peaceful to live in the sphere of Christian tranquillity! -Walter R. Newswanger 7