January 2020 OBB

JOHN HOAG January 8, 15, 22, 29 Faith Bible Church Olamon, ME Extension Classes MIKE GRANT January 26 East Hodgdon Bible Church Hodgdon, ME Sunday Service January 28 Great Houlton Christian Academy Houlton, ME Elementary & High School Chapel

CHAPEL SPEAKERS January 14-17.......................John Romano Child Evangelism Fellowship of Maine January 22-23....................... Jacob Brewer

Living Water Baptist Church January 28-30....Ryan Skaling & Missionaries

One Hope Canada

BIRTH

June 5, 2019 - to Robyn (Wesseling, Assoc. ’05) and Jerry McElyea, a daughter, Eve Seraphina.

HOMEGOINGS Beulah (Brown) Ayer, graduate of 1959, went home to be with her Lord on October 14, 2019. Please pray for her family.

Rev. John Jones was in our first graduating class of 1947. In July of this past summer, John turned 100 years old. And as our school turned 75, this retired pastor stood alone as our last graduate from that class. On October 26, 2019, John went home to be with his Lord. Please continue to pray for his wife, Ena (’54), and their family.

FEBRUARY 21-23 & MARCH 20-22, 2020

With Special Guest Eric Swithin, Executive Director and Lead Wilderness Guide of Outdoor Adventures. He is also the Youth Pastor at Centerpoint Church in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to spend a life-changing weekend on our campus. Talk to your youth leader or check us out at nbbi.ca/encounter.

Don’t miss Men for God Rally 2020! Each year this event brings in a host of men, young and old, from across the Maritime Provinces and the New England States. What do all these men have in common? - a Saviour who has placed them into

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the Body of Christ, and a desire to get to know that Saviour more intimately. And, of course, the food and fellowship each one will receive.

Crawford Loritts will be our keynote speaker during this retreat. Crawford has traveled throughout the US, Caribbean, Asia, Canada, South America, Africa and parts of Europe preaching in churches, evangelistic outreaches, conferences, colleges and seminaries. He has been the featured speaker at Superbowls, NCAA Final Four Chapel, and the Pentagon with senior military officers. Crawford holds several board positions including CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) and is a visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Crawford is the host of two national radio programs, the weekend program “Living a Legacy,” and the daily program “Legacy Moments.”

He and his wife, Karen, are featured speakers at Family Life marriage conferences. Crawford has written nine books including the newly released book with his wife, Karen, “Your Marriage Today … and Tomorrow.”

OPEN BIBLE BULLETIN VOL. 61 NO. 1 JANUARY 2020

FOCUS

BY J. TRENT BOYD What Hinders a Revival

Senior Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia, USA

nbbi.ca/donate

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EST. 1944 GOD’S PURPOSE OUR PASSION

With Special Guest, Crawford Loritts

PARTNER WITH US

For additional options: Call us toll-free at 1-800-771-NBBI (6224).

75th

YOUTH RETREATS

JANUARY 24-25, 2020

Editor................................................. Larry Rushton Writers.............Faculty, Staff, Students & Alumni Typist................................................. Brenda Cabral Layout & design...........................................Larry Rushton Copy proof..............................................Rose Meed Printer.................................................Merritt Press

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New Brunswick

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MEN FOR GOD RALLY

New Brunswick Bible Institute 2335 Route 103 Victoria Corner NB Canada E7P 1C7 Phone: (506)375-9000 Fax: (506)375-1800 Website: nbbi.ca Email: nbbi@nbbi.ca

U.S. Donors: East Hodgdon Bible Church Attn: NBBI Fund PO Box 828 Houlton ME 04730-0828

ENCOUNTER

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January 17-19 First Baptist Church Waterloo, ON College & Career Retreat

FAMILY FILE

Printed in Canada

MATTHEW LITTLE January 8, 15, 22, 29 Faith Bible Church Olamon, ME Extension Classes

World War II had ended and so had the second year of classes at NBBI when well-known evangelist Charles E. Fuller’s Radio broadcast aired on April 28th, 1946. All across the U.S. and in some areas of Canada Christians and non-Christians alike would have heard, through the static of old-time radio, a powerful message entitled “What Hinders A Revival?”. It was preached from the first chapter of Isaiah and included both the sinful hindrances as well as injunctions to follow the Lord.

While listening to this message recently, I was first impressed with Fuller’s vision, which began in the 1920s, of grabbing a hold of the latest media tool as a method for spreading God’s Word with clarity to a greater audience. The second impressive thing was the power of the message and the call to pray for Revival.

Studying the great revivals of the past is instructive and important in the present. For example, Revival Scholar, J. Edwin Orr, describes the cultural conditions prior to the 1857

prayer revival this way “the religious life in America was on a decline. It was a time of prosperity, and people were seeking riches rather than God. The churches were losing people, and worldliness was creeping in.” (The Event of the Century, Orr). Does this not aptly describe our present circumstances 162 years later?

Isaiah similarly described his nation: “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers,

children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.”

(Isaiah 1:4) As Fuller’s radio program opened, you heard a quartet singing, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” From a revival

perspective, this is the first vital step. Philippians 3:7 forms the basis of that song, “...I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord....” It is this Christ-centered commitment that leads us first to personal revival.

It is the commitment to draw near to God that He also might draw near to you (James 4:8).

The live audience for the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour contained many WW2 soldiers who, after receiving Christ as Saviour, joined the revival of worldwide missionary endeavour that also impacted the students of NBBI in those early years. Young believers, both men, and women, answered the same call that Isaiah did, “Whom shall I send, and who shall go for Us?” (Isaiah 6:8).

Revival begins, not with the changing of our society, but with the determined purpose of God’s people to place Christ above all and seek Him through prayer, the Word, and Spiritfilled obedience. Dr. Fuller said well, “When the people of God come to a place of unbroken fellowship and communion and a place of confessed sin and of putting away sin, God will do something.” (Fuller, 1946).

What Hinders A Revival?

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PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

BY MATTHEW LITTLE

Chasing the Rainbow In C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters”, Uncle Screwtape gives this persuasive counsel to his nephew Wormwood. “We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow’s end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the Present.” Is C.S. Lewis right? In our obsession with the “rainbow’s end” have we been so caught up in the future that we fail to live in and enjoy the present? Could it be that our current lives are driven by an overall spirit of discontentment, but the pain of the present is deadened with the empty hope that what

TESTIMONY

BY JARED LONG

Student Body President It is hard to believe that two and a half years of training have already passed, and soon, as time moves quickly by, I will be looking back at my time here as the distant past. It seems that there are many things that I have let slide, whether it be the full potential of my classes or social times that I neglected to factor into my schedule. But it is too easy to focus on these negatives. The truth is that as I reminisce on these past few years, I can see God’s hand guiding me and teach-

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we are missing now will someday be realized tomorrow? The unfortunate reality is that when “tomorrow” comes we find that the discontentment of yesterday has also tagged along. It is so easy to adopt this attitude of discontentment. We are unhappy with our house, job, leaders, spouse, children and the list goes on and on.

Let me give you a revolutionary thought for your Christian life.

Kenneth Boa in his book “Conformed to His Image” said, “The truth is that if we are not satisfied with what we have, we will never be satisfied with what we want.” In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul said, “Not that I speak in respect to want: for I have learned, in whatso-

ing me. Even though I have known for a while that God has me to be in full-time ministry - and that is why I came to NBBI - the full details of the ‘where’ and ‘what’ have yet been veiled. But as I search and prepare for the work that God has for me, through prayerful consideration and the completion of my studies, I see the pieces beginning to align, as only God can do. I truly am excited to see where it all leads. There are also many things that God has been teaching me as I juggle the many responsibilities that have been given me. I have learned a lot about myself and where I need to improve my leadership and academic abilities. The principles and importance of unity and discipleship within the body of Christ have been deeply engraved into my mind. But most importantly, I have learned new spiritual truths and been reminded of the great price that Christ paid for me.

As unworthy as I am to even be called His child, He shows His grace every day in the countless blessings that He has wrought and in giving the strength I so desperately need.

ever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (italics mine). Our identity is in Christ. Christ must be enough for your life or restlessness and discontentment are sure to follow. Paul could do all things through Christ even if those things involved suffering “need”. A life centred in Christ is one that is hopeful and truly satisfied. Proverbs 19:23 says, “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied…”

CAMPUS NEWS

BY TIM LEUBNER

Recap - Softball Season As I write this article, Fall colours are just coming in and the freshness of a new year at NBBI is all around. It is a Thursday night in Hartland, NB. The air is crisp, the lights are bright, and our English teacher, Derek McKinnon is at bat. The score is tight and tensions run high as Mr. Leubner stares down home plate. The pitch is thrown, hoping to confuse the batter into a strike, but contact is made and the ball sails high, and, to the pitcher’s dismay and the batter’s delight, the ball clears the fence! This was just one of the defining moments during our yearly Softball Championship game. This year the game was between McKinnon’s Mulligans and the Cook’s Crumbs. The game went into extra innings, with many lead changes and comebacks; home-runs and acrobatic catches. The game was ultimately won by the Mulligans. Our traditional intramural softball league was once again successful in bringing the students and staff together to get to know one another and allowing them to enjoy friendly competition. Every year as new students come in, this is a great avenue for team building, and encouragement.