The Open Bible Bulletin - November, 2020

FOCUS

BY JOHN HOAG

Woe Is Me - A Change Of Focus

Our society is filled with crime, lies, sensuality, riots, and a worldwide pandemic known as Covid 19, which has brought fear and death to thousands. In our North American society, unrest exists and people are calling for our governments to bring peace and healing to our nations. Every believer should be uplifting their local, provincial and federal leaders in prayer for God-given wisdom in these days and expressing thanks for those who serve faithfully. Proverbs 18:14 & 15 (NLT) tells us, “The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed. Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact they look for them”.

Isaiah was an intelligent writer who gives us powerful testimony on how not to let the present trials crush our spirit and rob us of future hope. He lived in a day when his nation was being destroyed by sin from within (Isaiah 1). Isaiah looked to the past with gratitude. He looked to the present with a message of God’s justice, mercy and hope as he served through four governments in Israel,

providing wise counsel that enabled Hezekiah the king to cause the people to rest in the face of military aggression. He also looked to the future as a prophet. He will see Christ in the glory of his Creation (Isaiah 40), His work at Calvary (Isaiah 53) and His triumphant return in the climax of human history as the Saviour of the whole world (Isaiah 66).

God spoke to the nation through Isaiah and addresses the reasons why both his nation and the nations of the world had no peace. “I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God to the wicked.”

Isaiah changes focus from “Woe is them” to “Woe is me”. The preacher moves from condemnation of the sins of others to confession of his own sin at the funeral of King Uzziah, the heroic king of the nation of Israel. In confessing his own sin, he finds acceptance with God and an effective ministry to tell others of Christ. This funeral is 700 years before Christ was born and is where Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus and the call from the Trinity to take the message of the Messiah to Israel. The event is recorded in Isaiah 6 and the confirmation that Isaiah saw Christ’s glory is found in the Gospel of John 12:39-41.

Isaiah believed and wrote that the Word of our God shall stand forever (Isaiah 40:6). We can look back to Christ who lived in history and will return in history to a world that, under His leadership, is described below. Peter, calling upon Isaiah, tells us in these wicked times to “walk in the steps of Christ” as a witness now longing for the day when Christ will return and people in that day will adore righteousness and abhor the results of rebellion and wickedness (66:20-24).

YOUTH RETREATS

FEBRUARY 19-21 & MARCH 19-21, 2021

Encounter retreats are still on our calendar and we are praying they will be able to take place. Due to the constant change and developments that COVID 19 is bringing, we are praying that restrictions may lift by February and March. We encourage you to put our retreats on your calendar and we will continue to update you on any new developments as the date draws nearer. For up-to-date information on our various conferences, visit our website at nbbi.ca.

PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

BY MATTHEW LITTLE

Finding Safe Passage

A humorous story was told of three men who were hiking through a forest. These men were trained outdoorsmen with all the training and equipment needed to survive and even thrive in a vast, remote forest. As they journeyed, they came across a large, violent and dangerous river they needed to cross but had no idea how. The first man prayed, “Lord, please give me the strength to cross the river.” Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able to swim across safely in two hours. The second man, who had witnessed what happened with the first, prayed, “Lord, give me the strength and the tools to cross this river.” Poof! God gave him a row boat, strong arms, and strong legs and he was able to row across in half the time. The third man, who had witnessed all that transpired with the other two, prayed, “Lord give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to cross the river.” Poof! A woman appeared, checked the map, led him one hundred yards upstream and he walked across the bridge in 10 minutes.

Having been married for 22 years, I know many men who would chuckle in agreement at this humorous story. Sometimes when we come to the raging rivers of life, it appears there is no way across. Our perspective is limited and we develop spiritual tunnel-vision that causes us to see nothing but the dilemma that lies before us. Have you been there before?

Often as Jesus journeyed with the disciples they were confused, fearful and worried, yet Jesus seemed content, calm and unburdened. Whether it was Jesus being asleep in the boat while the disciples were panicking, or Jesus peacefully surrendering to the authorities while Peter is cutting off ears, the disciples were seeing the raging river while Jesus was aware of the bridge that was just around the corner.

In Psalm 143:8 David said, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” Notice that I underlined the two phrases that are of vast importance. When life brings us to the raging rivers, those trials often drown out the voice of God. This is not God’s intention but is brought about by sinful doubt. Why? Because trials scream at us and God whispers to us. A scream will get our attention much faster than a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). The phrase “cause me to hear” carries with it the idea of hearing with obedience, which is paramount to true spiritual hearing. David was saying, “Lord, I can hear the river much easier than I can hear Your voice.” But he knew that what calms the noise of the river and elevates the voice of God is an obedient life. Next he says “cause me to know”. When God opens up the ears of obedience, the path of obedience is not far behind. What David was really saying was, “I am standing at the raging river but I need You to lead me to the safety of the bridge.”

Are you struggling today and it seems like no bridge can be found? Safe passage might not come today but our God is in the bridge-building business. The cross is a beautiful proof of that!

FAMILY FILE

Marriages Andrew Paterson (ABM/B.Th. ’16) to Ruth Lemont on June 13, 2020.

David Doran (Assoc. ’13) to Hannah Lebouthellier on July 11, 2020.

Bethany Gordon (ABM/B.Th. ’20) to Matthew Shields (ABM/B.Th. ’19) on July 25, 2020.

Kyleigh DeMerchant (Assoc. ’20) to Scott Bray on August 7, 2020.

Scott Smith (’87) to Leah Swan on September 5, 2020.

Births

March 30, 2020 - to Lauralyn (MacDonald ’06) and Daniel O’Neail, a daughter, Rayna Magdalena.

2020-2021 STUDENT ENROLMENT

STATISTICS FROM THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE

We are excited about this new year which the Lord has given us to train young men and women in the Word of God. Our numbers are down slightly but in light of the COVID-19 situation, we are pleasantly surprised and praising God for a good amount of students. We have a total of 65 students this year. You will find a breakdown in various areas in the charts below. This year will look a little different but we continue with in-class instruction and seek to run as normal as possible. Please pray that our students will have a terrific year in spite of the COVID regulations and restrictions placed upon us.

Total Student Enrolment is 65

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, visit our website or call us closer to the time of each event for further updates and cancellations.

College for a DAY

Is God tugging on your heart strings, causing you to desire to know Him better? We believe that NBBI is just the place for you. We offer solid Biblical training, hands-on ministry experience, ongoing discipleship and the opportunity to forge lifelong friendships. Whatever God is leading you to do, NBBI is a great first step in that journey.

Due to COVID-19, NBBI will not be hosting our Fall College for a Day. Instead, if you are interested in visiting our school, sitting in on some classes and meeting with some current students, we would be glad to arrange a time for you to come and visit. We will keep you posted regarding our Spring College for a Day.

At NBBI, we believe God has a plan for your life and our passion is to help you discover that plan!

MEN FOR GOD RALLY

Over the years our Men for God Rally has been a highlight for both us and the many guests who have attended. We have experienced the blessing of God and have seen many lives encouraged and changed. We are not certain whether we will be able to hold our men’s conference but we are not ready to cancel just yet. With that in mind, we encourage you to plan as if the conference is taking place and stay tuned for further developments and announcements. If the conference does proceed, we may have to limit the number of our guests to comply to governmental regulations. For upto-date information on our various conferences, visit our website at nbbi.ca.

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

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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