The Open Bible Bulletin, July/August 2021

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

July 18, 25 Bethel Baptist Church Pine Glen, NB Sunday Services August 1-5 Tay Valley Bible Camp Taymouth, NB Faith in Action Camp August 8, 15, 22, 29 Bethel Baptist Church Pine Glen, NB Sunday Services

FAMILY FILE Births

Dates: Week 1 ~ June 27-July 2, 2021

Week 2 ~ July 4- July 9, 2021

We need your help to complete our Liberty Dorm renovations. There is one floor left to finish and work is already under way. We are trusting the Lord for $60,000 to complete this very important project. Lord willing, the interior of our

Would you like to visit our campus and take a tour of the classrooms, dorms and other student buildings? If you live in New Brunswick, or if borders between provinces open during the summer, we would be glad to show you around. Please call us and we can schedule a day for you to be here. Sorry classes are out for the summer so students will not be onhand to greet you, but our staff are ready and willing to give you a tour.

Email us at registrar@nbbi.ca or call (506) 375-9000 extension 247. We’d love to meet you!

Welcome to Ezra Lorne, born on April 12, 2021, to staff members, Edward (’17) and Mikaela (Marshall, ’17) Craig.

September 21, 2020 - to Amanda (Livezey, Assoc. ’08) and Matt Kiser, a son, Isaiah Matthew.

March 30, 2021 - to Gabe (ABM/B.Th. ’19) and Hannah (Grant, ’18) Myers, a daughter, Avery Joy. April 5, 2021 - to Collin McMahon (ABM/B. Th. ’18) and Vashti (Potter, ABM/B.Th. ’18), a daughter, Nessa Belle.

ladies’ dorm will be completely remodelled by September. The transformation has already been amazing. We would ask you to prayerfully consider helping us cross the finish line with this project.

Ladies of Grace Conference

Greta (Smith) Rae, attended 19511955, wife of Glenden Rae (’54), was promoted to Glory on May 13, 2021. She and Glenden served the Lord with Africa Inland Mission for 38 years in Kenya and she was known for her calm demeanour and gift of hospitality.

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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

For weekly updates visit us at nbbi.ca/connect

VOL. 62 NO. 7&8 JULY & AUGUST 2021

October 23 & 24, 2021 We are excited to announce that we are beginning to prepare for our annual Ladies of Grace Conference to be held on our beautiful campus October 23 and 24, 2021!

Please save these dates and consider joining us here at New Brunswick Bible Institute for a wonderful time of fellowship, refreshment (both physically and spiritually) and fun as we come away from our normal routines to refocus our hearts and minds on God and His Word! We have so missed having this retreat the past two years and can hardly wait to see you all again! Stay tuned for upcoming announcements, including who our speaker is! Abundant blessings and please keep us in your prayers as we prepare!

Homegoings Malcolm MacKenzie, graduate of 1948, was promoted to Glory on April 6, 2021. Both Malcolm and his wife Ruth (Murphy, ’48) spent a lifetime as missionaries with TEAM in South Africa.

OPEN BIBLE BULLETIN

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

FOCUS

BY JOHN HOAG Come

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July 11-16 Tay Valley Bible Camp Taymouth, NB Teen Camp

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MIKE GRANT July 4 Bethel Baptist Church Pine Glen, NB Sunday Services

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MATTHEW LITTLE July 4-9 Tay Valley Bible Camp Taymouth, NB Teen Camp

It has been my personal habit devotionally, over the years, to read through the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. My heart was moved when I came to Revelation 22 and noted the heartfelt integrity and response of John the Apostle, who finishes his last writing with the same message with which he began his first book, the Gospel of John. How his heart must have been thrilled as he wrote of being introduced to the Lamb of God under the preaching of John the Baptist.

In the last chapter of Revelation, another messenger, an angel sent by Jesus, shows him the throne of God and the Lamb.

These last words of John in Revelation spoke to me personally as to my privilege to be living in this world with God’s Word to guide me. We live isolated by pandemic but in an age of Facebook and FaceTime, faithful believers are bearing testimony to Christ in this digital age.

In John’s day he used, what was for him, a modern means of communicating the gospel by placing quill to papyrus. John wrote in the first century and we read it today in 2021. The eternal Word bristles with eternity on every page and is relevant for every age.

Revelation was written to a servant (John), for servants of Jesus Christ and delivered by an angel that called himself a fellow servant (Revelation 1:1 & 22:9).

John was rebuked for his worship of the messenger. For us the message is - Worship God. The words of C.S. Lewis are appropriate, “Never attribute to the creature what only belongs to the Creator.”

Revelation’s final message also makes clear that Jesus is God “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13).”

He is also man. “I Jesus ... am the root and the offspring of David” (Revelation 22:16). The Creator became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

The Son of God became the Son of man that the sons of men might become the sons of God. John has an appropriate message for every member of the body of Christ in these days as we anticipate His coming - first for the church and seven years later returning with His church to reign.

Our message today is “come”. The church (Bride) says come. It is for “whosoever” is willing to hear and whosoever is athirst for the “Water of Life”. Jesus continues to invite all people to Himself through us.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. He told the religious crowd, “I called you and you would not come”. To the twelve disciples, He simply said “come, follow me”.

To the woman of Samaria, whose life was a marital mess, he said “Go, call thy husband, and come hither.” The book ends with Christ’s promise to come quickly, John’s response and a prayer we should daily make in heartfelt anticipation - Even so Lord Jesus come!

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PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

GRADUATION 2021

BY MATTHEW LITTLE

He That Hath Clean Hands In his book “Evangelism Handbook”, Alvin Reid relates the story of a man named Simelvise who was born in 1818.

During that time, one out of every six women was dying in childbirth. Simelvise made it his life mission to find out why this was happening. The women were dying of what was deemed “childbed fever” but nobody knew why it was happening.

What he discovered was disturbing. Doctors would often begin their shift in the morgue, where they performed autopsies, and then transition over to the maternity ward. Unfortunately, because the medical field did not understand the nature of germs like we do today, they did not wash their hands. This meant that, while they were delivering the babies, they were killing the mothers. Simelvise began washing his hands in a chlorine solution and immediately the death rate among his patients dropped from one in six to one in fifty. In fact, he was speaking to a convention of his colleagues where he

said, “This fever is caused by decomposed material conveyed to a wound. I have proven it can be prevented.” He pleaded with his colleagues to wash their hands but instead they laughed him to scorn.

As Alvin Reid put it, “Philip Simelvise died insane at the age of 47 with the death rattle of a thousand women ringing in his ears.” (Alvin Reid, Evangelism Handbook, Nashville: B & H Academics, 2009, page 14). He knew what needed to be done but nobody would listen to him.

The many doctors who Philip Simelvise was trying to reach were likely good men. They were engaged in good work, noble work, praiseworthy work but they were doing it all while being unclean.

In fact their unclean hands contaminated all they touched. Psalm 24:3-4 says, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” In this passage David reveals the three things that are essen-

Advanced Biblical Ministries Bachelor of Theology & Bachelor of Religious Education

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tial to God and therefore crucial for us. “Cleans hands” ~ hands unpolluted from the filth of this sin-cursed world (Right Activity). “A pure heart” ~ speaks of being righteous in our attitude/will (Right Character). “A soul not lifted up to vanity”. Vanity means no hidden agendas or personal vanity (Right Motives).

Could it be that often our emphasis is in the wrong place. We are so consumed with trying to do the right things that we forget that God wants us to be the right kind of people. Maybe it’s time we evaluate not just what we are doing but who we are doing it for. In our performancedriven culture, remember that God can complete His plan with or without us.

This should cause us to understand that getting the job done is not our first priority. It is being the right kind of people.

Like those doctors who were serving with unclean hands - a Christian who is doing the same will do more harm than good.

Top Row (left to right): Justin Martin, Jared Long, Levi Younker, J. Isaac Ortis, Austin Davis, Jedidiah Grant, Jonathan Aliprandi Bottom Row (left to right): Riley Donnelly, Shaina Overlock, Kaitlyn Maynard Missing from photo: Hanna Coolidge, Emma Encarnacion, Joshua Gerrior, Francis Guy, Robert Martin, Nathan Pugh, Aaron Richards, Katelynn Rosa, Nathaniel Smith, Alexander Spearin

Top Row (left to right): David Stokdijk, Timothy McKinnon, Ethan Grant, Martin Heald, Caleb Worster, Braden Donnelly Middle Row (left to right): Katherine Host, Alexandre Gauthier, Mathias Doiron, Felipe Brito de Oliveira, Luke Myers, Caleb Hamminga Bottom Row (Left to right): Abigail Wilcox, Camille Pariseau, Katelyn Wicks, Maisy O’Brien, Katherine Lush, Sophia Gerrior, Emily Nelson, Meghan Renander, Nikole Wassenaar Missing from photo: Mackenzie Bagley

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Top Row (left to right): Kenan Grant, Benjamin Jost, Alexander Freeland, Zachary Foster, Noah Cornish, Jonathan Bell Front Row (left to right): Hannah Swanson, Ivy Ford, Brittney Weber, Brianna Murphy Missing from Photo: Matheus Campos

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