The Open Bible Bulletin - January, 2022

Homegoings

Raymond Kenyon, NBBI graduate of 1977, passed away on August 7, 2022 at the age of 95. This World War II Veteran’s exceptional faith was lifelong.

Pray for his and his late wife Margaret’s children, Judith Rodrigues, James, Matthew, Margaret Tuoni, Raymond Jr., Susan Dinonsie and Daniel and their extended families.

Anthony Michael Doran “Mike”, NBBI graduate of 1982, went home to be with his Lord and Saviour, Jesus on October 5, 2022. Mike was always sharing the Gospel with those he met, including through his Sonshine Nursing Home Ministries.

Pray for his wife Katherine (Cleveland ’79), and their children, Michael (Sylvia), David (June), Philip (Katie) and Rachelle, and their extended families.

CHAPEL SPEAKERS

January 25, 26 John Hoag

Retired NBBI

January 27 .............................. J.P. Lapierre

l’Église Baptiste Evangélique de Trois-Rivières

January 31-February 3 John Romano

Child Evangelism Fellowship

JANUARY SPECIAL

Purchase a Ladies of Grace t-shirt for $20 tax included. Call (506) 375-2251 with your order and credit card number.

Remaining sizes - small to extra large Shipping charges will be extra.

Men For God Rally God

January 27-28, 2023

nbbi.ca/mfg

Happy New Year

After a two year unexpected break, our Men for God Conference is returning in 2023. As the Apostle Paul anticipated the Day of the Lord, he encouraged the believers to “...comfort (exhort) yourselves together and edify one another, even as also you do.” (1 Thess. 5:22). Our Men for God rally is a great opportunity for men to build each other up in our faith.

The dates for our upcoming conference are January 27-28, 2023. Plan

on joining us for solid teaching, great food and encouraging fellowship.

Our speaker this year is Pastor Deric Bartlett. His passion for the Word of God and powerful preaching will be an encouragement to all who come. Deric was raised in New Brunswick, “the promised land”, as he affectionately calls it. He was ordained to the Gospel ministry at 22 years of age and took his first pastorate the same year. He has shepherded local churches in Maine, Nova Scotia, Indiana and Ontario. Deric and his wife April have been married for 39 years and have four married children and eight grandchildren. He is the senior pastor at City Centre Baptist Church in Mississauga, ON, a multicultural family of believers from around the world. Deric’s focus is on equipping the church family to work together in reaching others with the Gospel.

Please visit our website for more information and to register: nbbi.ca/mfg.

FOCUS

BY TIM LEUBNER

Bamboo Experiences

Have you ever heard about the Chinese bamboo tree? The Chinese plant the seed, water and fertilize it, but nothing happens during the first year. The second year, they water and fertilize it, and still nothing happens. The third and fourth years, they water and fertilize it and nothing happens. Finally, sometime during the course of the fifth year, after again watering and fertilizing it, in a period of approximately six weeks, the Chinese bamboo tree grows roughly 27 meters (90 feet). The question is, did it grow 27 meters in six weeks or did it grow 27 meters in five years? The obvious answer is that it grew ninety feet in five years, because, had they not applied the water and fertilizer each year, there would be no Chinese bamboo tree.

I would say that all of us have these “Chinese bamboo tree” experiences from time to time. We have times in our Christian lives in which we find it just so difficult to wait on the Lord. We want to see personal growth in our walk with Him, or

we want a certain desire to be fulfilled. We can’t seem to see what is happening and we cannot find the strength to rest on God’s sovereignty. Instant gratification is usually what we yearn for, and yet that always leads to sin. So, just how can we begin to wait on the Lord?

Abide in Christ - Harriet Beecher Stowe said this, “How does the branch bear fruit? Not by incessant effort for sunshine and air; not by vain struggles…. It simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union, and blossoms and fruit appear as of spontaneous growth.” Do not forget to place yourself under the authority of Christ and find your rest in Him.

Be Faithful – Too often we want to move on to that which seems better, more important or desirable. We tend to be lax in where God has us today; to be faithful in that which God has given us to do. I encourage you, while perhaps your desire is legitimate and godly, do not forsake the task He has given you today. Flourish in working for him and do not look to tomorrow. Do not forget the words of Jesus in Luke 16:10, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

Sing – Yes, sing. Rejoice that you work for the Saviour. Be happy that the Father loves you and has your best interests in mind. He knows what is best even if it may mean waiting. C. H. Spurgeon says, “Grin and bear it is old-fashioned advice, but sing and bear it is a great deal better.”

c ollege for a DAY

April 6-8, 2023

PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

BY MATTHEW LITTLE

The Burdens Of Life

The Christian life is filled with ups and downs. Sometimes it feels like we move from one burden to the next, but, not all burdens are the same. God’s Word says much about “burdens” as if to remind us that they are an inevitable part of our journey. In Galatians 6, Paul gives us a crash course on “burdens” and what we should do with them.

First, there are burdens that we must be willing to take up. Galatians 6:1 reminds us that some people are overtaken by sin. The fact that we are called to “restore” them suggests that often Christians may allow sin to get the best of them. Into such a scenario, other Christians are called to “bear one another’s burdens”. Such people have felt the weight of sin discourage them, crush them, and defeat them and we must gently, humbly, and sympathetically come along-side such believers to restore them in their walk with Christ. The motivation is that they are our brothers or sisters in Christ and we are all

part of one body. But, there are two practical reasons we must willingly take up the burdens of others. First, because the most miserable person on earth is not an unsaved one but a saved person out of fellowship with God (Psalm 51). Second, the greatest testimony for or against Jesus is the life of the Christian. Paul said to the Corinthian believers that they were living epistles (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Your life is telling a story and that story should be leading people to Jesus. When we find that someone else’s story begins to lead people away from Jesus, it is often a sure sign restoration is necessary and helping bear their burden will inevitably be a part of that process.

The first burden that we take up for others is that which is crushing them and bringing them down.

Second, there are burdens we must faithfully stay under. This burden pictures a soldier carrying a backpack filled with things that are heavy but necessary for his journey. Galatians 6:5 says, “For

CAMPUS NEWS

every man shall bear his own burden.” This pictures a disciplined life and reminds us that there are certain things nobody can do for us. Nobody can repent for you, trust Christ for you, read your Bible for you, pray for you, or serve Christ for you. These are things you must bear yourself. Finally, there are burdens we must lay down. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” The word “weary” means to be faint-hearted, or desperate. There are many burdens that we simply must lay at the feet of Jesus, the only one that can meet the need. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Never forget that, whatever burdens darken your path, none are greater than the burden of sin that our Saviour carried for us. This is why we can turn to Him no matter how heavy the load.

Please note date change for 2nd retreat.

NBBI has been privileged to host annual teen retreats on our campus for many years. Thousands of teens have been a part of the retreats and many lives have been changed. Our retreats are more than just great games, delicious food and non-stop fun. We provide an opportunity for teenagers to meet with God in a life-altering way. Don’t miss out on the chance to join us on February 24-26 or March 31-April 2, 2023. You can find more information on our website at nbbi.ca/encounter

Brent Finchum Speaker

Brent Finchum is the South-East Regional Coordinator for Word of Life. He and his wife Stacy, and their four children live in Birmingham, Alabama. Through his ministry, he is involved in training ministry leaders and helping them implement strategic, discipleship efforts within their local church. Brent also leads a team of ministry coaches serving alongside local

NBBI 2023

Youth Retreats

February 24-26

March 31-April 2

For those in Grades 7-12 nbbi.ca/encounter

churches throughout the southeast region of the United States. Over the past decade of serving churches, Brent has had the opportunity to minister to thousands of students and leaders, both in the U.S. and abroad. Through his ministry, he endeavours to challenge young people to become wholly-devoted followers of Christ. Brent’s aspiration is to see this generation rise up and lead a movement that will wake up the church and change the world as we know it.

BY BETH MCMAHON Ladies’

Retreat Recap

And that’s a wrap! Ladies of Grace Conference, October 2022, is over and life has returned to normal here on the campus of NBBI. What a joy it was to host 142 guests in addition to our own staff and student body! After almost three years of very little outside guests being on our campus, it was amazing to have the buzz of so many people and so many things going on!

It was a blessing to have Rachel Van Pelt share her journey of hope through her life while taking us to Scripture to reinforce what God wants for each one of us in the midst of suffering. Using Hebrews 12:1-2 as our main passage, Rachel encouraged us with the fact that we have a great cloud of witnesses, those who have gone before us. They showed us how to walk in freedom and victory, beginning with being set free from the weights and sin that so easily keeps us in bondage. She shared her life’s story through an impactful skit detailing the weights and chains she picked up over the course of her life and how her relationship with Jesus showed her how to take those weights and chains she had been carrying to the cross and leave

victory because our hope is in what Jesus has already accomplished in our lives and is continuing to accomplish as we walk with Him.

It was also a joy to have Lorna Ralston share her life’s testimony from her early days in New Brunswick to the country of Italy where she served alongside her husband Michael, and back to New Brunswick again. She shared the suffering of dealing with cancer three times while

plans and purpose that He has for my life!

them there. The cross is the place where all our weights and sin have been dealt with once and for all. As we leave our weights and sin at the cross, we are now free to run the race of life with certain

in Italy, the sudden loss of her husband and how she constantly was reminded that God had her back and He had a plan. What an encouragement to hear of God’s faithfulness in every area of her life, that continues to this day in her current life and ministry. My own heart was encouraged and challenged to keep my focus on Who I know God is, the fact that He never changes and that I can trust the

A huge thank you to each of the men, both staff and students, who served us all so wonderfully so that we could enjoy sitting under the teaching of the Word and fellowshipping with our guests, while singing and learning together in our sessions.

Our committee is already working on the details of next year’s event and we can’t wait to see what God has for us next October 20-21, 2023. Save these dates, my friends, and plan on joining us as we welcome Bonnie Gallant to our campus to share what God is doing in her life along with her husband, Allan. Keep watching for more information in the months and days ahead!