The Open Bible Bulletin - July/August 2023

The Open Bible

Bulletin

FOCUS

by Tim Leubner

Humans are forgetful beings. we take in information and at a later date we cannot recall it. We sit and listen and yet we can nd ourselves completely forgetting what we just heard. As we age, we can forget the things that came so easy to us as children. Learning new things as a young person is easier. When I was 5, I learned the violin. Now, as a 30 year old, I have forgotten most of what I learned. We as Christians can be the same way. We can forget important spiritual truths so easily. We need spiritual reminders from time to time.

Peter gave us this spiritual reminder in 2 Peter 1:1-15. He starts in verse three. His divine power has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Jesus told us in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit will be with us to teach us and to remind us of the things we have learned from the Lord. We must stay in step with our

Teacher and be diligent students of the Word if we desire to remember the reason for our faith.

We must remember that “He has granted to us His precious and magni cant promise.” This promise was ful llment of prophecy [Isaiah 53], the propitiation for our sins [Romans 3:25], the Person our eyes should be xed on [Col. 3:1-4], and the provision of our inheritance [Galatians 4:1-7].

We should remember that the Christian walk takes diligence, and because life is hard, with all of its uncertainties, we must remember that walking with Jesus will involve:

1. Addition. We ought to be in a state of growth and adding to our virtues. [2 Peter 1:5-8].

2. Purpose. Our life’s sole purpose to come to the “true knowledge of Christ; not to simply know of Him, but to truly have a personal relationship with Him.

3. Goal. In 2 Peter 1:10:11 we read that the goal of the Christian walk is the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. That is why we obey the Holy Spirit and why we walk with Jesus.

We must do our part in reminding others of these great and precious promises. I am sure glad that Peter did not lose patience with the church. We should strive to do the same. Let us always be ready to speak spiritual truth to our friends, family and those with whom we come in contact. Carry the precious promise of our home on high with you wherever you go. It may be easy to forget these things when life gets hard, but always remember Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

2023 Graduates

Diploma of Advanced Biblical Ministries

Bachelor of Theology Degree

Bachelor of Religious Education

Diploma of Biblical & Theological Studies

Associate Diploma of Biblical and Theological Studies

President’s Challenge

by Matthew Little

Trying To Comprehend The Incomprehensible

The Apostle Paul gives us an apparent paradoxical statement in Ephesians 3:17-19. He suggested, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be lled with all the fulness of God.” Have you identi ed the dilemma at hand? God desires us to know something that is unknowable. Maybe we need to unwrap those verses a little more.

First, note that the verse speaks of “the love of Christ” rather than “love for Christ”. Our love for Christ is rooted in our daily experience and our constant walk with the Lord through faith. On the other hand, the love of Christ is xed on the immutable character of God and laid out through the cross.

Second, look at the enormity of Christ’s love. It is incomprehensible because it is limitless. Regardless of height, depth, length or width, there is no end in sight. You can climb the mountain from an aspect of God’s love only to reach the top and discover there are a thousand other mountains in the distance. If you had 10,000 lives to live, you could not even begin to understand completely the profound love that God has for you.

Third, Christ’s love de es human reasoning. It “passes knowledge” and therefore takes us beyond our human experience and understanding. God in His in nite knowledge reached out with His love, through Jesus (Rom. 5:8), but man in his sinful condition cannot reach up to understand God’s love apart from divine intervention. Left to our intelligence and thinking of God, we would never know the love of Christ, but that is why God gave us His Word. In Jeremiah 15:16a the prophet said, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart…”.

Henry Moorhouse was a famed English Evangelist who deeply impacted the life of D.L. Moody. It has been said that Moorhouse was, “the man who moved the man (Moody) who moved the world.” Moorhouse did a week of meetings in Moody’s church in Chicago and preached on John 3:16 every night. On the last night of the meetings, he said, “I have been trying to tell you how much God loves you. Suppose I could borrow Jacob’s ladder and could climb that shining staircase until at last I stood on the sapphire pavements of the city of God. Suppose I were to seek out Gabriel the herald angel and were to say to him, ‘Gabriel, you stand in the presence of God. Tell me, how much does God love the world?’ I know exactly what he would say. He would say, “Henry Moorhouse, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. That’s how much God loves the world.” God’s love may be incomprehensible but it is never more in focus than when you are gazing upon Jesus.

ladies of grace

by Beth McMahon

Greetings from the campus of New Brunswick Bible Institute! We can hardly wait for you ladies to join us for our upcoming Ladies of Grace Conference being held October 20 & 21, 2023.

Our speaker, Bonnie Gallant, is a lovely gal I met while a student myself here at NBBI. I know you will enjoy getting to know her as she spends time with us.

Bonnie was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and was raised in a godly home

October 20-21. 2023

where she came to faith at a young age. She is a mother of ve and a proud “Nannie” to eight grandchildren. Bonnie had worked in the funeral profession for 18 years. She and her husband Allan have been married for 40 years. They attended NBBI during 1983-1986. They have been in pastoral ministry for 33 years in the USA and Canada and they are the founders of Agora Network Ministries. She is a co-author to the book “The Beautiful Strokes of God”. She and

her husband live in Thorold, Ontario. Bonnie enjoys being a wedding hairstylist, has a passion for baking, and an obsession to travel, but what brings her the most joy is time with her family.

Would you plan on joining us in October? We have some fun things planned for you and would love to share our excitement with you as we continue to plan.

CAMPUS NEWS

By Matthew Little

Someone once said, “I welcome change as long as nothing is altered or di erent than before.” It would be nice if that could be true but unfortunately it is not. Two of our beloved sta are retiring after many years of faithful service. Larry Rushton our Registrar and Bookstore Manager, is retiring after 45 years of serving at NBBI, and Brenda Cabral, Secretary to the President, after 33 years. We praise God for their many years of dedication to the Lord and to the ministry of NBBI. They will be deeply missed and their contributions to this ministry have been a tremendous blessing.

On account of these retirements, the Board of Directors has invited Tim Leubner, our current Food Services Manager, to head up a new department called Digital Media and Communications. Tim will oversee our website, promotional material and all communication platforms. Since Tim will be leaving food services the Board of Directors has extended an invitation to Austin Davis (grad of 2021) to join our sta as the new Food Services Manager. He, and his wife Hannah, and their daughter Adalyn are a welcomed addition to our sta family. Finally, Tilly Grant, who is the wife of our Dean of Men, will become the new Secretary to the President along with handling Registrar responsibilities. Please be in prayer for our sta as new roles are learned and a period of adjustment will take place. We are hopeful for the future, thankful for the past and looking to Jesus every step of the way.

Staff On The Road

MATTHEW LITTLE

July 1-7

Tay Valley Bible Camp

Taymouth, NB - Teen Camp

July 8-14

Elim Lodge Christian Retreat & Conference Centre

Buckhorn, ON - Adult Conference

August 5-11

Odosagih Bible Conference

Machias, NY - Adult Conference

MIKE GRANT

July 9-14

Tay Valley Bible Camp

Taymouth, NB - Creative Week Teen Camp

July 16

Bethel Baptist Church

Pine Glen, NB - Sunday Services

July 23

First Eel Baptist Church

First Eel Lake, NB - Sunday Service

July 30

Seal Cove Baptist Church

Grand Manan, NB - Sunday Service

August 20

Parkside Baptist Church

Moncton, NB - Sunday Services

August 25-26

Tay Valley Bible Camp

Taymouth, NB - Teen Retreat

August 27

Parkside Baptist Church

Moncton, NB - Sunday Services

KEITH MCMAHON

July 2-6

Coldstream Baptist Church

Coldstream, NB - Community VBS

July 16-21

Sandy Cove Bible Camp

Dumfries, NB - Middle School Camp

August 20-25

Faith Bible Camp

Long Lake, NS - Teen Camp

Follow Our Journey

PARTNER WITH US!

Online: nbbi.ca/donate

Give by mail: Send your cheque payable to: New Brunswick Bible Institute 2335 Route 103 Victoria Corner NB E7P 1C7

U.S. Donors: East Hodgdon Bible Church

Attn: NBBI Fund PO Box 828 Houlton ME 04730-0828

Give by e-transfer: Send an e-Transfer via the bank of your choice to nbbibusiness@gmail.com.

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

Austin Davis, Hannah (wife)& Adalyn (daughter)

Brenda Cabral, Al (husband) Larry Rushton, Jean (wife)