OPEN BIBLE B ULLETIN
Bigger and Better Rattlesnakes
By Matthew Little, President
Famed Evangelist Billy Sunday once said, “One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake.” Often, we have to feel the poisonous bite of God’s corrective measures before we realize how far our lives have drifted off course.
The nation of Israel had forgotten God and renounced His commands. God had given them the land, the laws, and the Lord. Yet they defiled the land, defied God’s law, and denied the Lord. To top it all off, it seems that Israel only wanted to be like all the other nations (I Samuel 8:5). As a punishment, God granted them their request and sent them as captives to Babylon. There in Babylon, they craved what they had so long taken for granted - Jerusalem. Psalm 137:1-2,4 says, “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof… How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” Why did God do such a thing to His people? Jeremiah 24:5 says, “Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge that that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.”
This reminds me of a story about a family of wayward church members. They had been faithful at one time but had since fallen away. The pastor and deacons had talked to the father and his grown sons, Jim, John, and Sam, about their backslidden state but to no avail. One day, while John was in the backfield on their farm, he was bitten by a rattlesnake. Because of John’s
serious condition, the doctor advised the family to start praying. They asked the preacher to come to the house and pray. The preacher stood by the son’s bedside and prayed, “O wise and righteous Father, we thank Thee that in Thy wisdom Thou has sent this rattlesnake to bite John in order to bring him to his senses. He has not been inside the church for years, and it is doubtful he has thought too much about You during that time. Now, we trust this will be a valuable lesson to him and that it will lead him to genuine repentance. And now, O Father, wilt thou send another snake to bite Sam, and another to bite Jim, and a really big one to bite the old man? We have done everything we can to restore these boys but to no avail. It seems that all of our combined efforts could not do what this one snake has done. Thus, we conclude that the only thing left that will do this family any good is more rattlesnakes. So, Lord, send us bigger and better rattlesnakes.”
There isn’t one person who has ever had their eyes wholly upon the Father except for His Son, Jesus Christ. The rest of us are prone to have bouts of spiritual amnesia, but God has His rattlesnakes to seize our attention and fix our gaze back upon Him. Learn to be wise enough to spot them and sensitive enough to humble yourself before God and repent. God’s desire is not to hurt you but to help you. He is not seeking your happiness but your holiness.
Staff Itineraries
Mike Grant
Oct 6 - People’s Church Missions ConferenceSomerville, NB
Oct 13 - Parker’s Cove Missions ConferenceParker’s Cove, NS
Oct 20 - Hatfield Point & Belleisle Creek Mission Conference - Hatfield Point & Belleisle Creek, NB
Oct 27 - East Hodgdon Bible Church Missions Conference - East Hodgdon, ME
Keith McMahon
Oct 25-27 - Devon Park Baptist Missions Conference - Fredericton, NB
By Bob Booker, Retired Faculty
At an appointment, my dietician suggested I needed not only a healthier way of eating but also regular physical exercise. She said walking regularly would be best for me and my need for better health. In thinking about that, I discovered that the Apostle Paul used the word “walk” nine times in his letters to Galatia and Ephesus. On seven occasions, “walk” means our deportment, behaviour, obedience, and general lifestyle. In the other two, it means the same but with more urgency.
Galatians 5:16 and 25 instruct us to “walk and live in the Spirit.” Our preoccupation in following God should be purposeful, consistent, and determined. However, our nature and tendency are to sin (Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:16b, 17-21). Walking and living in the Spirit is, by God’s grace, living a life of not practicing sin. On the other hand, Paul gives the positive side of walking and living in the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, which informs us that we will produce fruit that will glorify God and cause us to be more
like Christ. In Galatians 6:16 and Ephesians 2:10, the writer relates that we are to “walk according to this rule” and “walk in them” (good works). The assembly at Galatia was plagued by the false teaching of Judaizers, who taught that converted Jews must mix law and grace in their Christian walks. Paul answers this problem by saying that there are basically three rules by which to walk: 1) Glory in Christ, not the law, 2) Recognize you are a new creation, and 3) You were created to grow, serve, and produce fruit.
In Ephesians 4:1, the Apostle tells us to “walk worthy.” “Worthy” means “appropriately, in a godly way, bringing honour to our Saviour who sacrificed His life for us.” How are we supposed to fulfill that commandment? In the following verses, Paul gives us that information. In verse 17, he says to not walk like the world. This world system is dark and ungodly; we must not imitate this corrupt, pagan system in our everyday lives. The very opposite must be true. Ephesians 5:8 puts it a different way – “walk as children of light.” Jesus is the
Our Campus Family Grows
“Light of the world,” and we are the “lights of the world.” In Ephesians 5:2, we are told to “walk in love.” The Scriptures use Christ as the perfect example of love to follow. In verse 15, Paul says to “walk circumspectly” (very carefully) and to be wise in our walk.
My dietician was right! Walking, for me, is the best physical exercise to keep me as healthy as possible. I must do as she says to live in the best health. Paul, by the Holy Spirit, is right also! My spiritual life is enhanced and honours Christ, and I will be most effective in ministering to my fellow believers and the world without Christ, if I heed Scripture and “walk in the Spirit.”
Chapel Speakers
Oct 3-4
Merla Gogel SEND International
Oct 18
Leah Vanderlaan Avant Ministries
Oct 24
John Taylor ABWE
The NBBI staff family is pleased to announce the safe arrival of the latest campus kid, Bodie Kirk Davis, born on August 15, 2024, weighing 7 lbs 15 oz. Bodie is the son of our Food Services Manager, Austin Davis (BTh ’21) and his wife Hannah (Heald, BTh ’20), and little brother to Adalyn Lila (2 yrs).
HOMEGOINGS
Wayne Lewis (’65) on July 12, 2024. Wayne served many years with the Word of Life family in Schroon Lake, NY. Pray for his wife, Ruthie, and their sons, Greg, Steve, Dan and Jeff and their families.
FAMILY FILE PARTNER
Emma Little (Assoc. Dip. ’18) and Logan McLaughlin wed on August 17, 2024 in Somerville, NB.
Jerry Vander Veen, beloved husband of the late Rolla Jean (Taylor, ’60), entered the presence of the Lord on August 5, 2024. Jerry faithfully served the Lord as a pastor, church planter and missionary. He was the Atlantic Director of the Canadian Sunday School Mission, the Gospel Mission of South America, Canadian Revival Fellowship, Shantyman Ministries and Chaplain with the Royal Canadian Legion. Please pray for his daughters, Nancy, Carolyn and Susan and their families.
Joseph (BTh ’19) & Ali (Morin, BTh ’19) Fellows, welcomed a boy, Arthur Donovan, on August 15, 2024.
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college for a day
NOV. 14-16
Are you ready to meet the challenges of life? Is your walk with God growing and strong? Do you want to discover God’s will for your life? Why not consider coming to New Brunswick Bible Institute for at least a year? No matter what God may lead you to do, a solid foundation in God’s Word is a great starting point. Join us for one of our College for a Day weekends. You can see our campus, meet our staff and students, sit in on some classes and discover the difference that Bible college could make in your life. The best year of your life might be waiting around the corner.