PRBI Fall Trumpet 2017 by Peace River Bible Institute

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Influencing the Next Generation

PEACE RIVER BIBLE INSTITUTE

President’s Message: Waldie Neufeld

President’s Message Influencing the Next Generation What will help our young people face life and stand against the current antiChristian tide? Two entirely different venues gave me encouragement that PRBI is on a good track, especially concerning the biblical literacy (Bible knowledge trends downward) and relational struggles among church youth. First, while sitting in a doctor’s office reading a newspaper, I came across an article that linked church growth to conservative theology (hold to Jesus resurrection and deity, etc.). These Canadian authors argued the main reason for the difference in church growth, between mainline and evangelical churches, was simply conservative theology.1 Though they identified music and positive youth groups as important, they emphasized conservative theology as the main 1

Waldie Neufeld

ingredient and these authors were from a mainline church background. Second, while listening to James Penner, he pointed out that only one in three Canadian Christian youth remain in church (according national surveys).2 Along with this finding, he identified hypocrisy and judgement as a few of the culprits, keeping young people away. He clarified that a relational parental environment filled with prayer, Bible reading, and church attendance inhibits the youth exodus.3 Youth look for spiritual vibrancy in the relationships around them, especially at home and church. Both these articles got me reflecting on the state of the Canadian church and Christian home. First, church and home need a solid understanding of God’s Word, so that they are not easily pulled by every wind of doctrine that leads us away from our devotion

to Jesus Christ. Second, we need Christians who clearly demonstrate how God’s Word applies to life. People, and especially, young people, are confused about who they are today and the world around us only adds to that confusion. We need spiritually educated people in the pew—people who can discern what is taught, know God and how to handle His Word, know how to love others, and then know how to live out that truth every day. This kind of lifestyle will draw young people back into relationship with Jesus. They need both, the ability to know what Jesus says and the importance of living it out every day (Mt 7:24 “upon the rock” [the words of Christ]). How then shall we accomplish the task of spiritual growth? Well, as Penner implied we need authentic parents and vibrant churches, and the mainline authors mentioned above would add, a need for sound theology. How do we get there? We get there through caring relationships and solid biblical training at home, church, Bible camp, and Bible school. Our training needs to go beyond the “moral of the story” to what God actually requires of us. We tend to break down our Bible stories into small pieces, pieces we can handle in the allotted time period, but which then become detached from the larger material. For example, remember the story of Elijah being fed by the ravens? What is the larger context of that piece? Oh, yes there is a widow with her son, and yes he dies and Elijah raises him from the dead. We then state the moral of the story is that God will take care of us. Now that is true, but is that what God was after in that passage?

Note the answer is actually found in the words of the widow (1 Ki 17:24), but the verses that set the context for her response are found in 1 Kings 16:31-34. The Word of the Lord was not followed as graphically illustrated by the father who rebuilt Jericho with the death of one son when he began building and the death of another son when he was finishing. The focus was actually on Ahab who went against God’s Word, rather focused on his own happiness and was never satisfied. Thus God took an active interest in educating Ahab and his country in the ramifications of not hearing and practicing the Word of the Lord. If following God’s Word is that crucial for life and living, then we need to come back to a solid study of God’s Word in the context of relationships. Is there a fear of God and His Word today, which is evident in our lifestyles? Like Ahab, we run the risk of making life all about us and what we want, rather than God and His design. At PRBI we seek to teach students how to study and live out God’s Word in our classes, sports, and care groups, seeking to support home and church. We also seek to help them learn how to live in relationship with each other. In regards to becoming firmly rooted, I’m quickly reminded of two of our alumni who have gone on for further training and the challenges they faced at a secular college level because of their Christianity. Both were so thankful for their time at PRBI. These responses where used before, but well worth the reread. “During my four years at PRBI I knew I was learning valuable things, but it wasn’t until I stepped out of Bible 2

college and into a secular college that I saw just how important my years there had been. At PRBI I learned to think critically, wrestle deeply with questions, and pick out truth from error. Now I sit in classes where the dominant assumption, both of professors and students, is that Christianity is an archaic religion that no one takes seriously; however, because of my time at PRBI I am able to have confidence in my faith, raise my hand, and present an understanding of God and the Bible that wasn’t being considered” (Heidi Edwards, g. ‘15). “Far from being a place of indoctrination and dogma as the secular world sometimes supposes, Bible school was a place of intellectual enrichment and freedom of speech for me. It is ironic, though it is indeed a religious school, I felt much freer to express a contrary opinion at PRBI than I do in the supposedly openminded secular college. Not only did PRBI provide me with the skills to ask critical questions of peoples’ ideologies, including my own, and articulate logical arguments for my faith, but it also showed me how to gain confidence, not from some arbitrary well of selfesteem as the secular world promotes, but from the unshakable source of human value: the image of God. The instillation of biblical truth and critical thinking skills at PRBI has been invaluable in my experience at a secular college” (Hannah Senft, g. ’15). Bible school can prepare them for what life throws at them. We believe a good study of the Bible with a relational emphasis sparks a love for God, His Word, and others, which shapes their futures and the church. 3

Wrestling through a theological issue in a paper and then hashing it out in a class or the dorm brings reality to their thinking and clarity to the Bible. Young people need to be encouraged to wrestle through God’s Word and then help them through relationships in applying it to their lives. Both these ladies reminded us of the value of a Bible education. The challenge of course is getting people to embrace the value of a Bible education and learning how to put God’s Word into practice. Once the young people arrive at PRBI and spend some time here, they soon buy into the value of studying God’s Word and practicing God’s Word in their everyday lives. Getting them here though remains the challenge, but one advantage we have is our alumni. Half of our freshmen come because of the recommend of family, friends, and our alumni, so please keep up the good work! We need you. Waldie Neufeld, Ph.D. President Waldie has been at PRBI for 27 years. He enjoys teaching the Gospel of Mark on disciple-making. He and his wife, Sharon, have four children.

A Few Things to Ask Yourself... Your Will can reflect your life, your faith and your hopes for future generations but it takes some planning. Ask yourself... • • • •

Do I have a current and up to date will that I feel expresses my faith, values and wishes? Does my will and/or estate plan provide the right amount at the right time to my heirs with as little as possible going to taxes and probate? Does my will and/or estate plan protect my RRSP or RRIF accounts from taxation? Does my will and/or estate plan protect my family vacation property from taxation?

Our partners at Advisors with Purpose can help. Their Estate Specialists are available to discuss your unique situation and can help you create a fully personalized estate plan. This service is complimentary and completely confidential. There is no obligation and no one will try to sell you anything. [1] David M. Haskell, Kevin N. Flatt, and Stephanie Burgoynee, “Theology Matters,” May 24, 2016, DOI 10.1007/s13644-0255-4. [2] James Penner, “Lecture to Corporate Board,” PRBI, October 5, 2014. [3] Ibid.

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From Our Faculty Why is the Bible Authoritative? Several years ago, while George W. Bush was in office, a joke was told when the then-president said he ‘read the Bible every day.’ The punch line was a quick retort—‘finish the book already!’ Many people view the Bible as just another book, judged solely on its merits as a piece of ancient literature. Like the Iliad or Beowulf it deserves a special place on the shelf but as Jewish folklore ought to have no real bearing on anyone’s life. It is no easy task making the case for the reliability and authority of the Scripture. A paraphrase of medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas captures well the difficult nature of such a task: ‘for those with faith, no explanation is necessary, for those without faith, no explanation is possible.’1 How, then, can the case be made to unbelievers that the Bible is authoritative to life? 5

Scott Butler

One way is to point to the historical credibility of its text and transmission. This establishes that the text we have today is a trustworthy representative of real events now millennia old. Another way is to provide evidence of the change in people’s lives when it is treated as authoritative. Real life examples suggest strongly that whatever is in it, it works! Ultimately though, as Aquinas intimated, the Bible’s authority is never proven to unbelievers—but rather to those who have encountered the One to whom it testifies. The Bible is authoritative in a way that matters to individuals because it reveals the God that they have met. One of the reasons the Bible can be considered authoritative is because of its reliability as an accurate witness to the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In the study and defence of ancient documents scholars often

point to two factors as tests for reliability. One of those factors is how near to the original text a manuscript is. In the case of Christian Scripture, the John Rylands papyrus fragment is dated to only thirty years after the original publication of John’s Gospel. This means that even though we do not have John’s original edition, we do have an antique piece of paper that someone copied it onto—most likely while looking at it. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide a similar kind of support to the text of the Old Testament. Nearly one thousand years older than the oldest available manuscripts in 1948, their discovery revealed that a millennium of copying had not degraded the words or message in any significant way. Other reliable New Testament texts are dated to the third and fourth centuries and complete editions to the fourth and fifth. Similar to hearing childhood stories of your grandfather from someone who went to school with him, texts written closer to the event demonstrate that we still have the story straight, even after all these years. On top of those considerations, the other factor that contributes to the reliability of an ancient document is that the many copies are not significantly different from one other. In the case of the New Testament in particular the differences from one copy to the next are in the small minority. Of those manuscripts that do contain dissimilarities, only a tiny fraction affect the actual meaning of the passage. The God who himself took on the weakness of flesh entrusted his written Word to people who wrote with quill and ink, made copies by candlelight, travelled rock roads on foot, and contended with

persecution and heresy. In my binders I can show you photocopies of printed books that are cut off, smudged, out of focus, and otherwise very difficult to decipher—and these are products of twentieth-century technology. It is not the fact that there are differences in the manuscript copies of the Bible that should capture our attention, it is that in over twenty centuries of human transmission there are so few! In addition to the reliability of the text and its holders, there are outside witnesses to the Gospels that add to its veracity. Archaeological finds have attested to Bethesda and Pontius Pilate. Greco-Roman sources, including Thallus, Pliny the Younger, and Suetonius give us references to the crucifixion, Christ worship, and the Christian religion. Jewish sources, Josephus most notably, also attest to the existence and character of Jesus. In the Talmud a reference is made to Jesus hanging on the eve of the Passover. Apocryphal, post-Gospel texts build upon the references to Jesus and further attest to the great influence of the Gospel accounts.2 How then does reliability translate into authority? Just because the Gospels can be established as well preserved, how does that make it any different from, say, a book of Roman history by Suetonius? Simply put, the New Testament makes a claim on the life of whoever reads it. F. F. Bruce made the connection like this: the “good news is intimately bound up with the historical order, for it tells how for the world’s redemption God entered into history, the eternal came into time, the kingdom of heaven invaded the realm of earth, in the great events 6

of the incarnation, crucifixion, and a drug-centered lifestyle after treatment resurrection of Jesus the Christ.” 3 Real ranges from 7–11%. In ‘Teen Challenge’s’ people saw these things happen. These program that number has been shown same people, whose words from two to jump dramatically to 80% or higher.6 thousand years ago we now read with Addicts responding to the effectiveness a high degree of scientific certainty, tell of the program consistently attribute us that a man who had the audacity their success to what they call the to say he could forgive sins4 actually ‘Jesus Factor.’7 Noted New Testament rose from the dead. If these evidences scholar Craig A. Evans reported at the ‘Faith Beyond and arguments are “The Bible is Belief ’ apologetics considered seriously, and one truly does authoritative because conference that in realize that a man it is a reliable document the midst of political debates and budget resurrected from the that has maintained the crunching, prison dead ought to be listened to, then it writings of those who wardens hold onto Christian chaplains follows that the Bible saw, heard, and because the same is authoritative for touched Jesus.” trend applies to each one of our lives. It follows that actual change in inmates. Where Christ is present people’s lives is another marker of the through the authority of the Christian Bible’s authority. Indeed the world we Scripture there is dramatic change in live in is fixated on results. If a way of individuals and in society as a whole. life that stems from the belief of the God is great! It is not, however, until a person Bible’s authority results in dramatic and measurable change, then its authority encounters Jesus Christ in a personal must be carefully considered. Noted way that the Scripture truly becomes atheist Christopher Hitchens took authoritative to him or her. The Bible pains to point out many of the Christian must be the place we go in order to religion’s most poignant failures in his encounter the closest witness to His 2007 book god is not Great.5 What he life—but unless we find Jesus Christ’s failed to balance, however, are the own witness to us through His Spirit, immeasurable life-changing results we rely at best on our trust of those first reported by individuals who have truly writing witnesses.8 It is when we find surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord. God meeting and enlivening us through Results such as those offered in a stirring the Scriptures that they become more 2011 presentation by a man who had than a testimony to history, but a experienced freedom from addiction testimony to our hearts. The Apostle after going through treatment at the Peter could confirm this reality as the Christian-based addiction counselling Father revealed to him the truth of Jesus agency ‘Teen Challenge.’ Among all the Christ apart from his own sense other treatment programs the average (Mt 16:16-17). Paul too would say that rate of persons who do not relapse into his conversion, faith, and theology ride 7

on Jesus meeting him on the road to Damascus (Ga 1:12 cf. I Co 2:13). ”Faith [then] is not a relation to a doctrine, to that which ought to be believed, but it is the obedience of faith… to Jesus Christ Himself, who bears witness to Himself in the Word of Scriptures through the Holy Spirit in the heart, conscience, and mind of man as the Truth.”9 The person who meets the Living God can say along with Billy Graham: “I can tell you that God is alive because I talked to him this morning.” Christians do not just finish the Bible and put it on the shelf to collect dust like some tome full of long-dead characters. Instead they continue to reflect on this witness to God and uphold its authority in their lives because they meet with its central character each time they pick it up. The Bible is authoritative because it is a reliable document that has maintained the writings of those who saw, heard, and touched Jesus. It is authoritative because it stirs change in the lives of men and women around the world, even those who seemingly have no hope. It becomes authoritative like nothing else when there is a deep

connection with the One about whom the whole thing is written. Scott Butler Faculty Scott has been at PRBI since 2015. He and his wife, Jane, both work at the college. [1]

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 1, a. 5, ad 1. [2] See Craig L. Blomberg, “Gospels (Historical Reliability),” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, edited by Joel B. Green and Scot McKnight (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1992), 291-297. [3] F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? 6th Ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), 8. [4] See C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2001), 51. [5] Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (Toronto: Emblem, 2007). [6] http://www.teenchallengeonline.com/about-us/ how-successful-is-teen-challenge [7] Andrew Kenney, “Teen Challenge’s Proven Answer to the Drug Problem: A Review of a Study by Dr. Aaron T. Bicknese (https:// www.teenchallengeusa.com/wp-content/ uploads/2014/05/1999_NW_review.pdf ). [8] Emil Brunner, Revelation and Reason: The Christian Doctrine of Faith and Knowledge, trans. Olive Wyon, (London: Christian Student Movement Press Ltd., 1961), 168. [9] Emil Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of God, vol.1 of Dogmatics, trans. Olive Wyon, (London: Lutterworth Press, 1949), 106-7.

REACH Mission Trip Facebook Posts ‘17 God Intervened Yesterday Alex and I were doing some evangelism together and we encountered a drunk who had fallen hard on his head. This older man was bleeding from his head and shaking from shock. Because it happened at a bus stop there were about 40 men looking on and trying to help. Many were calling for an ambulance while others were holding this man up in a seated position. Eventually they laid him back down because he was not improving and apparently dying. This man’s eyes cleared as he saw Alex and I and stared at us briefly before throwing his head back, convulsing and gasping for air. He was dying in my estimation. Alex jumped in and cradled the man’s head to comfort him (blood, saliva and all). I laid my 9

hands on him and started praying loudly and the man instantly calmed down and started breathing normally. Then he started clawing at his eyes and I asked Alex to pull the man’s hands away from his face. We realized then that the man had a demon that was trying to destroy him. Probably the reason he had stared at us earlier. We prayed for deliverance and he settled down again. Not long after, a rickshaw pulled up to be taken to the hospital. I asked the men if we could pray for them. I prayed for peace and healing from the trauma. Several of the men thanked us and said, “You really helped”. It felt like something out of the book of Acts. We were amazed at God’s intervention and believe the contacts with all these men will bear fruit. –Mark Sorell (Team Leader)

Over Samosas

McDonalds Ministry

I’m still processing the events that happened this past Monday. The Spirit of the Lord was throughout the entire church where we were doing a performance for sex workers from the brothel nearby. I have been so moved by the power of the Gospel on this trip and how it continues to affect me and transform me. To see the Gospel change the lives of women who are trapped, broken, and hurting. After the program, I was drawn to the courtyard to a group of four women who were a couple years younger than me. Their teacher had brought them, but I found out that they were hesitant to come since they usually sleep during the day. My heart dropped. What a life. I later sat down with one of these girls, age 17, over samosas and had the privilege of chatting with her. I heard her story, and opinion of the performance we just completed. Through translation, Anu and I were able to share the joy we have in Christ. We prayed a blessing over her life, which was so powerful and moving. She was given a Bible in Hindi and immediately started reading and asking questions. I have no idea what happened to her after she left, or what that night looked like for her, but I am trusting that as she searches and questions, God will make Himself known to her. He was so evidently moving in her heart that day, so I will continue to pray for all around safety and salvation for this new friend of mine. May I see her once again in eternity. –Shari Willms (REACH Student)

A few days back I was reminded how God answers prayer in a seemingly dry place. Before we left for this trip I was asked what one thing I hoped to come out of the experience. My reply was to see someone come to Christ, even if it was only one person. Fast forward to me and two other women heading out to the city just to find people to talk too. We went to a McDonalds hoping for an opportunity. At first we didn’t see anyone who seemed in an approachable situation. We prayed that someone would come. On the inside I felt quite annoyed because I knew from hearing from others that people had been coming to the Lord but this was a ministry experience in which I didn’t get to see first-hand yet. I had even said, “Should we go somewhere else?” Not long after, we spot a teenage girl sitting alone. We just went over and said hello which then led to a great conversation. After talking with her and sharing about Christ, she wanted to pray and receive Him! After this I could hear the phrase, “O ye of little faith” in my head. I felt God giving us joy in this moment. I realized I thought too much about the circumstances. How much more does He work when we are powerless? –Natasha Covert (REACH Student) *Compiled from REACH 2017 Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/ REACH-2017-2073866165962667/)

President’s Message: Waldie Neufeld

Development Message Having two young boys means that there are plenty of opportunities for joking, roughhousing, climbing, throwing, and even sometimes kicking and screaming! Most of these boyish activities bring a lot of joy, while some of them do cause frustration. Perhaps it is my PRBI training coming through, but as a dad, my rule of thumb is that whenever I have to discipline my children a discipleship conversation should follow. Let me tell you, this summer I had plenty of opportunities for these discipleship conversations during our family vacation! One particular morning comes to mind as if it were just yesterday. After three or so time-outs, I was headed down to Jasper’s room for one of these talks. When I entered his room I noticed something rather unusual. Instead of finding a boy playing with 11

Jeremy Johnston

his toys— which he was allowed to do— he was simply laying on his bed thinking. As I sat next to him on his bed to have our talk, before I could even utter a word, Jasper shared with me what he had been thinking about. “Daddy,” he said softly, “do you still love me?” My heart ached for him. The thought of him dwelling on that for the whole time-out was painful for me to even think about. Of course, it goes without saying that in our talk I attempted to reassure his mind that Daddy always loves him and always will no matter what. While I was reassuring Jasper, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, not to give me the words to comfort Jasper, but to remind me that I too have had a similar question. However, unlike Jasper, my question had been directed towards my heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit then pointed

out to me that I still had some lingering doubts about the Father’s love for me. As I sat there on the side of Jasper’s bed, I envisioned myself laying there in his place, looking up to heaven asking a version of Jasper’s question, “Abba Father, do you still love me?” The moments to follow were clearly God-ordained. The very words that I used to assure my little boy of my love, were the same words that the Holy Spirit used to assure me about my Father’s unconditional love for me. If the words I was saying to Jasper were true, how much more true were my Father’s words to me? A little later in the summer when we returned from family vacation, I had another opportunity to be reminded about our Father’s love. This time it came through a conversation that a staff member had with a student applicant. The potential student shared her concern that what she had earned this past summer working at a camp would not be enough to cover the needed finances for her year at PRBI. Having prayed about it she called her parents to discuss going to Bible school and whether they would be able to help her out financially. Unfortunately they were not able to. Then, unexpectedly her dad said that they had given three cows to each child in their family and that perhaps her three cows would be enough to pay for school. She exclaimed, “I have the money now and I’m coming to school! The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills and three of them are now paying for a student to come to PRBI. As I thought about how God provided for this freshmen and my

experience with Jasper, I was struck again about how much our Father loves us—me. With that said, please pray with us as we help our students to understand God’s love for them. Of course, this type of work requires financial assistance. Would you please consider partnering with us financially so that we can continue to help our students “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (Ep 3:18-19). Jeremy Johnston Director of Development Jeremy (g ‘09) has been on staff at PRBI since 2009. He and his wife, Leah, have two young children, Jasper and Silas.

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ENROLLMENT UPDATE 13

FRESHMEN: 34

UPPERCLASSMEN: 54

PART-TIME: 6

FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT: 89.25

MEN: 48

WOMEN: 46

Alumni Corner Four years at PRBI prepared me for ministry by drastically altering my heart’s motivation for choosing to be involved in full-time, vocational Christian work. Currently, I am working as the Office Administrator for Sunnybrae Bible Camp (near Salmon Arm, BC) as well as part of the staff team for a satellite disciple school operating out of our facility. Thanks to God’s work in my life, during my time at PRBI, I am so incredibly content serving in this role. I always felt a strong sense that I wanted to serve in some capacity in full-time ministry. Driving that desire was a notion that doing so would help me earn my salvation. The fact that this is an obvious contradiction to the very Gospel that I wanted to share did not dawn on me until my last year at Bible school. Prior to that point I had not realized how little of God’s grace I had allowed to penetrate my heart. Arriving at PRBI in 2010 I hoped that God would finally be satisfied with me and that I would be rid of the heavy guilt in my heart; the deeply unsettling dread that I must prove to God that I was worthy of Christ’s sacrifice. Four years later I emerged with a new heart transformed by the realization that filled me with the weightless feeling of freedom. My sin is gone! Christ has

Grace Van Schaik taken it! I do not, nor should I try, to do anything to deserve it. The truth finally ringing true that it is by His grace my debt of guilt and shame is paid for. Now in life and ministry I choose, or more often than not am reminded, to live out of the truth that His grace has set me free. I now serve in ministry not to earn my salvation but instead, with a heart compelled, to share the love of Jesus. Beyond this life-changing realization, the tools and concepts I learned while a student have served me well in this ministry. Knowing I would need someone to provide accountability, assurance of faith, offer rebuke, and give advice in grace and truth, I asked a fellow believer who was further along in their Christian walk to be my mentor. In my ministry context I also have the privilege of being a mentor for students, actively taking part in discipleship and encouraging them to build into others. Obligated by love, not by guilt or shame, when I serve I know my wage is already paid by Christ (Ro 6:23), my reward being to glorify Him who has already given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). Grace Van Schaik PRBI Alumni

9 Keys for My CLD Course Our students are often asked: Why did you come to Bible school? Typical responses include, “to grow in my faith”, “to get to know God better”, or “to understand more about the Bible.” These are great answers and I have the privilege of teaching a foundational course to the freshmen called Christian Life Development (CLD). Come join me on a quick tour and overview of how this class attempts to answer that common question. Our journey begins with a discussion of Our View of God. We all come with preconceived ideas of what God is like (both positive and negative). As we explore the story of the prodigal son (Lk 15) we discover that all of us are like one of the two sons, either selfishly seeking to please ourselves or selfishly trying to please others. Both come from a wrong perspective of God and both lead to a distant relationship with Him. It is only as we understand and embrace the Father’s unconditional love 15

Darrel Schmidt

and amazing grace that we begin to have a healthy view of God. Closely connected to our view of God is our fight against Authority. We like to be in charge of our lives but this always ends in disaster! Here we study God’s design for us at creation—how the Fall destroyed our freedom, and how God’s plan for salvation restores us to right relationship with Him. Until we recognize that all authority comes from God (Mt 28:18), and we submit to that authority (Ja 4:7), we will not experience freedom or peace. As humans we are so easily deceived. It all started with The Big Lie in the garden when the serpent created doubt in Adam and Eve by asking them the question, “Did God really say. . . ?” Colin McDougall suggests the big lie is “claiming that appearance is reality.”1 When we buy into the world’s philosophy that what you see is what you get (the temporal), we miss out on all that God has for us (the eternal).

One leads to emptiness, the other to fulfillment. We need to remember that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sa 16:7). This opens the door for us to discover God’s View of us. Here we explore what Paul means when he says, “I am a new creation in Christ…” (2 Co 5:17). We all have basic needs for love, significance, and fulfillment. When we begin to grasp the fact that in Christ God provides for these needs and, in fact, sees us as holy and blameless (Cl 1:22), then we find our true identity and freedom. When we have a correct view of God and how He views us we can take a more in-depth look at The Very Words of God. Here we intently study the significance and authority of God’s Word (2 Tm 3:16; 2 Pe 1:20-21; He 4:12-13) as it relates to our lives. Students are challenged to become “self-feeders” by developing personal study and devotional habits for life (2 Tm 2:15). We are commanded to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions” (Ep 6:18). The Priority of Prayer cannot be overemphasized. Jesus of course gives the greatest example of how to pray when He taught the disciples in what we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6:9-15). Prayer needs to become as natural as breathing. If we fail to make prayer a priority, we fail to communicate with the Father. We next turn our attention to the topic of Relationships where we explore God’s purpose and design for relationship. The simple conclusion is that we exist from Him, through Him, and for Him in order to bring glory to

Him (Ro 11:36). We discuss how this also applies to our relating with the opposite gender. We end this section with a look at how to resolve conflict (Ga 6:1; Ja 1:19-20; 4:1-3) and how to forgive (Cl 3:12-15) within the relational dynamic. A big part of being created for relationship involves learning to connect in community. As we briefly study The Church, we discover this is God’s vehicle for developing our spiritual gifts and spreading the good news of the Gospel (Ep 4:1-16). The early church set a great example of living in community (Ac 2:42-47) and, while we have a long way to go, we are invited to do our part. Finally, we conclude with a section on Discipleship. We are all called to follow Jesus and to make disciples (Mt 28:18-20). This is the heart of the New Testament focus and this is what our school is built on. Do we do it perfectly? Of course not, but we are striving to instill these biblical principles into our students in every facet of college life and this is just one of many classes that does so. Congratulations, you have completed the tour! Just one thing more. For each of the nine keys, students are asked to summarize a discipleship principle or takeaway which becomes part of their take-home final exam. How would you do on this final? Darrel Schmidt Darrel has been on staff at PRBI since 1997. He and his wife, Maureen, have two grown children, Andrea and Tim. [1] Colin McDougall, Models For Disciple-makers binder, page B:2.

Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Message:

College News

Financial Update

Waldie Neufeld

GYMNASIUM & FITNESS CENTRE

Peace River Bible Institute Statement of Operations and Budget July 2016 - June 2017 (unaudited)

It has been one year since we opened our Gymnasium & Fitness Centre. Highlights from this last year include: Gym Completely Paid For

130 Community Members

Drop-in Nights are Full

Students Love this Facility

Revenue Student Revenue Student

This facility has already been a huge blessing and we trust it will continue to be a blessing for years to come.

PRBI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dennis Landis (Chairman), Graham Plett (Vice Chairman), Travis Toews (Secretary/Treasurer), Les Derksen, Ruth Enns, Don Warkentin, and Richard Smith. We would like to thank Abe Braun for faithfully serving on the Board since the fall of 2012. We wish you Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best and may He continue to work through you and Margaret as you make your home on Vancouver Island.

REPRESENT PRBI IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Would you be interested in sharing about PRBI at a Christian event in your community or by doing a PRBI presentation at your church? If so, please email connections@prbi.edu to connect with Nolan Dyck.

GOLF TOURNAMENT

Our first annual Golf Tournament was a success! Plan to join us next summer for an afternoon on the greens.

General Income Sales

Fees & Other Programs

& Non-Program Fees & Services

Residence Rental Rental

Income

Donation - Undesignated Donations

- Undesignated - Designated Total Donations

Donation - Designated Donations

Total Revenue

Expenses

Income To Date

Annual Budget

1,140,315

1,120,500

102%

97,808

70,241

139%

198,358

210,000

94%

953,599 66,144 1,019,743

791,000 77,500 868,500

121% 85% 117%

2,456,224

2,269,241

108%

Expenses To Date

% of Budget To Date

Annual Budget

% of Budget To Date

Academics

399,795

398,972

100%

Student Life

338,253

330,269

102%

257,671

270,986

95%

Food Services Food

Services

Development

Promotion & Development

313,719

325,504

96%

Admissions

161,343

178,611

90%

609,736

592,793

103%

127,707

147,098

87%

AdministrationAdministration Maintenance

Facilities & Maintenance

Student Aid

Special Project

10,037

10,000

100%

Student Aid

13,100

15,000

87%

Others

Total Expenses Net Income (Loss)

2,231,361

2,269,233

224,863

98%

Excludes Amortization Expense

Alumni & Staff News BIRTHS

GAO, Alex (Staff, ‘15–present) & Carissa (g ‘15) are proud to announce the birth of their third child, Ciaran Joel Chenguang Gao on July 19, 2017. Older siblings Brooke (4) and Rylan (1) enjoy cuddling their baby brother, and making sure mommy knows when he’s crying. With the new addition on the way, our family recently moved from the PRBI four-plex to our own house in Sexsmith. We are enjoying the extra space and yard for our kids to play. Alex is going into his third year as staff at PRBI, and Carissa has her hands full at home with the three kids. We have so much to thank God for in our family, work, and ministry.

PRBI Team Members 2017-2018 Back Row: Brad Cowie, Steve McComish, Courtney Gulayets, Shane Dell, Darrel Schmidt, Kim Cairns, Cornie Giesbrecht, Katelyn Foster, Jeremy Johnston, Shanda Fuller, Dave Groff, Matt Fletcher, Waldie Neufeld, Shelley Martindale, Jason Gayoway Front Row: Adeline Willems, Alex Gao, Jill Gayoway, Colleen Hiebert, Nolan Dyck, Anne Laursen, Jon Osborne, Rebekah Brisbin, Scott Butler, Jane Butler Missing from Photo: Darrell Gerber (medical leave), Kathryn Wood (maternity leave)

Moving In and Moving On Welcome Jon Osborne (Interim Worship Ministries Chair), Katelyn Foster (Cook), Matt Fletcher (Cook), and Shanda Fuller (Maternity Leave–Registrar/Librarian) to the PRBI Team. Thank you John Bell, Brody Klassen, and Megan Plante for your excellent service on the PRBI Team. God bless you as you continue to serve Him elsewhere.

PLANTE, Nicolas and Corrie (ug ‘13) are pleased to announce the birth of their baby boy Killian Boyd, born November 5, 2016. We are loving spending time with our little man, and are learning every day! Killian is a happy, healthy boy, and is growing like a weed. We are so thankful for God’s provision in our lives. He has been faithful in the new parenting experiences as well as in the midst of many uncertainties. WOOD, Hunter (g ’08, Staff ‘11–’13) and Kathryn (g ’08, Staff, ‘11–present) are proud to announce the birth of their first child, Russell George Allan Wood. He arrived July 20, at 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 22 inches long. Though his addition into our lives means lots of new adjustments we are so thankful for him and try to cherish every moment. We are blessed to have a loving family and many friends to help welcome Russell into this world and our family.

WEDDINGS DRIEDGER, Joshua & McKayla (nee: Peterson, ug ’15) were married on May 6, 2017, and are living in Grande Prairie, AB. Joshua is working at CDN Controls and McKayla is employed at Reitmans. They look forward to growing together in Christ and carrying out His will for their lives together. 20

GULAYETS, Kyle (g ’15) and Courtney (nee: MacLellan, ug ‘16, Staff, ‘16–present) were married May 13, 2017, and are living in Sexsmith, AB. Kyle has the ranking of Lieutenant at the Sexsmith Volunteer Fire Department and also works for the County of Grande Prairie Fire Service. Courtney is continuing on as Communications & Media Coordinator at PRBI. They are very excited about their life together and look forward to what God has in store for their future.

WITH THE LORD

BALISKY, Gordon William Edward passed away February 9, 2017. Gordon was born June 5, 1938, in Sexsmith, Alberta, to William and Mary Balisky, the eldest of five siblings. Gordon graduated from Peace River Bible Institute when he was 21 and married his school sweetheart Esther Peters in 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. During the first four years of married life Gordon was the Executive Director of Youth for Christ. Later they moved to the west coast where Gordon studied at Seattle Pacific University and Northgate Graduate School where he received his PhD and doctorate in social psychology. He also studied theology and became an ordained minister pastoring several churches in the Seattle area. From there they moved on to work with Salavic Gospel Association in Eastern Europe and Russia. Together, with his wife and two daughters, they began working with East Europe Evangelism and the Marshal Foundation, growing youth ministries, planting and funding churches, and teaching both men and women how to sustain their own congregations. It was during this time that Gordon arranged the first Christian song books in Polish ever to be published. They were then distributed across the country. In the early 90s the family worked with the Mennonite Brethren to relocate persecuted Christian immigrants to the west coast of USA.

About PRBI PRBI exists to train believers to become disciple-makers who know God, model His character, and are able to build into others the life-changing principles of God’s Word. PRBI is a Canadian Degree Granting Bible College in Sexsmith, Alberta, founded in 1933. PRBI is known for quality academics and its highly relational culture that purposefully fosters an atmosphere of spiritual growth. PRBI has a distinct commitment to train students in a thorough knowledge of the Word of God and to train students to become disciple-makers whether at home or abroad. PRBI’s educational model purposefully integrates the academic learning experience with an experiential learning component making us a Bible College for Life. CONTACT US www.prbi.edu prbi@prbi.edu 780-568-3962

Email us at development@prbi.edu to submit your updates.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! www.facebook.com/acollegeforlife PRBI - Peace River Bible Institute

If you know of an alumni who has passed away, please let us know.

COMING EVENTS

October 19–20 Global Ministries Conference

March 8–10 eView

February 2 Circle of Friends

April 21 Graduation Ceremony

The TRUMPET is the magazine of Peace River Bible Institute that is comprised of contributions from faculty, staff, alumni, and students who are passionate about making disciples in their churches and communities. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible (Copyright 1995 by The Lockman Foundation). All rights reserved. If you would have any comments please email us at development@prbi.edu. Printed in Canada.

Peace River Bible Institute PO Box 99 Sexsmith, AB T0H 3C0