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UPLOOK FEBRUARY-MARCH 2002

THE

INDIANAPOLIS

RISE UP & WORK

SAM PL E R • REPORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD • CHRIST’S PLAN FOR THE CHURCH • THE VALUE OF DISCIPLING • CONFERENCE COMMENTS • THE BLESSED HOPE • TAPE ORDERS!

Founded in 1927 as Look on the Fields, UPLOOK is published ten times a year by Uplook Ministries, 813 North Ave., N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

Phone: (616) 456-9166 Fax: (616) 456-5522 Website: http://www.uplook.org E-mail: uplook@uplook.org ISSN #1055-2642 Printed in USA. © Copyright 2002 Uplook Ministries UPLOOK magazine is intended to encourage the people of God in fidelity to His Word, fervency in intercessory prayer, labors more abundant, and love to the Lord. Believing in the practical Headship of Christ and the local autonomy of each assembly, this is not intended to be an official organ of any group or federation of local churches. The editor and authors take responsibility for materials published. For any blessing which accrues, to God be the glory.

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F E AT U R E S REPORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD J. B. Nicholson, Jr.

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THE VALUE OF DISCIPLESHIP Jeff Johnson and Bob Brown

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CHRIST’S PLAN FOR THE CHURCH Jim McCarthy

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PRIESTLY WORSHIP Sandy McEachern

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FAQs: ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT? Staff Report

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THE DIVINE ORDER OF SCRIPTURE Randy Amos

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THE BLESSED HOPE THROUGH HISTORY John A. Bjorlie

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CONFERENCE TAPE ORDER FORM

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D E PA RT M E N TS EDITORIAL FRONT LINES WHAT’S GOING ON? BOUQUET OF BLESSINGS: Conference Comments

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How many days in your life are truly memorable? A landmark anniversary here; a special birthday there; a graduation or retirement. Hopefully for the believer there are days of significant dealings with God—our Peniels and Elims and Bethels and Hebrons, our times of wrestling and refreshing and revelation. God help us to raise up cairns to remember them.

Most often under the name on a gravestone are listed two dates—the day of birth and of death. In between there is a little horizontal line, sometimes called a “short dash”—appropriately so, because that is what our lives seem to be: a short dash from our first wail to our last gasp.

Christians often add another date to their memorial stone, the day they were born again. They rightly feel that the true beginning of their life was not when they became a child of Adam’s race, but the day they became a child of God. But let me suggest that the other date (the day of a believer’s death) is somewhat suspect as well, and could do with emendation in our minds if not on our gravestones. The day of a Christian’s death is not a terminus but a transition, not the end of life but its true beginning. The Lord Jesus preferred the word “sleep” to “death” when He spoke of His own. It was not mere semantics. Sleep is only partial and temporary separation. A person sleeping is there and not there at the same time. So believers who “sleep” are no longer physically with us, yet we both are “in Christ.” We are all members of “the whole family in heaven and earth.” We share a common life and worship the same Lord. Just a shout and we shall be “caught up together with them” to be forever with the Lord. Now there is a memorable day, the day of the rapture of the people of God. Perhaps it would quicken our pulse and lift our chins if we would remind ourselves of the most breathtaking wonders of that day of all days for us.

1. WE SHALL SEE HIM. Whatever broad vistas that day will reveal, surely this will be heaven’s headland.

Earth’s beauties will vanish, heaven’s other glories will recede in “the light of…the face of Jesus Christ.” “…In my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:26-27). “Thine eyes shall see the king in His beauty” (Isa. 33:17). We will not be squinting from the back of a crowd but enraptured face to face, reverent yet unafraid for “perfect love casteth out fear.” “They shall see His face” (Rev. 22:4). And we will never lose sight of Him again.

2. WE SHALL KNOW HIM. Robert Browning wrote: “…it shall be a face like My face that receives thee; a Man like to Me thou shalt love and be loved by, for ever; a hand like this hand shall throw open the gates of new life to thee!” It will indeed. No stranger but a well-known Friend shall greet us. And to our utter amazement, in spite of our failing and faltering pathway Home, He will be so glad to have us there. “Rejoice with Me,” He will say, for “He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11).

3. WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM. I don’t know all that means, but it does not mean that we shall be unlike Him! We shall at last love what He loves, see things the way He sees them, live as He does for the pleasure of God. And what will accomplish this? Well, what causes us to be more like Him now? “Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, [we] are changed into the same image…” (2 Cor. 3:18). Are we changed so little because we see Him so little? But then “…we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He [really] is” (1 Jn. 3:2).

The place God has prepared for us is to be with Him; and the purpose God has predestined is to be like Him. I have an old book of stories that includes the conversion of someone listed simply as “M. C.” When the Lord saved him, from a grateful heart he said, “Jesus, Thou shalt never hear the end of this!”

Amen to that.

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At the conference banquet a brief report was given of some encouraging happenings around the world.

Often, if we don’t hear of good things that the Lord is doing, we assume that nothing is happening. We can get the Elijah Syndrome—“I only I am left”—because we don’t know about the seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal. And that number did not include the woman of Shunem or Elisha at Meholah, or the sons of the prophets at Jericho, or the widow in Lebanon, or who knows how many else. God is on schedule. His work will all get done. The gates of hell shall not prevail. Here are just a few samples of His work in some countries of the Far and Middle East.

THE FAR EAST JAPAN: At a recent conference of assembly believers near Osaka, one thousand gathered in the tallest hotel in Western Japan. Of the 126 million people in Japan only 0.3% are estimated to be evangelical Christians. The assemblies may be few in number and small in size but the believers are very serious.

While visiting there, I was humbled at their zeal and appetite for the Word.

Please pray for the radio ministry with the gospel blanketing Western Japan, for extensive tract distribution, and for two assembly camps, each about one hundred miles from Tokyo. This camp work has seen rich blessing in the lives of Japanese young people since its beginnings in 1959.

Prayer is also appreciated for two Japanese sisters commended to Pakistan, where a good work goes on with missionaries from the UK, Germany, India and elsewhere.

KOREA: It would be wonderful to see a sweeping gospel response in Japan like the work the Lord is doing in Korea. There are about 230 assemblies in South Korea (about twice as many as Japan). The statistics say that 25% of Koreans are Christian; the Lord

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knows how many are truly born again.

There are a few missionaries (from Germany, Canada and the US) in Korea but the exciting news is that Korea is becoming a significant sending country.

The Korean assemblies have sent missionaries to China, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Mongolia, Nepal, Viet Nam, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. Many of these lands would be difficult for Westerners to even gain entrance.

It was wonderful to see a dozen Korean brethren at the Japanese conference. Because Korea has historically suffered much at the hands of the Japanese (since the 1500s!) it is an evidence of God’s abounding grace to see them break bread together. The late Gifford Beckon carried this burden for more than a decade—to see a bridge between the Japanese and Korean brethren.

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”

“Go into all the world…

CHINA: A brother familiar with the work in this vast land of more than 1 billions souls writes: “There is much more ‘freedom’ of worship than there was twenty years ago, but there is still a lot of persecution of Christians in China. The official church has grown a great deal but the house churches have grown even faster…the Lord is working His will in China today.

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Many thousands are coming to faith in the Lord Jesus.”

A brother who makes forays into China says: “Presently a married couple serving…in central China came to Christ only about five years ago. They are bold with the gospel and through a vast networking system provide discipleship materials to others…In the past 18 months, they have printed and distributed nearly 18,000 books…Ten months ago, my friends had over 7500 books in his apartment, 3000 of which were disguised as a ‘book bed’ on which he slept.

“DVDs, CDs, and VCDs are effective tools for proclaiming the good news in China. This couple has over 200 different CDs; they can copy ten per day. This aids distribution as it is easier to conceal a CD than the many books it contains…This couple is using the leading edge of technology to further the kingdom of God in China. Pray for them as they also live on the edge, hazarding their lives for Christ.”

VIET NAM: This country ravaged by war is still officially Communist although it is slowly opening to the Free World. A brother who visits there writes: “The situation is similar to China, except that there are far fewer ‘Protestant’ churches officially open. For instance, in Hanoi with about 5 million people, there is only one government-recognized ‘Protestant’ church.

There are many house churches of all persuasions…

“The Vietnamese government has tried to suppress the growth of the church, especially in rural areas where many of the minority peoples live. We have sent aid to a number of families where the father has been jailed for ‘illegal religious activities.’

“Many of those on the forefront of evangelizing in Viet Nam are brothers and sisters who came to know the Lord as Saviour while in the refugee camps in Hong Kong. When I visit Viet Nam, I am often followed by plainclothes police, and while I have never been arrested, the police often visit Christians after I have been to see them. Sometimes they are taken in for questioning. In spite of this, they seem anxious for me to come to visit as often as possible. I take in Bibles and other literature…”

PHILIPPINES: Do you think the situation with the Burnhams in the Philippines is out of God’s control?

Has He lost control on the one island of Mindanao?

But how else would you get the gospel to the associates of Al Qaeda? Paul would be convinced that men like that could get saved because that’s the kind of man he U

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had been—he murdered Christians for a living. And he had seen people saved in Caesar’s household. He also knew that one of the elders in the assembly at Antioch was a half-brother of Herod. He knew that God was able to save to the uttermost, and we ought to pray that some of these Abu Saief terrorists would trust the Saviour through their contact with the Burnhams.

There are known to be more than 150 assemblies in the Philippines, but there is much work to be done.

These assemblies are located on only 8 of 700 inhabited islands! It should be noted, however, that one sixth of the total population of about 75 million is located in greater Manila where a vigorous Christian work carries on. Even so, on the island of Luzon where Manila is located, there are still 55 unreached people groups.

INDONESIA: After China and India, Indonesia is the third most populous country in the world. It is officially a Muslim country. In recent months, many Christians have been slaughtered there. Their situation is still very unstable. Missionaries are evacuating or keeping a very low profile. There are more than 300 people groups in Indonesia still unreached by the gospel.

In the last few months the Tembega tribe from Indonesia sent in a request for a Christian missionary.

Because these people cannot read or write, they ascribed to the request with their fingerprints.

INDIA: Christian work in India stretches back to the first century. Not only are there many assemblies within the subcontinent itself (about 1988, most in the south) but our Indian brethren are strategically located in many difficult countries where they shine for Christ: Myanmar (Burma), Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, and most countries of the Middle East.

Today many Hindus are turning to the Lord and as a result the persecution of Christians (especially in North India) is on the rise. The brethren there believe this is a good thing since it shows the dramatic difference between Christianity and other religions.

We need to pray for our Indian brethren as they “fill up the sufferings of Christ.” The one billion of India are approximately 83% Hindu, 11% Muslim, and 3.5% Christian (of every type). The need there seems overwhelming—10,000 children starve to death every day in India! Every year the population of India increases by a number equal to the population of Australia.

Pray for the thrusting out of new laborers, for the

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…and preach the gospel to every creature.” protection and provision of those already serving (primarily from southern assemblies), for effective means of sharing the gospel with an increasingly hostile populace. But add a good dose of thanksgiving to your prayers for the great things God is doing.

Also remember to pray for the neighboring island of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). Peter and Peggy Ferry from Scotland have served there since 1976. There are seven assemblies there. As well, pray for the difficult work in Nepal, “the top of the world,” where, it is reported by a sister who labors there, that at least fourteen assemblies carry on a quiet witness for Christ.

THE MIDDLE EAST Do not think that lands that have lain so long in the darkness of Islam are an impregnable fortress of Satan.

There is Someone stronger than the strong man (Lk. 11:21-22)! God is at work in this part of the world.

Many of you know that there are hundreds of assemblies in Egypt, but there are also assemblies in fairly well every country of the Middle East. A score of assemblies ring the Persian Gulf—if you gave one day to each assembly, it would take you a month to get around them all!

I have dependable reports that Christians serve (like Joseph and Daniel) in Sadaam Hussein’s palace.

A missionary from the Philippines told me about two Filipina nannies hired by one of the Middle East’s royal

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families. Because they taught Bible stories to the children, they were sent packing. But the children went on strike, refusing to eat until their nannies returned. So the prince buckled; the Christian nannies are back at work.

Christians meeting in Saudi Arabia and Morocco must be very discreet but that does not keep them from meeting. They shift places and times of meeting, arrive in ones and twos, and must only whisper their hymns. One brother who lived in Saudi Arabia told me an assembly met in his home in an insulated room. But as an Egyptian brother said (who met with 350 underground at an oil base in the Middle East), “Wherever there is a chink, the light gets through.”

An Arab brother writes from Nazareth, “The situation here is deteriorating, violence increasing, and distrust growing on both sides…The tension affects everyone but it forces believers to depend on the Lord and trust Him for protection. We have a greater mission: to be peacemakers and to witness as to how the Lord can bring true peace and freedom from fear….”

These should be our heroes. God has raised up men and women, dauntless in the face of discouragement, courageous in spite of fear. They work largely unknown, with limited resources in often hostile surroundings. They may live in the midst of grinding poverty, unsanitary condition, dangerous roads, unstable governments, food shortages, shifting populations—not to mention language, culture and ethnic barriers, or the rabid opposition of the enemy. And they do all for the love of souls for Christ’s sake and for His present smile and future joy in a job done for Him. This is a little sample of what’s happening in the world. Forget the evening news. They have no idea what’s going on in the world. This is the real war. This is the real battle.

We should not think of those laboring in the work of God as charity cases. These are blue-chip stock, the best investments you can make. I trust the Lord will encourage us to pray more and give more and to be more exercised to send more of our good young people overseas into the work of God. Let’s pray the Lord of the harvest that He will raise up laborers into His vineyard. Who knows—maybe He’ll send you!

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TENT MEETINGS IN MINOT, ND Here’s a great opportunity!

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Pray for Al and Connie Bulow as they plan another gospel outreach this July. Gaius Goff from Oregon plans to come for two weeks with his gospel tent. Pray for arrangements to be made, the right timing, workers, and the preparation of souls. Pray also for the saints to be bold in the proclamation of the gospel of Christ.

Since the Bulows moved to Minot last summer with the burden to see an assembly planted in that area, they have been hosting Bible studies in their home. They continue to see new faces, including several young men from the local Air Force base. Several people attend regularly and are anxious to see worship of the Lord being carried out in a biblical way in the Minot area.

The Bulows have made Harvey, ND, their home assembly until the remembrance meetings get started in Minot. take in the view of the valley and listen as speaker Len Brooks (NJ) opens God’s Word. The retreat is to be held March 1, 2 and 3.

Tom Freeman at 609-585-1835 tfreeman3@juno.com

WINTER HOLIDAY CONF. The conference at Holiday Gospel Assembly (1842 Grand Blvd.

Holiday, FL) will be held on Friday and Saturday, February 22-23, DV. The speakers expected are David Glock (IA) and Donald Wellborn (TX). The theme of the conference is “The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.” The conference will begin Friday evening at 7:30 and continue on Saturday from 10:00 to 3:00.

Dinner will be served on Saturday at noon. Contact: Lee Cappiello 727-845-4572 elijacap@innet.com

REACHING CATHOLICS Jim McCarthy (CA), author of The Gospel According to Rome, will be conducting a nightly seminar series, “Reaching Catholics for Christ” March 4-10, 2002. The seminar sessions will run from 6:30-9:30 each evening at Bethel Bible Chapel in Middletown, NJ, and are by registration only. Meetings will focus on understanding Catholic theology and how to use it in reaching Catholics with the gospel.

Participants must complete a study guide requiring approximately

A GOOD TIME TO GET AWAY Get away to the Men’s Retreat at Camp Iroquoina in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. Relax, U

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35 hours of study in advance of the course. Saturday, there will be a general conference from 10:00-2:00.

Mark Kolchin P. O. Box 305 Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734 E-mail: mkolchin@juno.com www.Gospelcom.net/knowheword YOUTH CONFERENCE A youth conference is planned for teens, ages 13 and up, at Oak Lawn Bible Chapel, (Oak Lawn, IL) on Saturday, March 16 from 9:30-3:30.

Chuck Meyers (MN) will be the speaker. Contact Dan Peterson at 815-485-7009 incrediblebats@earthcafe.com 43rd DALLAS CONFERENCE The Dallas area’s 43rd conference is scheduled for March 22-24. Lord

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people’s meeting with Arthur Dixon is planned for March 29 at 8:00 PM. Ted Willis at 905-845-0584

willing, Jonathan Brower (VA) and Jim McKendrick (MI) will be ministering the Word. The meetings will be held at Wheatland Bible Chapel, 1303 W. Wheatland Road, Duncanville, TX. Contact: John Daniels at 972-424-9889 jandmdaniels@msn.com

UPCOMING IN RAMSEUR, NC Ramseur Gospel Chapel will host a Spring Men’s Bible Study on Saturday, April 6 from 10–3. The study of the book of Judges will be led by Larry Price (FL).

Ramseur (NC) Gospel Chapel will hold its annual spring conference May 5-8, 2002. Randy Amos (NY) will be speaking on the subject of “The Eternal Purposes of God.”

CURRENT EVENT CONF. Bible and Life Ministries will be sponsoring a conference on the subject of “Current Events, Evangelicals and Roman Catholicism.” The speaker at this conference will Jim McCarthy (CA). The conference will be held at Cornerstone Bible Chapel, Dunedin, FL, March 23 from 10 to 4.

There will be four sessions and a question time. All are invited to this conference on this important topic.

David Dunlap at 813-996-1053 d.dunlap@juno.com.

ROCKFORD SPRING CONF. The saints at Believers Bible Chapel (Rockford, IL) invite you to attend their Spring Conference April 6-7. The planned speaker is Jabe Nicholson (MI). The sessions begin at 10:30 on Saturday. Contact: Warren Henderson 815-969-9428 warrenahenderson@cs.com

VANCOUVER EASTER CONF. The annual Easter conference hosted by six assemblies in the Lower Mainland is scheduled to be held March 29-31 at Granville Chapel (5091 Granville St., Vancouver, BC).

The invited speakers are William Yuille (ON) and Alan Parks (SC).

There will be children’s programs Friday and Saturday evenings.

Norman Chandler 604-271-1083 jeannormanc@yahoo.ca

FELLOWSHIP NIGHT Hamilton Bible Fellowship will be holding its annual HBF night April 6 at 6 PM at Langtree School, Hamilton (Trenton), NJ. Doug Nearpass will be the guest. Doug was written up in Newsweek magazine last year and produced and hosted his own family radio program, “The Saturday Morning Kid’s Club with Dig Dag and Doug” on WWJD in New York City. The “Three Fold Chord” will provide special music.

Thomas Freeman 609-585-1835 tfreeman3@juno.com

TORONTO EASTER CONF. The Toronto Easter Conference is scheduled for March 29-30 at Port Credit Secondary School, 70 Mineola Road, Mississauga, ON (south of QEW, off Highway 10).

The invited speakers are Randy Amos (NY), James Cochrane (BC), and Arthur Dixon (ON). Meeting times are 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Childcare will be provided. A young

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speakers from the area. The meetings are scheduled for Saturday at 2:003:30; 3:45-5:15; 7:00-9:00. On April 7, the Breaking of Bread (9:45) will be followed by ministry 11:00-12:00 and 2:00-4:30. For more information: Ray Jones at 785-594-3374 rmjones@idir.net TAVISTOCK AREA CONF. Tavistock and area assemblies Spring Conference is scheduled, Lord willing, for April 13 from 9:30 until 4:30. Jim Comte (BC) is to minister on “How do we recognize and commend someone to fulltime work for the Lord at home and abroad?” and Ross Rainey on “Rapture and Revelation.” Meetings will be held at the Tavistock Mennonite Church.

Mike Bastiaansen, 519-475-4528 LOGANSPORT CONFERENCE The annual spring conference at Logansport Gospel Chapel, 321 Cliff Dr., Logansport IN, will be on April 20. The expected speaker is Art Auld (OH). Refreshments at 9:30 AM with the first session at 10; second session at 11. Lunch provided.

Ralph Garver 574-722-1012 Leegar@Lneti.com MILWAUKEE AREA CONF. The annual spring conference of Wauwatosa Bible Chapel will be held Saturday, April 20 from 10:00 until 4:00. Rex Trogdon has been invited to address the theme, “Proving Your Ministry.” Please reply before April 15 if you plan to attend.

Joanne Pelczynski 414-771-1030 wauwatosachapel@juno.com PALOS HILLS SPRING CONF. Palos Hills Christian Assembly (1006 South 88th Ave. Palos Hills,

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Mark Kolchin PO Box 305 Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734

IL) will hold its spring conference April 26-28 2002. The invited speakers are William MacDonald (CA), Roy Houghton (ON) and another (to be announced). For accommodations call Don Mowat at 630-789-1546.

For other conference information contact Bob Fiebig at 708-448-2552 rfiebig@ameritech.net

58th ANNUAL CONF. Lake Park Chapel (Belle Chasse, LA) will hold its 58th annual Bible conference May 4-5 with speakers Jeff Johnson (NC) and Bob Brown (LA). The meetings begin on Saturday, May 4 at 3:30.

Ray Cummings 504-394-3087 or 504-393-7083 ibelievegodslove@juno.com

WEEKEND IN THE WORD Tom Taylor will be the speaker at the annual Weekend in the Word conference to be held, Lord willing, on May 3-5 at the Bird-in-Hand Inn in Lancaster, PA. This conference will begin on Friday evening at 7:00 PM and conclude with a fellowship dinner on the Lord’s Day with the Monterey assembly. A special Saturday evening concert has been planned. The cost for the weekend is $149 (deluxe accommodations and all conference meals). For info: honeyrock@juno.com www.gospelcom.net/knowtheword To register, make checks payable to Honeyrock Ministries Inc. and send to:

VESSELS of HONOR 2002 The Vessels of Honor conference will be held, in the will of the Lord, Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27 on the campus of Baker University at Baldwin City, KS. This year’s theme will be “Vessels in His Hands” with an emphasis on personal growth and discipleship. The conference is open to singles and couples in the college and career age group (must be 18 to attend).

General Session speakers are Mike Attwood (GA), John Heller (AR), and John Bjorlie (MI). Seminar speakers: general session speakers plus Bill Wortman (AL), Jeff Erb (OK), Shelly Cowden (IA), Kimberly Moffitt (OK) and others.

Jim Lindamood at (918) 663-1121 jimlindamood@juno.com www.vesselsofhonor.org.

TNT TEAMS—IRELAND Teach and Testify (TnT) Teams is a missions opportunity (May 28-June 20) in Ireland. The teams use various methods of evangelism including door-to-door, open air, children’s and

Herbert “Toby” O'Bannon was born on August 15, 1939 in Valliant, Oklahoma.

Saved at an early age he became active in the Guthrie Gospel Chapel, OK in the 1960s which had been started as a result of tent meetings held by Tom McCullough and Leonard Lindsted in the 1950s. He went to be with the Lord, January 10 after fighting diabetes-related health problems with their subsequent surgeries, and finally a heart attack. He was involved in many avenues of spiritual service. His passion was spreading the gospel through Bible clubs, children’s work, tract distribution and camp work (Sooner Bible Camp, Ponca City, OK and other camps in Missouri and Colorado). He regularly visited a local nursing home for Bible study. One of his last projects was to stuff bags with tracts and calendars for a gospel outreach to the 4,000 homes of Guthrie during the months of October through December 2001.

A great love was playing and singing hymns. His voice could be distinctly heard in the meetings and he sang even while he was in the hospital during his last days. He said, “If God leaves me here I have plenty of work to do, and if He takes me I’m ready to go.” The words used to describe this dear brother at a memorial lunch were: a giving person, kind, steadfast, unmoving, merciful; a true loving gracious servant and one who showed abundant joy to all he knew. Everyone loved him and he sacrificed for many so they could see Christ and the love He had for them.

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CONFERENCE IN NY STATE Bellevue Gospel Chapel, Schenectady, NY, and Northway Bible Chapel in Clifton Park, NY, will hold an annual spring conference at Northway Bible Chapel on May 4-5, 2002. The speaker will be Michael Thomas, Director of Yonkers Gospel Mission. The meetings will begin Saturday, May 4 at 3:30 PM. For more information, contact: John E. Smith 518-861-6486 or 861-5022 johnesmith@aol.com

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friendship evangelism. They serve the local assemblies through many means including singing, testimonies, speaking, teaching children, and working with the Irish young people.

The cost is $1250 CDN or $850 US, not including airfare to Ireland.

Ron Hampton at 204-663-9628 TnTTeams@mts.net

LOOKING FOR FELLOWSHIP Mammoth Cave, KY A Christian couple living in Mammoth Cave, KY (between Nashville and Louisville, KY) are interested in meeting with other Christians in that area. Contact: Ellis Hahn at 270-286-8186 COMMENDATIONS Charles and Darlene Fizer Charles and Diane Fizer served the Lord is South Korea and Japan from 1966 to 1978.

Since 1981, Charlie has fulfilled the duties of director of Emmaus Correspondence School (Dubuque, IA). After much exercise of heart, Charlie has resigned from that position to take up an itinerant ministry among assemblies in North America, especially those which receive few visitors and little teaching.

The saints at Riverview Chapel (Hinton, WV), Welton Chapel (Allen Junction, WV) and Otsego Bible Chapel (Otsego, WV) join together in reaffirming their commendation to the Lord’s work.

LAKE GENEVA SUMMER CONF. Please note the corrected contact information for the Lake Geneva Summer Conference (Williams Bay, WI) to be held July 20-28, 2002: Brent Logan 317-259-9252 SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES Park of the Palms Park of the Palms, a Christian Retirement Community/Conference Center in NE Florida, is seeking an Administrator. In addition to residences, a 34-room Assisted Living Facility is available for residents who need some help.

The position requires that the candidate be a committed Christian with a desire to serve the Lord by serving older believers. In addition to a salary, housing will be provided.

James Harvey 352-473-4926 pop@techcomm.net

Sonny and Debi Williams The saints at Lawrence (KS) Bible Chapel announce the commendation of Sonny and Debi Williams to the grace of God and for His work at Turkey Hill Ranch Bible Camp (MO). The Williams have been in fellowship at Lawrence for many years and have been moved by the Lord to serve in camp ministry. The family moved to Turkey Hill in November.

ASSEMBLY INFORMATION Columbus, OH Please pray for the Lord’s blessing on the weekly prayer meeting that has started in Columbus, OH with the desire and intent to start an assembly.

If you know of anyone in the area that might be interested or if you would like more information, contact: Abraham George at 614-529-0232 sageorge99@yahoo.com Thomas Pucheril at 614-766-0021 tpucheril@hotmail.com

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Carl and Marilyn McKelvey The elders of Cherry River Gospel Chapel (Orford, Quebec) wish to confirm the commendation of Carl and Marilyn McKelvey to the work of the Lord at Parkside Ranch as well as children’s work at Cherry River K

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Gospel Chapel.

Since 1878 Carl and Marilyn have been active in the work at the assembly, especially with children’s outreach and at Parkside Ranch.

Raye and Bev Harrington The assembly at Hillside Bible Chapel (Orillia, ON) commends Raye and Bev Harrington to the Lord’s work. They have been in fellowship for more than a year, during which time Raye ministered from the Word of God and through music (with Bev). Their encouraging manner has been evident at all times.

They have travelled throughout the Gaspé, Ontario, and southern US and now are willing to serve the Lord’s people as He leads.

Boushra Mikhael The believers at Bridlewood Bible Chapel (Kanata, ON) commend Dr. Mikhael to full-time service in the Lord’s work, preaching and teaching the Word of God. He was an elder at Rideauview (Ottawa) Bible Chapel for more than 25 years and has been faithful in camp ministry and as a teacher of God’s Word.

HOMECALLS Lawrence Adsett Born in England, Lawrence Adsett moved with his family to Canada when he was two years old. He lived his adult life with his wife Bertha and their children in Moncton, NB. Born again at 26, Lawrence was a faithful and beloved part of the assembly in Moncton. His gift in teaching the Word and preaching the gospel was much appreciated. He served as an elder into his 80s, and his life reflected a kind heart and a depth of wisdom deeply apreciated.

The Lord called brother Adsett home on December 11, 2001.

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On January 4 a fire destroyed the Emmaus building in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. With the exception of the walls, columns, and beams, everything else was 90% damaged by fire or water. Most material in the building was lost: printing press equipment, medical equipment, medicines, Emmaus and Everyday Publications courses, computers, desks, files, shelving, chairs, accounting records, tracts, hymnals, evangelical literature and many other things.

Rebuilding is currently underway. By January 24, all four floors of the building had been cleared and during the week of January 28, a Canadian construction team helped to put on a new roof. It will probably take several months to get the facility operational again.

The administrative tasks, the medical clinic, and the Bible correspondence courses have been temporarily moved into the home of David and Mary Dominguez. The loss of work materials, office equipment and documents makes everything require extra effort. Fellowship may be forwarded through CMML (P. O. Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762). Also there is a need for skilled workers including electricians and welders.

—David Dominguez more than 500,000 people.

Etsea travelled to Uganda to obtain visas for a speaking tour in North America and Britain when the car was ambushed. He stepped out of the car, and was shot.

It is thought Etsea may have been mistaken for a businessmen who was be

BROTHER SLAIN Etsea Anga’posa was killed January 16 in Uganda.

He was President of CECA for about 20 years. This church group was established by the Africa Inland Mission, (now nationalized to African leadership), includes around 3000 local churches and

ISTS ERROR e T o t ND ice of th , FRIE JESUS l years, The Vo book by era hing a For sev n publis ed Jesus, e e b s a h tl Martyrs urmbrand enti uary, the W an d J r a n I h ted Ric rists. o r r distribu e T ly e to id d n w ia, Frie was Colomb edition in h e is s n n a Sp from respo ies uffered cellent with ex that has long s ousands of cop h y T tive a countr of terrorism. no nega en dish cts it e f w f e d e th ve be ibute who ha en distr e ts b c out the e ta v n a h used ab M co th O n V e . e o s , they es respon ooks ar ge of the book b e th g s to tributin and the messa re copie o m 0 n 0 o recepti ould use 100,0 ntry. c the cou say they pact on im n a make

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carrying gold or diamonds.

Estea was a deeply spiritual man. He demonstrated a great deal of wisdom in dealing with the tribal issues among the local Christians. His leadership and godly example will be greatly missed by the church in the Congo.

COVERAG E of BUR NHAM’S New Tribe PLIGHT s Mission has seen a response fo tremendou llowing the s news prog ing kidnap rams regard ped missio nari Gracia Bu rnham in th es Martin and e Philippin story on 48 es. CBS’s Hours “acc urately port difficult, d rayed the a n gerous con and Gracia ditions tha are in, and t Martin some of th that family e frustratio members a ns nd N Further co verage of th TM have faced…” given on a e hostages’ CBS morn ing news sh plight was morning p ow and a C rogram on NN January 22 Pray that th . e increased bring abou aw areness wil t the release l help of the Burn Philippine hams and nurse Deb orah Yap. P House wil ray that the l continue White to press fo r their free dom.

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Via Magazine is a full-color, 22-page Reader’s Digest size magazine which is an excellent resource to be used for gospel outreach. It can be used in mass distribution or for one-on-one witnessing. In 2001, 486,600 magazines were sent out.

The latest issue contains articles, stories, testimonies and a clear gospel presentation. The “Two Roads” chart is in the center and the back page offers a variety of free literature.

If you have a way to profitably use Via magazine, they will happily send you the quantities you can use. No bill is sent for the magazine, but the cost of printing and shipping is about $0.12 (Canadian) per copy.

NEWS OF QUEBEC In the December issue of News of Quebec, Don and Beth Cox report that they have been encouraged with the Lord’s blessing on the Assemblée Chrétienne de Jonquiere. Each winter they enjoy a week of intense Bible study (morning and evening) for the local Christians and visitors.

They are following up on contacts made during the outreach that took place last summer in the nearby town of Alma when 15,000 Seed Sowers texts were distributed with help from people from Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. School facilities have been rented for various meetings and activities. Lord willing, a permanent testimony will be established there with the involvement of a few couples from the Jonquiére assembly, including some already living in Alma.

Box 551 Portage La Prairie, MB R1N 3B9 Canada viamagazine@mb.sympatico.ca

Soccer 2002: The Ultimate Goal In 1994, Pedro Dillon of DIME produced a 12-page evangelistic booklet called Up for the Cup for the World Cup soccer tournament. 1,700,000 booklets were printed; since then 4,746 requests for free Bible study courses have been received from people in 63 nations (in 22 languages).

Please pray for a similar outreach which will be taking place in May 2002 at the World Cup in Korea and Japan. It is proposed that 500,000 booklets will be printed (9¢ each).

If you are interested in helping to produce or distribute these booklets, contact: Pedro Dillon, DIME, P. O. Box 490, Cupertino, CA 95014 dillon@dime.org

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QUOTE UNQUOTE The Washington Times made note of the sign posted on the back door of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America office in Washington, DC: “No Deliveries.”

—World ISRAEL UNDER SIEGE In a statement to the press on Sunday, February 10, Israeli police commissioner Shlomo Ahronishki reported a 337% increase in terrorist attacks in 2001 as compared with the preceding year. There was a total of 1,794 assaults which left 208 Israelis dead and 1,563 injured. The figures covered: • 603 bombings • 367 mortar firings • 236 shooting attacks • 503 others (including firebombs, stabbings, etc.)

Almost half the attacks were staged along Jerusalem’s main roads and shopping areas.

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The Value of Discipling Two men speak about the influence of one man of God on them.

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JEFF JOHNSON: I grew up in a non-Christian home and was saved as a senior in college. I spent the next two years in a fundamental Bible church before making what I consider one of the greatest discoveries I’ve ever made—the New Testament assembly. For the last two years of my schooling I was in fellowship in an assembly near Chapel Hill, NC. At the end of those two years, I moved to New Orleans to do a two-year residency program. Just before I moved to New Orleans, I was at a Southeast Worker’s Conference where I heard and met a man by the name of Vernon Schlief. I heard that he was involved in a discipleship program and I saw a brochure which described the program that he was offering. Saved four years, two years in the assembly, it sounded like something from which I could benefit. When I went to New Orleans, I moved right into the same neighborhood as the Schliefs and began the discipleship training program. I spent two years being discipled by this godly man.

Vernon Schlief is one of my heroes of the faith.

I think of him as a modern day George Mueller.

He was a real man of faith. His faith was used by God in a mighty way in the Deep South in seeing hundreds of people saved and many assemblies planted. He had a serviceman’s center, a boys’ home, and was used in a mighty way, particularly in the decades that he spent discipling young men.

There is no way I can tell you how much that helped me. I am not the same person. The time spent with this man of God made an eternal impact on my life.

My wife and I met with him every week. He fed us lunch on Sunday and then we spent the whole afternoon talking with him. During the week we studied the Scriptures and made outlines of what we were learning. On Sunday afternoon we would present our outlines and talk about the Lord, talk about our week, talk about whatever was on our hearts. We went to meeting in the evening and then back to his house so he could U

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BOB BROWN: I was in the navy, and thirty-two years old when I got saved. Some time after, I received in the mail a notice of a discipleship program with Vernon Schlief and thought, “I would like to learn the Bible.” It was for young men—I wasn’t. It was for people who lived in Mr. Schlief’s area—I didn’t. He was thinking of some single young men who could move there, get a part time job, and spend time with him. I was none of those things.

I told him, “I would really like to learn the Bible. Would you teach me?” He said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you come over and have dinner with me and I’ll find out.” He asked me a lot of questions: Was I serious? Was I willing to spend a minimum of one hour a day on my own digging in the Scriptures? Was I willing to be at every meeting whenever the doors were open? Was I willing to make a commitment to the things of God in my life and make my life count? I was, so he agreed to meet with me for three hours a week.

Tuesday was my night. I’d leave work at 3:45 and go to the Schlief’s bookstore. I’d browse around, following Mr. Schlief wherever he went. I observed what he did, what he said, how he dressed, who he talked to, how he talked to them, how he carried himself. I watched everything about him. Then we would go to his house where his wife, Gladys, served us dinner and we would talk about the Lord’s things—how they got there, where they came from, what they had done. I got to know the man. I didn’t think I was learning Scripture, but actually I was learning how Christianity comes out in a life. It’s not dead words in a book—it’s living and more powerful than anything we’ve ever seen. It changes lives.

You don’t learn that in a classroom.

Then we would go to his Bible study room and for a couple of hours we would talk. When we sat down, he’d asked, “So how did your week go, Bob?” The first hour or so was spent talking about my week. “Well, this guy poked me and I was ready to rip his head off...” “What do you think

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feed us again. He was a generous man. For two years, this man poured his heart and soul into our lives and made a tremendous impact on us.

I finished my residency program and moved to a little town called Reidsville, NC—about 15,000 population. We were in fellowship thirty minutes away at Shannon Hills Bible Chapel in Greensboro. At the end of a nine-year period, the Lord put a burden into the hearts of four couples to see a New Testament assembly started in our town of Reidsville. All four of us had connections to Reidsville. We began by having Bible studies in my office. The Lord blessed. After about two years of Bible study, we started meeting as a local church in a rented room in the YMCA. After seven years of meeting there (about four years ago) we built a new building. The Lord has really blessed our assembly. Our group is around 100110 people on the Lord’s Day and probably about 75 on Wednesday nights.

One of the things we’ve seen in our assembly that has been a real blessing is personal discipleship. It has pervaded our assembly. We have quite a bit going on—both men and women are meeting one-on-one, investing themselves in the lives of other believers.

I have been fortunate to see discipleship from both ends: I’ve received the benefit in my own life and I’ve seen it from the giving end. I am here to testify to the tremendous value that it can be in the life of a believer.

Who would not have benefitted from someone coming along, taking you under their wing, and helping you along in the Christian life? I think we can all identify with that.

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the Lord would have done in that situation?” We weren’t even in the Book yet—we just talked about life and how the Word applies to life’s circumstances.

He made me buy a steno pad. Down one half of the paper, I would write questions from the things I had been studying during the week. After we talked about my week, he would say, “Well, do you have your pad?” I’d open it up and we’d start with the questions. “Where did Cain get his wife?

Can God make a rock that He can’t lift?”

Sometimes he would say, “Bob, those are questions that unsaved people ask when they’re trying to put God in a box. Our God is bigger than any box. I remember the time when the men from the servicemen’s center were staying here. We didn’t have a bit of food and I prayed and do you know what happened? A ship ran aground on the curve of the Mississippi River. In order to lighten the ship they had to throw bananas overboard. We ate bananas for a month—fried bananas, banana sandwiches, raw bananas. Can God make a rock that He can’t lift? I don’t know. But He can make a ship run aground in a place that it has never since run aground in order to feed a bunch of men.” During those times I learned that God is real, faith is real and Scripture isn’t just words on a page. It is real and it changes life.

I thought, “That’s the God I want to know.

That’s the God I want to serve—not the big, faraway God that I learned about at the fancy church where I grew up.” I wanted some excitement and He is an exciting God. He is bigger than any box and you don’t learn that just by reading words.

You learn it by living it out.

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The Value of Discipling These are some of the salient points made during the seminar on Discipling at the recent Uplook Rise Up conference in Indianapolis.

Discipling stimulates disciplined study and spiritual growth in all involved. Knowing that someone is going to meet with you every week and they are supposed to be prepared for whatever you’re studying promotes discipline. The person who is doing the discipling needs to be ready as well. It will help in your own Bible study.

It trains future leaders. If our assemblies are going to continue and flourish, we need to be involved in raising up men and women to take on the roles that will carry on the assembly. This is tremendously important.

It encourages the development of gift. When I moved to New Orleans, I had never done any public speaking.

I had taken one speech course in college and I almost died; it was the worst experience of my life. As I met with Mr. Schlief, I would share things that I had appreciated about the Lord Jesus Christ. He would say, “That’s the kind of thing that is appropriate to share at the Lord’s Supper.” He helped me along and was a tremendous encouragement. At our Sunday evening meetings, we often would have 15-20 minutes at the

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end for different ones to share a little word. He gave us younger men the opportunity to share a testimony and to just get on our feet publicly. I don’t think I would have done anything in a public way if it had not been for this help and encouragement.

It teaches aspects of leadership not readily taught via preaching, such as witnessing and visitation. In Ephesians 4, we’re taught that we are to equip the saints in the work of the ministry. Thank God for good solid preaching and expository teaching of the Word of God, but there are many aspects of the ministry that cannot be taught from behind a podium. Effective evangelism techniques is one of those things. I like onthe-job training. You teach people in the classroom, but then take them out and they watch you do it. When they become comfortable, they do it. That’s discipleship.

The same thing applies for visitation. How do people learn how to visit? You take them with you.

It provides insight into the spiritual maturity, character, and knowledge of the student. One of the men that I’m meeting with now is the most shy person I have ever met. He has been in fellowship for about three years now and he thinks the New Testament assembly is the greatest thing he has ever discovered.

He is so excited about New Testament truth, but he is shy and I never would have known how much he understands about the Scriptures had I not been meeting with him one-on-one. He is not a public sort of a person, but within the last year or so he is beginning to take part in

“My tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness…all the day long” (Ps. 35:28).

Michelle, the night manager at the front desk of the hotel where Rise Up and Work was held was encouraged to work with a group of Christians for the week. At the end of the conference, she shared her story: She was raised in a godless home in Grand Rapids, MI, where soon she became addicted to drugs and alcohol and had foul language. One night in desperation she cried out, “God, if You’re real, I need You to change my life and my language.”

The next morning she was eating breakfast in a restaurant when a gentleman walked in whom she had never seen before. He walked over to her table, gave her a daily devotional booklet and walked away. When she looked at the meditation for that day, it dealt with having our speech glorify the Lord. It was a clear answer to her prayer from the previous night: now she knew there was a God. Soon after, Michelle accepted Christ as her personal Saviour and is now seeking to live for Him. Pray that she will be encouraged and strengthened.

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the Lord’s Supper. I am trying to encourage him along because he knows the Book. There is a work in progress going on. I’m not saying the Lord wants to make a platform speaker out of him, but at least you find out where a person is at.

It just won’t do to stand behind the pulpit and preach New Testament principles and then our young people get to be 18, 19 or 20, and off they go to join some community church. Then we sit back and say, “Well, I guess they never got it.” That’s not good enough. We have to get involved and find out what they’re thinking, what they understand. Help them along and once they get ahold of the truth of the New Testament assembly and the Holy Spirit impresses it on their heart, they will be committed for life.

Jeff Johnson

It establishes accountability. This is something that goes without saying and I think it is often lacking today.

Vernon Schlief

It builds relationships and unity within the body.

Our assembly is a big family and I think one of the things that has promoted the spirit of unity is the fact that there is so much discipleship going on. We view ourselves as a big family. We can’t be a family if we don’t know each other. And we can’t know each other if we don’t spend time together.

It provides opportunity for regular fellowship, counsel, and exhortation.

It demonstrates the leaders’ commitment to the future of the assembly. They understand that we mean business. Ours was a pioneer work and we are raising up leadership so that, if the Lord tarries, there will be people to take our place. If we don’t get a vision for that, we’re in real trouble. It is a thrill to see leadership come along. A few weeks ago, I noticed on a particular Lord’s Day that there were five of our men preaching in different assemblies. That thrilled my heart. We have three elders now, and it doesn’t happen often but sometimes we’ll all be gone away preaching on a particular Lord’s Day and when we get back they love to tell us how we weren’t missed! “You should have been at that worship meeting! It was great!” they tell us. That’s music to our ears. That’s joy to a shepherd’s heart—to see these people coming along and ultimately to work ourselves out of a job.

It gives personal satisfaction from seeing spiritual growth in others. How do you put a price tag on that?

It is such a joy. I met with a man for about three-anda-half years, and recently he began meeting with a young man named Todd who is new to the assembly.

Todd has embraced the truth in a tremendous way and he has been a great encouragement to us. The other Wednesday night he had a chance to speak and he talked about the keys to spiritual growth: the importance of the Word of God, the importance of prayer, and the importance of worship. I sat back listening to him and I was just beaming. He is a math teacher at the high school, probably in his late twenties and he is a fine fellow. I see how much he has grown from this brother working with him and encouraging him and now he’s on his feet at the Lord’s Supper. These things are absolutely vital if we’re going to see our assemblies carry on and go forward.

I want to encourage you to get involved. Pick someone and make it known that you’re willing to help, to get involved with them. Maybe you want to start smaller. Pick a teen and tell him, “I want you to know that I’m going to commit to praying for you.” Maybe get together once a month or so and share a meal together or give them a good book to read; then follow up on it.

Or give them a good tape to listen to. The important thing is to get started, be consistent, and then look to the Lord for His blessing.

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Christ’s Plan for the Church You can’t improve on it

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The church is composed of those “who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:2). They are “God’s people” (1 Pet. 2:10). The Bible calls them “saints” (Phil. 5), “believers” (1 Cor. 14:22), and “Christians” (Acts 11:26). It describes them as “saved” (Eph. 2:8), “ransomed” (1 Pet. 1:18), “forgiven” (1 Jn. 2:12), at “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1), and “holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4).

DOES GOD HAVE A SPECIFIC DESIGN FOR THE CHURCH? In the New Testament we find an inspired record of the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the church.

There He shows us the church in operation, particularly in the book of Acts.

He also tells us in the New Testament of its foundational principles.

These are recorded primarily in the epistles.

This is similar to the way God revealed the order of Israel’s worship. First God showed Moses in a vision the tabernacle that he was to build, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain” (Heb. 8:5). Then God told Moses how to build it, describing the tabernacle in every detail (Ex. 25-40).

The model which God shows us for the church in the New Testament is marked by simplicity. The disciples preached the gospel. Some believed and were baptized (Acts 2:41). The apostles gathered these new believers into groups—assemblies of God’s people.

These early Christians devoted themselves to the study of the apostles’ teaching, sharing their lives with one another, remembering the Lord with bread and wine, and praying (Acts 2:42).

Scripture refers to each group of Christians by the city or town in which it was located: “the church in U

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Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1), “the church at Antioch” (Acts 13:1), “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2). We sometimes call these local churches to distinguish them from the church as a whole, the universal church. Scripture refers to them collectively as “the churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16).

The epistles tell us that the universal church is one: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:4-5). Paul writes: “We, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Rom. 12:5).

This means that regardless of a person’s church affiliation, all born again believers having been baptized by the Holy Spirit, and are one in Christ.

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE CHURCH? Ruling the worldwide church is Christ Himself. “He is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18), the “chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4), and “high priest” (Heb. 8:1). In all things, therefore, He is to be “pre-eminent” (Col. 1:18).

Christ has ordained elders, also known as bishops, to serve under Him over each local church (Acts 14:23). The Greek word translated “elders” is presbuteroi. It means older men, indicating the spiritual maturity required for the position. The qualifications for the position are found in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7. “Bishops” is the translation of episkopoi, literally meaning overseers. This word has their function in view. They supervise the people and ministries of the church. We can see the nature of their calling in Paul’s exhortation to the elders of the church of Ephesus: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which He obtained with the blood of His own Son” (Acts 20:28). Note that it is the Holy Spirit who makes an overseer, not the apostles or the church.

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Scripture instructs Christians to follow the leadership of the elders of the church. “Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb. 13:17).

Assisting the elders are deacons. They are servants of the church, not a subordinate tier of leaders. Paul lists the qualification of a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

Deacons serve in various ministries, such as distributing food to the needy (Acts 6:1-6).

In the New Testament, there is no further governmental structure to the local or universal church. We might picture the structure of Christ’s design for the worldwide church as follows: Serving Christ, together with the elders and deacons, are the other members of the church. The Holy Spirit, Scripture tells us, has given each Christian a spiritual gift for the common good (1 Cor. 12:1-7).

This is a supernatural ability for service. It involves ministries such as teaching, shepherding, evangelizing, exhorting, giving, leading, helping, and showing mercy (Rom. 12:4-8; Eph. 4:11). As each person does his or her part, they build up one another in the faith. The church matures and becomes more like Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CHURCH? The importance of the church can be seen in Paul’s description of his ministry for the Lord. He writes: “To

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me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things” (Eph. 3:8-9).

Here we see that Paul had a two-fold calling. First, he was “to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.” This is the proclamation of the gospel—Christ crucified, buried, raised, and glorified.

In the book of Acts we read of how Paul tirelessly spread the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the Mediterranean region.

Paul continues in his letter to the Ephesians to describe the second half of his ministry: “…and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God.” This refers to the church. Wherever people responded to the preaching of the gospel, Paul gathered them together, exhorted them to care for one another, appointed elders to watch over them, and commended them to the keeping of the Holy Spirit.

Even as with the great apostle, this should be the focus of our ministry for the Lord. We should give our lives to the spread of the gospel and the building up of the church. One is a message to be proclaimed; the other is an organism to be brought into being. In this way God will be glorified and others will come to know Him, mature in Christ, and enjoy eternity with Him in heaven forever.

—excerpted from a seminar at Rise Up & Build.

The Best News on a Very Bad Day Going for the meals at the conference was like going to another country because so many of the servers were from different places in the world. Becky was a very sweet young lady from England, doing her internship in the United States. She had only been there a few months, and the night that I met her, it was one of those terrible, awful, no good, just plain bad nights for her. Nothing seemed to be going right. She dropped on the floor one of those big trays piled high with dishes. I could tell that she was about to cry. I talked with her a bit later so I wouldn't rattle her more than she was at the moment. She confided that she was homesick. She said, “I miss me mum.”

I gave her a heart pin and explained the gospel from the stones, and later the next day I gave her the tract that goes with it. She seemed genuinely appreciative for both the pin and a listening ear.

Maybe she had a mother home praying for her.

But I know for sure that that terrible, no good, awful, just plain bad day turned out to be the day that she heard the best news that she will ever receive. Pray that she will not forget that day, that pin, that good news that was given to her and that she will receive the wonderful gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Priestly Worship How remembrance is carried out in the Lord’s Supper.

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Singing: This is a wonderful part of the Lord’s Supper. If you read through the Psalms, you see that singing was a large part of the worship experience then as well. Singing can lend an element of unity to a gathering—binding us together in common thoughts. It can stir your heart in devotion.

However, it should be remembered that singing is the vicarious assumption of someone else’s sentiments. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because sometimes we get to a point where we’re not sure how to articulate what is on our heart. Some people have been especially equipped to express the feelings of the heart, so we take their sentiments as our own. But when it comes down to it, it is still their sentiment.

On the negative side, singing can distract us. It can become a merely soulish experience. We’re there to worship the Lord in spirit and truth. Singing can become vain repetition or we can lose concentration.

Sometimes I wonder how we can sing our way through some hymns and not weep. They often contain tremendous thoughts, but we can breeze right over them.

The soul is that part of us which includes the seat of our emotions. The involvement of the emotions, of our soul, is something we need in our worship meetings.

We should come before the Lord with a sense of joy tinged with sorrow as we recognize the great sacrifice that was given on our behalf. But if we come to that meeting out of mere duty, and leave it with disappointment, something is wrong. It should be a time of joy when God’s people can truly sing praise to the Lord.

Perhaps singing should be the first step in a series of ascents that bring us closer to the Lord in worship. It is good at the start of a meeting for us to have some hymns that get our minds directed. The man who gives out the first hymn needs to be a spiritually discerning man, because often that first hymn sets the theme for the meeting. Hopefully everyone has been preparing beforehand and the Holy Spirit has all of this worship ready to play in tune. If the first hymn is just right, it will bring our hearts together and lead them along.

As the meeting progresses, after the saints are focused, I think there should be a diminshing of the

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number of hymns. The closer we come to passing the bread and wine, the closer we will draw to the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think it comes to a point where we’re just bowing in reverence. We arrive at the place of silent adoration and prayer.

It’s a great thing to adopt someone else’s sentiments and sing these great words, “Oh for a thousand tongues to sing…” but what the Lord is looking for is for you to say right from the heart, “I love You, Lord. I worship You this morning.” That’s what He desires, if expressed in spirit and truth. We need to get past Lord’s Suppers that are merely sing-songs.

Biblical Meditations: It is appropriate in the Lord’s Supper to have someone read from the Scriptures. The Word of God is full of the Lord Jesus Christ. He tells us that Himself in Luke 24. It is a primary source to remind us of events in the Lord’s life. It’s good to read over the story of the crucifixion of our Lord. It reminds us of His Person.

Unfortunately, often when someone opens up the Scriptures, it becomes a teaching or exhortational message. When that happens, it is directed towards the audience. Bible reading can be given in a worshipful way, stirring up adoration in our hearts, but I’m not sure that even this is pure worship. The speaker can become the focus—we may get caught up with how effectively someone is expressing their thoughts. And it can consume an inordinate share of the meeting.

As well, too many speakers can create confusion and a loss of theme. It takes great discernment for someone to read something out of the Scriptures and make comments about it. Yet when the Word of God falls on the ears of the listeners, the Spirit will draw out the things of the Lord Jesus Christ that He wants us to think about at that particular moment.

Prayer: Prayer is a wonderful thing as it reflects your own sentiments concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course sometimes we take the thoughts of others (every one of us is a compendium of things that we’ve heard throughout our lives). Prayer requires full concentration—we can’t let our minds wander. And it

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can become vain repetition—if we merely repeat well-worn sayings week after week. Someone can say the same thing from week to week and it still be a true expression of their heart, but each time it should come in the freshness of present enjoyment.

Be careful that the subject matter is appropriate: worship is a time to be focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, not asking for blessing, etc.

True, heart-felt prayer is an outward expression of the highest form of worship that we can offer. When a man expresses his worship to the Lord, he is taking the highest place that he can take as a human being. The most significant thing that you can do as a human being is to offer your personal worship to the almighty God of heaven, whether audibly or inaudibly.

We live in an age of women’s rights and feminism within the church, as well as in society. Yet as women silently offer their worship, they bring great delight to the heart of God, obeying the standards which He has established in His Word. I wonder what it is going to be like, sister, at the Judgment Seat of Christ when the Lord Himself calls you forth to receive of the gold you have brought when you worshiped silently at the Lord’s Supper? It is going to be a stunning moment. If you read through the Scriptures you will see that those who seemed the most spiritually sensitive were often women. You have brought much delight to God’s heart.

For both men and women, that time spent in silent worship is precious—unalloyed by any other human when you lift up your heart and simply say, “Lord Jesus Christ, I love You because of who You are and because of what You have done.”

That is what the Lord’s Supper is all about. It is coming together and seeing the Holy Spirit bring our attention to some aspect of Christ and the work that He has done. We sing hymns and then perhaps someone reads an appropriate passage or two, but throughout, one brother after another gets up and worships.

Some have the idea that the Lord’s Supper is a passive, corporate experience, that is, for the most part I am going to sit and “take in”—I’m going to listen to what other people have to say. The Lord’s Supper should be an active, individual experience, and then it will become a blessed corporate experience. You should be coming there as if you were all alone and that hour is your time to adore the Lord Jesus Christ. The hymns that are given out, the scriptures that are read, and the corporate prayer that is offered do help to draw us in, but it remains an individual experience.

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Sometimes men give out a hymn ten or fifteen minutes into the meeting and then think, “That’s it for me.” We lean back and maybe let our mind wander—we’re no longer a part of the process.

God asks us to come once a week and we should mentally be a part of that meeting. How often do we sit there and not concentrate, allowing our mind to wander? Whether you say anything or not, your mind should be focused on Christ for that time. Can I not give one hour to the Lord of glory, to think of Him and let thoughts of Him flood through my soul?

God’s people need to take some time to prepare beforehand. When you think of the offerings in the Old Testament, how could it ever be that someone would just walk up and say, “I’m ready to offer. What do I need to do?” That was unheard of!

We wouldn’t approach anything else like that in life, either! If you’re going to have something to offer in worship, it’s going to take preparation beforehand.

Whether or not you participate audibly, you should be prepared. That involves letting the Holy Spirit take the Word of God and apply it to your heart to give you something of Christ to offer to the Lord. The night beforehand, we should examine ourselves and confess things so that when we come to the Lord, we’re right morally to worship Him. I think every assembly should have a class for new converts and those who are interested as to the function and form of a Lord’s Supper where an elder or someone who is capable teaches what worship truly is. Some people can be in fellowship in a local assembly and break bread every Sunday for years without having proper teaching on worship.

Public teaching is good, but nothing compensates for one-on-one teaching. These things need to be done carefully and kindly, but they need to be done. We can’t expect people to operate in ignorance about what worship is. Sometimes people go home and lament, “That just wasn’t worship.” Or, “That just wasn’t right.”

Don’t lament. Do something practical about it. Sit down together with some of the young people or new converts and explain the principles of worship.

We need positive encouragement from some of the older believers. It a wonderful thing when someone says, “You know, young man, I really enjoyed what you had to say this morning. It was a blessing to my soul. It stirred up my own worship.” May the Lord help us learn the way inside the veil, and finding our way there often, to worship in spirit and truth.

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Room for Improvement?

Since you asked…

Some people wonder why we arrange the conferences the way we do. These Frequently Asked Questions were compiled from conference evaluations and personal conversations with conference attendees:

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Q: Why do you hold the conference in such a luxurious hotel? Couldn’t more people afford to come if it was held in a cheaper motel or on a college campus?

A: It is very difficult to find a location large enough to accommodate 1000+ people with sufficient meeting space for sessions and meals. Motel 6 doesn’t cater to large groups. We have searched for other options but have not found anything else suitable. Aside from the meals, the cost of the conference is extremely low, especially when you look at the value received.

Q: Why is the conference held during the Christmas holidays? Wouldn't it be better to have it some time that isn't so difficult to be away from family?

A: For many people, especially teens and college students it is the only time of the year when they are not in school or tied to a job. Summer time conflicts with Bible camp time and spring breaks differ.

Q: Could you include more special music and testimonies in the general sessions?

A: It’s a good idea as long as the time allotted to the ministry of the Word doesn’t suffer. Especially testimony times can run away with the clock.

Q: How do you choose the location for the conference? Where will the next one be held?

A: The choice of location is a complex one. We look for a location that can reasonably accommodate a group of our size, in a larger city with good air connections and has rooms available for us over the preferred dates.

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So far we have stayed within the Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky area as it is within reasonable driving distance for a significant number of assemblies.

Q: Would you consider having a conference in Canada? With the exchange on the dollar, it seems that it would be cheaper for everyone.

A: Yes, although the savings are not as great as you might think. Also it is very difficult to convince people in the southern states to travel to Canada in the winter time. Bad weather could adversely affect a conference.

Q: Have you ever thought about offering sessions for children?

A: Yes. So far it has seemed advisable to encourage parents to come without their children so that they are better able to benefit from the conference ministry without the distraction of caring for little children.

However, we may consider that approach for the next conference. Anyone volunteering to look after 500 kids for three days?

Q: How do you select seminar topics and leaders?

A: It isn’t an easy thing. Like playing a musical instrument “by ear,” some people know how to do something without being able to explain how to do it.

And we don’t simply want someone who thinks they can handle the topic; we want someone to whom their subject is a way of life. But we are always open to suggestions as to seminar leaders and subjects.

Q: How do you set the rates for the conference?

A: The rates are set so that all conference costs are covered along with a reasonable amount to cover the time spent by the Uplook staff. Usually the “quad” rate is slightly subsidized to make it easier for young people to attend.

Q: Is there a deficit from the 2001 conference?

A: Due to some generous gifts from the Lord’s people, we are thankful the deficit has been eliminated.

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The Divine Order of Scripture What is the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ?

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Genesis 12, and throughout the rest of the Bible (but specifically through Exodus 18), we have the Covenant, the promise to Abraham. The rest of the Bible revolves around this covenant. From Exodus 19 all the way through to Malachi at the end of the Old Testament, you have the commandments, that is the law containing the commandments, the covenant of law, which is the commandments as we know them.

The rest of the Old Testament is concerned somewhat with that.

When you get to the New Testament, and into the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—the theme is that Christ, the Messiah has come. Then from the book of Acts and through the epistles to Revelation chapter 3, the main subject there is the Church, the body of Christ. And from Revelation chapters 4–20, you’ll see the conquest, the great conquest of the Lord. Finally, in the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21–22, you’ll see the consummation of the eternal plan.

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“According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:11). According to this verse, God has an eternal purpose. Some translations will call it “the purpose of the ages.” From eternity past, there was nothing haphazard about what happened.

The Lord did not see Israel rejecting His Son, and say “Look at that, Gabriel, I must do something or they’ll crucify My Son.” Of course, nothing like that ever happened.

God had an eternal purpose which He ordained for us in Jesus Christ our Lord, and that eternal purpose is revealed to us in the Bible. It is an orderly revelation. From Genesis to Revelation there is a flow of thought that reveals God is completely in control of what is planned—the purpose of the ages, in Christ Jesus the Lord.

In the first two chapters of Genesis the subject of the Creation is brought before us. In Genesis 3–11 we see the corruption of man, the resulting corruption of God’s creation, and his condemnation. Then in

What’s in a Name?

I love Jewish people and pray for opportunities to give the gospel to them. On the first morning [of the conference] as I was getting my juice, a lovely waitress was assisting. I asked her name. She answered but I didn’t understand because the sound was nothing like the letters printed on her nametag. Finally, after four attempts, she spelled it for me and all I recognized was the last part (Dalit). I responded, “Oh, I know Dalit. Are you Jewish?” She was! Her name is Ildalit. I gave her a BIG Southern/Christian hug and we chatted for a long time about Israel, etc. I made a point to chat with her at each meal. That night she called me over to introduce me to her sister, Lolimar. I told them both how much I loved Jewish people and was so thrilled to meet them. The next morning a beautiful older lady was serving at the tea and coffee table. How she knew I don’t know, but she asked me if I knew her two daughters. She was the mother, Mareila. They are from Venezuela. I had the most delightful and beautiful opportunity to give each one of them the gospel individually along with a heart pin/tract. They were thrilled! (I wrote the Marriott to commend their friendliness and good service.)

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1. Creation— “In the beginning, God…” (Genesis 1–2) Man (male and female) created in the image of God But does “man” love God and have the desire and power to withstand evil?

Can God obtain an eternal companion and fellowship with such a creature?

2. Condemnation—“Now the serpent…” (Genesis 3–11) The fall of “man” into sin and death With the conscience of good and evil, “man” demonstrates himself corrupt The judgment of flesh (the first race)—a remnant saved to refill earth 3. Covenant—“Now the Lord…” (Genesis 12–Exodus 18) Covenant of Promise to form a new race A seed that will produce a new nation A nation whose seed will bless all nations Formation and maintaining of the seed that will bless 4. Commandments—“Ye shall be unto Me a…holy nation” (Exodus 19–Malachi) Covenant of Law to constitutionalize a new nation Failure of nation (first race) to know God by law First race rejected God in a book First race now exposed as extremely corrupt The seed to bless continues through David’s royal line 5. Christ—“I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me” (Matthew–John) The promised seed (King-Messiah) has come—Son of God-Son of Man First race now rejects God in a body The people with law crucify the King First race now revealed as totally corrupt New Covenant of Grace established Seed rises from the dead with a new body 6. Church—“Conformed to the image of His Son…firstborn among many brethren” (Acts–Revelation 3) The risen seed becomes Head of all things The Head forms a body out of the first race: new man and creation New man created by His gospel of redemption and Spirit of renewing The new race grows in numbers and maturity Word, Spirit and assembly are channels of growth The new race loves God and has power to function in the midst of the Serpent’s domain 7. Conquest—“The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord” (Rev. 4–20) The Head returns to the air for His body The body is now transformed bodily to be like Him: glorified Judgment falls on the first race—an earthly remnant protected and saved to refill earth The fullness of the Lord (new race) returns to earth to eradicate the power of the first race The Serpent is removed The new race is honored and now reigns with the King on the earth God’s law and order (justice) are enforced for 1,000 years 8. Consummation—“I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Revelation 21–22) All forms of sin, death and first race are gone—no more curse An eternal companion for the Son who loves and fellowships with God “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all”

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The Blessed Hope through History The development of a heart-gripping, life-changing truth.

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How is it that the Blessed Hope came to us through the twists and turns of history? Today most of the visible leaders in the evangelical movement hold to a futuristic view of prophecy. By futuristic, I mean the view that most of the book of Revelation is yet to be fulfilled. Prominent radio preachers like John MacArthur, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, leaders such as Bill Gothard and Jerry Falwell, not to mention Billy Graham, have gone on record as believing that the Lord Jesus will come again to take His saints home before a time of worldwide testing and judgments known as the Great Tribulation. After this time Christ will physically return to earth with His glorified saints to rule over His kingdom on the earth. Hal Lindsey believed all these things and wrote a feisty dramatization of the book of the Revelation. It sold in the millions, and by the end of the decade of the 1970s the New York Times declared The Late Great Planet Earth “the book of the decade.”

Today Tim Lahaye also holds to this skeleton outline of future prophetic events, and with Jerry Jenkins is promulgating this view in their own novel form via the Left Behind series. I think devotees are panting for volume nine in the series (not available from Gospel Folio Press).

To most of you the endorsements of evangelical celebrities means nothing. But this is an occasion when history shows how the truth vindicates itself, or as our Lord said, “Wisdom is justified of all her children” (Lk. 7:35). Sooner of later the truth becomes so plain that it virtually becomes another article of the faith.

But let’s go back and review how these truths gradually have taken hold and gained such general acceptance among true believers.

There have been evident changes, we believe, in prophetic understanding from our present day going back to the ministry of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

Here is a brief look at the major changes in understanding on prophetic events.

THE APOSTOLIC PERIOD In the Apostolic Period, Paul appears in 1

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Corinthians 15 and in 1 & 2 Thessalonians to be the champion on teaching the blessed hope of Christ’s coming for His own above the other apostles. But before his home-going he complained about a rejection of his teaching and forewarned that after his parting false teaching would arise.

THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS From the death of the apostles to the third and forth centuries the prominent Christian leaders called “the Early Church Fathers” were premillenial, that is, they believed in a literal thousand year reign of Christ on the earth. But they also believed that the Church would suffer under the Antichrist. From their vagaries on prophecy and many basic doctrines, it is obvious that Paul’s predictions of a rejection of his teaching had certainly occurred.

FROM AUGUSTINE TO THE REFORMATION From Augustine to the Reformation in 1517 AD the idea of a premillenial coming of Christ became rare indeed. Origen (185-254) introduced the method of allegorically interpreting Scripture. Allegorical interpreters assumed that Scripture meant something other than what it plainly said. This led the way for Augustine (354-430) who wrote The City of God. Augustine refuted the heavenly calling of the Church and presented the idea that the Church has an earthly

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calling to subdue the earth this side of Christ’s return.

Augustine is considered the father of Amillenialism, a belief which rejected the idea of a literal thousand year reign of Christ on the earth, but instead spiritualizes the promises of the future kingdom, and applies them to the current blessings of salvation. This new view held sway in the Roman Catholic Church and was also adopted by the Reformers.

THE POST-REFORMATION PERIOD From 1517 to 1831 the allegorical method slowly, and by stages, lost ground to the literal interpretation of prophecy. Initially the Reformers felt that there was no national future for of Israel. They were amillenial, as were the Roman Catholics. But on one point they disagreed with the Papists. They felt, as had the Lollards and Waldensians, that the office of the Papacy was both the Antichrist and the Great Whore of the book of Revelation, all combined in one.

In the early and mid 1600s Puritan commentaries appeared which taught—according to Romans 11:2527—that there would be a future awakening among the Jewish remnant unlike the little-by-little evangelism that had been seen throughout history among the Jews.

This view took hold and introduced a futuristic element into Puritan thinking. Some Puritans such as Jeremy Burroughs and Thomas Goodwin were premillenial.

Most, like John Owen, scoffed at the “Chiliasts,” (from the Greek word for millenium).* In 1831 at the Powerscourt prophetic conference outside of Dublin, Ireland, the ground was laid for understanding a premillenial, pretribulational rapture of the saints. For the full teaching see J. N. Darby’s Collected Writings, edited by Wm. Kelly (in 34 volumes of which 4 are on prophetic themes). Darby was principally an expositor who reacted against systematic theology. The downside of this emphasis is that Darby was not so good at pulling together the lines of * A good source of information on this is The Puritan Hope: Revival and the Interpretation of Prophecy, Iain H. Murray, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1971) 301 pages. This is an informative defense of Puritan thinking about the coming world revival. Murray also documents the rise of Post-Millenialism in his book. This view became especially popular during the reign of Queen Victoria, when loyal Anglicans felt that every extension of the British Empire was also a fulfillment of the promise of Christ’s reign on the earth.

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truth plainly. For devotion and spirituality, Darby is excellent, but his teaching is better stated by his pupils.

Nevertheless, all of Darby’s books are in print, and we assume that people actually do read him. I am told that in years past the biggest customers that Bible Truth Publishers had for the Collected Writings of J. N. D. was among students at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Of books by Darby’s pupils, the best are by Sir T. B. Baines, William Trotter and William Kelly.

These authors rushed in where the angelic Reformers and Puritans feared to tread. The Reformers seemed to read books like the Revelation in a similar way to which we would read the Song of Solomon—as a book of rich poetic imagery and hidden devotional lessons. A favorite approach was to apply the judgments of the Revelation to the historical events of John’s own day, or of the events orbiting the Reformation. On the main, prophetic events were simply neglected. So when Darby and his pupils ventured in, much of the prophetic portions of Scripture were an unexplored frontier.

SINCE 1831 From the 1840s to the 1880s a series of books were issued which laid the foundation for what is called a premillenial coming of Christ to earth and a pretribulational rapture of the saints. They did so by teaching a literal and futuristic view of prophecy. Let me list the books that presented the arguments from Scripture that won the field. T. B. Baines, The Lord’s Coming, Israel, and the Church, 448 pages (the second edition, revised and enlarged, was reprinted in series 2, volume 11 of The Serious Christian series). This book gives the heart of dispensationalism. Interestingly, this book ends with a lengthy exhortation on church principles (most of which is quite wholesome, but which regrettably includes Darby’s exclusivism).

Like Darby before them, it was prophetic understanding that led brethren like Baines and Trotter to adopt their Church principles. Later it would be this prophetic understanding that would move the Fundamentalist Movement to leave their Protestant denominations and to join in to the Independent and Free churches of America.

Baines also wrote a commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which is also reprinted in The Serious Christian series. G. H. Pember wrote The Great Prophecies Concerning the Gentiles, the Jews, and the

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Church of God which covers much the same material that Baines gives on prophecy. William Trotter’s Plain Papers on Prophetic and Other Subjects, 568 pages, is available from Bible Truth Publishers.

Trotter’s clarity and spirituality sets this book head and shoul-

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Prince. Anderson gives the best treatment of the seventy weeks of chapter 9 of Daniel’s prophecy.

These books are important in that they deal with all the important prophetic subjects in the Psalms, Daniel and the other Prophets, the Olivet Discourse, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and the

The Rapture of the Church: A Moving Target Those who snipe at the idea of the Rapture have this complaint: If the Christian is united to a rejected Man, now the glorified Lord in heaven, they should live like it. If the despised saints will be suddenly raptured, those who believe this should be looking for the Morning Star. But many dispensationalists are only nominal. They have the details in a framed wall chart. They know the answers, but not the questions. They crave respectability in the world that hated their Lord. They do not live each day expecting heaven, but to get more of earth. Today’s evangelical church has a social-political agenda at odds with its prophetic views. This is the vulnerability of today’s dispensationalism. Let the truth off its worldly leash, and we will not be such an easy target. ders above the majority of prophetic studies. William Trotter and T. Smith collaborated on a series entitled Eight Lectures on Prophecy, 293 pages (presently out of print). Smith gave three of the eight lectures.

Because the lectures were delivered in 1851, the book is unencumbered by the many current controversies. It treats the reader as a novice, and so it is perhaps the best book to give to someone uninitiated in the study of prophecy.

William Kelly’s Lectures on the Second Coming and Kingdom of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 395 pages, published in 1865, is classic Kelly. He was prodigious in his writing. Also look for his books: Elements of Prophecy, Christ’s Coming Again, The Lord’s Prophecy on Olivet, The Coming and Day of the Lord, and The Heavenly Hope. Kelly also gave us serious expositions of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, the Minor Prophets and he did two separate expositions on the Revelation. The first of these that he produced, Lectures on the Book of Revelation, 502 pages, was the book that won respect from Bible scholars across Europe. In that book Kelly refutes the historical interpretation (popular among the Reformers and Puritans) and shows instead the futuristic meaning of Revelation.

Other useful books of that period include F. C. Bland’s Twenty-One Prophetic Papers, and Edward Dennett’s The Blessed Hope. In somewhat the same school, Sir Robert Anderson wrote The Coming

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Revelation. The sweep of dispensational thinking was clearly laid out by these men, and best of all, these authors lived the force of their teaching. They were fully persuaded from the Bible of the true character of the world, it’s ultimate judgment, and therefore the heavenly calling of the Christian. This is what makes these old writers so obviously different from most of the current crop of prophetic writers.

There is a direct link from Darby’s prophetic teaching to current pretribulational thinking of popular authors and preachers. John Nelson Darby (18001882) visited America on some seven trips abroad. He preached in the pulpit of the St. Louis Presbyterian Church of James H. Brookes (1830-1897). Brookes imbibed Darby’s dispensational teaching and became the father of American Fundamentalism. He personally taught Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1843-1921).

Scofield became a pillar of that Fundamentalist movement, and he mentored Lewis Sperry Chafer (18711952) who wrote Chafer’s Systematic Theology, and co-founded what is now Dallas Theological Seminary.

Dallas Theological teaching is weak in many areas, but however distant they are from the heart of dispensationalism, they have traditionally taught the skeleton of prophetic events. Their influence, along with the Scofield Reference Bible, and the Scofield teachings coming from Moody Bible Institute and other institutes like it have influenced evangelical churches throughout the English speaking world.

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Conference Comments The Lord was so good to us at Indianapolis.

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Thank you very much for holding the Rise Up and Work conference. I have had many exciting and spiritually profitable times since asking the Lord Jesus to guide and take control of my life ten years ago, but certain times during the conference seemed like the absolute high points of my life to that date. The fellowship, praise and worship, Bible teaching, and seminars were all very wonderful. The messages were compassionate, clear and direct. I hope the conferences continue.

P. S. Considering the impact God is making on my life through the conference, it is amazing for me to realize that I had considered not going. I’m so glad I went!

This conference is a great encouragement.

For those of us who are not fortunate enough to live in an area with many likeminded believers, it is a refreshing time of edification and fellowship, a time to see the vision again with new clarity, to be revived, and return home burning brighter.

Highlight of the conference? The tone and spiritual atmosphere! The joy of seeing so many young people singing at the piano! To God be the glory!

The Lord has dealt with me these past few days so many in areas of life that I’ve needed Him to touch. I could really see the hand of the Holy Spirit in that no matter where I was, the same issues came up. God was working.

This was the finest conference I have ever attended!

This also was the finest location we have had. The ministry was top shelf! The atmosphere heavenly! My family and I were truly blessed for having been here. We praise the Lord!

My heart was challenged again—almost every message and seminar came down to one focus: Christ. He is the one I must be taken up with in this busy world. I am thankful as well for Bill MacDonald’s reminder that He’s coming back…soon!

“What’s SO different about your group?”

On leaving the banquet on Friday, a waitress pulled me by the sleeve and said, “May I ask you a question? Could you please tell me what is SO different about your group? I waited on you all day yesterday and went home last night with a peace in my heart that I have never experienced before. What makes you so different?” Of course, I told her I’d LOVE to explain and shared the glorious gospel as best as I knew how…

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Glory of His Rising (Volume 2) Neil M. Fraser

Gladness of His Return (Volume 3) B-1674

Neil M. Fraser

B-1682

What kind of Man not only raises the dead but raises Himself from the dead? Hope died when He died; but death received its own death sentence when He arose! When all seems hopeless, when the sky above is leaden, when an immovable stone is in the way, when the world laughs as the Christian weeps—visit the garden tomb.

142 pgs.

Paper

Where is the joy that once was a vital part of the blessed hope of the church? The author captivates our minds and hearts with Old and New Testament texts pointing to this grand event. This hope is promised to purify us as to our personal lives, motivate us in our evangelism, and strengthen us with the joy of the Lord as we await His coming again.

151 pgs.

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(Volume 1, Grandeur of Golgotha—is also available)

Conversations With Catholics James McCarthy

The Pre-Wrath Rapture Answered B-1747

Lee Brainard

B-178X

Capturing the heartbeat of the Roman Catholic way of life, this book provides an insightful glimpse into the way Catholics think about God, the Church, getting to heaven, and the practice of their religion. With a compassionate heart, Jim shares real-life stories that contrast Catholicism with biblical Christianity and point the way to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 195 pgs. Paper

The day of the Lord is the central theme of the Bible’s prophetic teaching, yet it often receives a superficial treatment by prophetic teachers. Lee has done the painstaking work of answering every one of the major arguments presented by Rosenthal and Van Kampen in their books. This book is readable, its logic clear, its arguments sound, and its conclusions convincing.

256 pgs.

Paper

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Romance of the Ages: The Song of Songs

Farewell Ministry of Christ

L. M. McPhee

T. Ernest Wilson

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B-1852

B-1828

This devotional book is comprised of 107 short meditations which provide a refreshing devotional study of the Song of Solomon. Mrs. McPhee was the mother of Margaret Jean Tuininga, whose children’s books have been so fruitful and edifying. Mrs. McPhee delivers on her intention to help those who seem locked out from this tremendous portion of God’s Word.

226 pgs.

Paper

Called “the holy of holies,” these five chapters of the Gospel of John are the very heart and core of Christ’s teaching, and of Christianity itself. A warm, reverent exposition of our Saviour’s upper room discourse and high priestly prayer, with emphasis on seven principal doctrines revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

120 pgs.

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TO PLACE AN ORDER from GOSPEL FOLIO PRESS Phone 1-800-952-2382

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Rise Up and Work 2001 Audio Cassette Tape and Video Tape Order Form Keynote Addresses— A-RWK1 The Promise of His Coming - a need for patience The Problems of His Coming - a need for change A-RWK2 A-RWK3 The Power of His Coming - a need to be ready A-RWK4 Rise Up and Work - The Lord is coming A-RWK5 Missions report and devotional A-RWKEY

Video Tapes

Audio CDs1

Audio Cassette

Roy Hill Roy Hill Roy Hill William MacDonald J. B. Nicholson Jr.

Complete set of keynote addresses (5 videos/tapes/CDs)

Elective Sessions— A-RW115 The Bible - an Orderly Revelation A-RW128 How to study the Bible (2 tapes) A-RW138 Enjoying your Children's Teenage Years A-RW131 Searching the Scriptures: A Woman's Perspective A-RW135 Stress, Worry and Anxiety - God's Prescription A-RW116 The Blessed Hope Through History A-RW120 Reaching Muslims for Christ A-RW112 Current Prophetic Issues A-RW119 Opportunities for Short Term Missions A-RW106 Serving as an Elder while having a Balanced Life A-RW103 Making Working Together Work A-RW140 Pre-Marriage and Marriage Relationships A-RW118 One-on-One and Small Group Bible Studies A-RW139 Raising Spiritual Children A-RW132 Strategies for Personal Victory (Romans 6-8) A-RW134 Living for Christ in the World of Business A-RW130 Resisting Worldliness, Pursuing Godliness A-RW107 The Value and Rewards of Discipling A-RW123 How to Prepare Ministry Messages A-RW111 Christ's Design for the Church A-RW104 Priestly Preparation for Worship A-RW125 Make Full Proof of your Ministry A-RW113 God's Sovereignty—A fresh cause to worship A-RW114 Parables of the Coming King A-RW108 Some things I have Learned A-RW127 Prayer in the Life of the Believer and the Assembly A-RW122 The "Go" in the Gospel A-RW137 Women in the Workplace A-RW126 Opportunities and Dangers in Web Ministry A-RW129 An Introduction to Bible Software A-RW121 Techniques for Effective Evangelism A-RW136 The Servant's Life A-RW124 How to Publicly Proclaim the Gospel A-RW101 Discipline and Recovery in the Church A-RW110 The Elder's Wife A-RW102 Facing the Challenges of a Young Assembly

Sub2 Amos, Randy Attwood, Mike Auld, Art and Debbie Barnett, Anne Beckon, Madge Bjorlie, John Croal, Greg Dunlap, David Dupre, Kirk Gunning, Brian Hampton, Ron Heller, John and Bobbie Henderson, Warren Henderson, Warren Hill, Roy Hill, Roy Hull, James Johnson, Jeff MacDonald, William McCarthy, Jim McEachern, Sandy Mikhael, Joe Nicholson, J. B. Nicholson, J. B. Panel of Elders Paul, Jim Schroeder, Chris Schwertfeger, Ruth Shantz, Kevin & Tan, Ernie Shantz, Kevin Steifler and Thomas Summers, Harold Tempest, Charlie Thorpe, Sam Trogden, Nancy Trogden, Rex

A-RWELE

Complete set of elective sessions (6 videos, 30 tapes/CDs)

A-RWALL

Complete set of all conference sessions (11 videos, 35 tapes/CDs)

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2 Mark “Y” in the Sub column if you order CD's and would like us to substitute an audio tape if CD's are not produced.

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≈ Digital video of five keynote messages in MP3 format on CD

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≈ Digital video of six elective sessions (not marked "N/A") in MP3 format on CD ≈ Available only if sufficient orders received

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≈ Audio recording of all conference sessions in MP3 format on one or two CD's Printed conference syllabus with notes for most elective sessions

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UPLOOK Ministries P.O. Box 2041 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2041 Telephone: (616) 456-9166 Fax: (616) 456-5522 http://www.uplook.org/risework/tapes.html

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Men of the Mountains & Valleys T. Ernest Wilson

Scaling the Sermon on the Mount B-1003

C. F. Hogg & J. B. Watson

B-181X

This classic book takes you mountain climbing with the great men of the Bible: Noah, Abraham, Moses and Sinai, Caleb, David, Elijah.

Then, as if that scenery isn’t breathtaking enough, ascend, in reverent awe, the slopes of Matthew’s Gospel with the Lord Jesus: the Mountain of Temptation, of Teaching, of Intercession, and of Transfiguration.

At every step in the journey there are great truths relevant for today.

128 pgs.

Paper

Matthew is the Gospel of the kingdom. So it is appropriate that he should open with a manifesto from the lips of the King Himself. Get to understand, appreciate, and obey this great Sermon. The authors warn against discounting it as law-keeping, or misunderstanding its relationship to the teaching of the Epistles.

Includes a section on direct parallels to the Epistles, plus biographical sketches of the authors.

168 pgs.

Paper

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The Unfinished Work of Christ David Anderson-Berry

The Messianic Psalms B-164X

T. Ernest Wilson

The author paints for us the main scenes in the book of Acts, especially the ongoing ministry of Christ for the Church. Remaining true to the biblical text, the author adds highlights and shadows from his palette of history, geography, astronomy, botany and other helpful hues from the spectrum of truth. As such, he enlarges our biblical vistas and enhances our appreciation of the One who is the central figure in the panorama, our Lord Jesus Christ. 160 pgs. Paper

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Living Above the Average William MacDonald

B-MPS The heart of the Bible is the story of the Christ and the cross. And the heart of Christ is told out in the Messianic Psalm. While the Gospels tell what was happening on the outside, these majestic poems reveal the thoughts, motives, and emotions of the Saviour as He made His way to the climax of history.

This book is a careful blend of devotion and exposition, with commentary, a bibliography and a Scripture index.

168 pgs.

Paper

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The Counsel Fireside Reader B-1763

J. Boyd Nicholson & Others

Is it possible to live life above the average? This collection of true stories will not only thrill you to read, but can provoke you—in a good way—”to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). These are the accounts of ordinary people who want God to do extraordinary things through them. And He will!

152 pgs.

Paper

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TO PLACE AN ORDER from GOSPEL FOLIO PRESS Phone 1-800-952-2382

B-1844

Believers in more than ninety countries around the globe have enjoyed for many years the ministry of “exhortation, edification, and comfort” through the pages of COUNSEL magazine. For the last twenty years, J. Boyd Nicholson has been the magazine’s editor. This anniversary collection commemorates the best articles of those two decades from Mr. Nicholson’s assuming the editorship on June 28, 1980 until his Homegoing on November 12, 2000.

256 page hardcover with dustjacket, foil stamping and ribbon.

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UPLOOK

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS OR

DIVINELY ARRANGED? A conference attendee arrived at the hotel one day early—on Christmas night. When he checked in, he detected a Russian accent in the front desk clerk and, having been to Russia on mission trips, was able to speak a few words to her in her native tongue. Her face revealed her surprise and delight. This brother had been on a mission trip to Russia and had some Russian gospel literature with him which she read eagerly during her quiet shift that night.

One of the banquet waiters, a man from Zambia, asked if there were “any groups of people like yours in Zambia?” As a believer, he was so impressed with what he heard and observed that he wanted he and his family to be able to attend a local assembly following the New Testament pattern. Betty Brooks, one of the conference attendees, had spent many years in Lusaka, Zambia, as a missionary—this man’s hometown. She says it was the highlight of the conference for her to be able to direct him to a contact person there.

A waitress in the restaurant, a college student, happily accepted a 911 tract and an attractive Scripture magnet. She readily admitted that the purpose of taking psychology and advertising as her majors was to “graduate and make lots of money.” Then she asked why so many people that day had given her the beautiful tracts. Her eyes welled up with tears as we replied that we all cared for her soul and wanted to see her in heaven with us. “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?”