/2003_03

UPLOOK APRIL 2003

• REPORT

on CHINA the Middle Kingdom • The European Church • Kenya Conference • Deep South Camp

CLAY SOLDIERS

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 2003 Uplook Ministries

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UPLOOK

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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THE UPLOOK…AT LAST! from the Editor

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THE EUROPEAN CHURCH Special Report

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WHERE IS SHE NOW? Scott Leach

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I WILL NOT LET THEE GO Poem by Deszler

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GRACE UPON GRACE Chart

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SEVEN LAKES IN THE SEA Tim Lake

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KENYA ELDERS’ CONFERENCE Mike Attwood/Sam Thorpe

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NEW CAMP IN THE DEEP SOUTH Robert Brown

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THE CHALLENGE OF CHINA J.B.N., Jr.

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NOT WITHOUT A WITNESS Book Review

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TRUE DISCIPLESHIP (An Excerpt) William MacDonald

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THE START OF IRAQI HOSTILITIES J.B.N., Jr.

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D E PA RT M E N TS EDITORIAL FRONT LINES WHAT’S GOING ON? BOUQUET OF BLESSINGS: Four Months Till Harvest? No!

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CLAY SOLDIERS The emperor

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Just about half-way between the time that Malachi laid down his pen, closing off the Old Testament, and the moment when the living Word would appear on earth, a boy was born in far-off China.

Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC) in his fifty eventful years is credited with unifying China and is recognized as the first emperor of China. His centralized government standardized currency, weights and measures, and the Chinese language. He built a network of roadways and linked together (using 500,000 laborers) the great fortifications of the seven previously warring states, thus linking up the Great Wall. In all, he employed two million people (about 10 percent of China’s population at that time) in constructing his various grand projects.

One of these projects, however, lay hidden from sight until one day in the early spring of 1974. Three men from Xiyang in Shaanxi province (not far from China’s ancient capital, Xi’an) were out digging a well on the edge of the village. Their spades struck a layer of hard earth. They dug further and unearthed a “pottery man,” its legs and feet solid, its head and torso hollow. They didn’t know what to make of it. But a visiting official informed Beijing, and by July of that year an archeological excavation was underway.

Over the next two years, in three great pits, they found nearly 8000 life-sized terracotta warriors with horses and more than 100 wooden war chariots. Each soldier is a unique work of art. Apart from the most obvious differences—their positions in the vanguard, main body, flanks or rearguard; and their roles as archers, infantry, cavalry, charioteers, and various officers—there are more subtle distinctions. Heights vary. So do weights (I noticed that generally the higher the rank the fuller the figure!). But it was the expressions on the faces that amazed me. Some features are lively, anticipating action; others are serious, thoughtful, reserved.

It is even possible for Chinese anthropologists to guess from what part of China many of the soldiers would have come. The terracotta army of Qin Shi Huang is heralded by some as “the eighth wonder of the world.”

I couldn’t help thinking of a far grander clay army than the one I saw near Xi’an. I was reminded of the words of 2 Corinthians 4:7 as Paul spoke of the gospel troops sent out to conquer hearts for the Saviour, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” And so it is that in China today the Lord has raised up, and continues to recruit, a mighty army of believers. Unlike the emperor’s soldiers, who were empty, the King of king’s warriors are the repositories of this world’s richest commodity—the glorious plan of salvation. Fragile they may seem, but every attempt to break them only exposes the treasure inside. The words with which Paul continues could well have been written about the Lord’s underground army in China: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

What stories they might tell how the Lord Jesus has been manifested through their suffering for Him! Although the present government of China does not recognize those in the unregistered church, conservative estimates place the number at 75 to 100 million. Some who work there say it is not unreasonable to think that, like the day of Pentecost, there are perhaps 3,000 saved every day.

I dare say the Christians in China—without our financial resources, without our religious freedom—are doing a fair bit better job at fulfilling the Great Commission than are believers in the West. But the ongoing need of China is enormous. Its population increases (in spite of massive birth control efforts) by the population of Australia every year. Various articles in this issue will bring before you some of the needs not only in China but elsewhere, and some tips on how to enlist in God’s terracotta army.

J. B. Nicholson, Jr. w w w . u p l o o k . o r g

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The Uplook…At Last!

Why this issue took so long to get on the way.

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Let me begin by apologizing to those whose announcements in the Front Lines section of this magazine are past due. I hope it doesn’t affect those who attended your conference and trust the Lord blessed your event in spite of my tardiness. (This might be a good spot to remind all those who send in news items to have them to us at least three months prior to your event!)

Now a word of explanation. Circumstances dictated that I needed to write the bulk of this issue on China alone. That was fine, and I set aside 10-12 days to do the final assembly. What I didn’t know was that several funerals would intervene. Two of these were at some distance and involved several days of travel. I was honored to attend and participate, but it meant that this magazine had to wait untouched for more than a week.

So I thought I might take a page to tell you a little about two of these, special friends of mine.

For the last month, almost daily, we have been receiving news of some dear friends going home. Without question, a generation is passing. Of course the passing of a generation is not a new phenomenon.

Solomon wrote: “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever” (Eccl. 1:4). There are at least two factors, however, that make this passage so dramatic.

First, there is a startling gap in the ranks immediately behind this passing generation. Those from the late 50s to the late 60s are rare in assembly fellowship. Of the few that attend, even fewer are suited to take leadership.

Many people ask why this is. I confess that post mortems are not a happy occupation. But a few observations may help.

This missing generation were born just after two World Wars and the Great Depression; they knew little of personal hardship, hearing only about it in the anecdotes told Bob McEachern by their parents.

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They were also the first generation to go almost wholesale to college—it seems, whether the Lord had called them or not. It was expected by society, and many of them unfortunately went unprepared and unarmed to their spiritual slaughter. These were the days before Francis Schaeffer, Josh McDowell, and Creation Science Research to arm young believers for the coming attack. They went like sheep thrown to a pack of wolves. Many did well educationally and, later, financially, but often suffered spiritually.

Add to this intellectual assault the rampant hostility of their peers in the world. Given everything they wanted, that generation rebelled en masse. They were anti everything—ani-war, anti-big business, anti-government, anti-establishment, anti-institution, anti-morality, and anti-God. Theirs was the generation of draft dodgers, war protesters, pot smokers, love-ins, situation ethics, the “God is dead” philosophy, and the rise of the rebel as folk-hero. It was a wonder any of our young people in that era survived the onslaught.

But it isn’t just the missing generation that makes these older Christians’ passage so abrupt and costly. It is the quality of their lives. We are not only going to miss them personally; I’m afraid we are going to miss having that caliber of Christians among us to watch, learn from, and emulate. Let me tell you about these two friends who went Home within days of each other.

Their lives were very different in some ways, but shared the common qualities that made their generation so valuable.

Ed Harlow at 94 was born on one edge of that era, and Bob McEachern at 74 was at the other. Ed lived in Toronto and Chicago and New York and Africa and Florida, and travelled throughout every continent of the world (except Antarctica). Bob McEachern rarely travelled more than 100 miles from his home.

Ed’s ministry was public—among other things doing missionary work in the Congo, starting the world’s largest Bible correspondence school, and, with his hard-working wife, was founder of a publishing house that led the charge for commentaries in limitedvocabulary English for ESL students. Bob’s ministry was quiet and unassuming—a consistent testimony in A P R I L

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his community as an honest businessman and compassionate friend, an encourager of scores of young people, a faithful elder, and with his dear wife a generous giver and hospitable host to hundreds of grateful recipients. But let me tell you something they had in common.

Ed Harlow came from a home that was not only believing but taught him the truth concerning New Testament Church life. Until his dying day—although gracious and accepting to all God’s people—he was passionate both about the gospel and about Church truth.

One of the last times I talked with him, we discussed the delights of remembering the Lord simply every week, something he had done for so long without it ever losing its freshness or delight.

Bob McEachern, on the other hand, didn’t hear the gospel until out of his teens, but when he trusted the Lord it became his life-long love. He never got over being saved and found his place at the Lord’s Supper every week. Canadian winters couldn’t provide weather severe enough to keep him from bringing his family on country roads into town every Sunday morning. In fact he was on his way to meet with the Christians when his final heart attack occurred, “because,” he said, “the Lord will be there.”

Some cringe when they hear that. Don’t get legalistic about it, they say. When you hear some people talk about “the assemblies,” they say, you would think they were the only Christians around. We know lots of lovely believers who don’t meet the way we do, they say.

Granted. Some people do get prideful and exclusive in their thinking. Some people do get legalistic. It’s a problem as old as Corinthians and Galatians. But does that mean that if you love the truth and hold it unashamedly up for all to see—since the Church is supposed to be the pillar of the truth, 1 Tim. 3:15—it makes you bigoted or legalistic? I think not!

Let me tell you, the next generation, a secret. Many of these older folk (Bob McEachern included) paid a steep price for leaving denominationalism and gathering simply in the name of the Lord Jesus. Many of their relatives cut them off. Sometimes their old friends would cross the street to avoid them. They knew that wherever the Word of God was preached in sincerity w w w . u p l o o k . o r g

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and truth, His Spirit would be there to bless it. But they also believed that the Lord Himself drew near in a real and special way when they gathered simply “unto Him.” They knew there were many dear and devoted Christians in various churches who met under various names but they wanted to meet just to Him. They thought the Lord Jesus was the only One who deserved that place of honor and would give it to no other man, even though it often ostracized them.

Those who knew both Bob and Ed would tell you that neither of them had a sectarian bone in their bodies. But they loved the truth and enjoyed the ongoing experience of gathering every Lord’s Day with others to personally meet with their Saviour whom they loved and to tell Him so.

If I were summing up what I appreciated about Dr. Harlow and how he influenced me, it would be in the two words, passion and vision. He understood that vision was not human creativity but seeing things God’s way. He saw the big picture: in the words of the Lord Jesus, “The field is the world” (Mt. 13:38).

He never lost focus. I called him up last winter and said, “Ed, I want to come over and visit. What should we talk about?”

“Tell me how to cover the world with gospel literature,” he replied without hesitation. At age 94!

He always looked calm and collected, but in R. E. Harlow’s soul there burned a passion for Christ, for His Church, for His Word, for His people. And the fire never went out. Now we need the next generation to lay aside their personal agendas and career plans to let the Lord light their fire, to catch a vision of a needy world, and put their minds and money and might—all of it— on the altar for our worthy Lord.

When I think of Bob McEachern, I think of genuine warmth and winsomeness. His face reflected the glow of the Master. When you came into his presence, you knew you were in the company of a humble servant who kept himself in the love of God (Jude 1:21). Bob made you want to live like he did: “…in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world” (2 Cor 1:12).

We’ll sorely miss men like these. But, thank God, it’s not too late for the rest of us to follow in their track.

Rise up, O men of God; Have done with lesser things; Give heart and mind and soul and strength To serve the King of kings.

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The European Church Is it having to go

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There has been a growing trend among European countries to disparage and even outlaw certain forms of Christianity in the name of cracking down on cults.

Many Europeans are now asking themselves what they must do to maintain their beliefs without interference from their governments. For some, the answer is to go underground. Christian groups that have not had a traditional presence in those countries are the hardest hit by these new laws. Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Orthodox churches, which are well established in many European countries, are generally left alone. However, many Evangelical, Pentecostal and non-denominational groups are now being looked upon as cults and potential threats.

Earlier this year, France took steps to control the activities of certain religious groups by passing its anticult law. The law makes “mental manipulation” a crime. Anyone found guilty of causing “a state of psychological or physical subjection resulting from serious and repeated pressures or techniques designed to alter judgment” faces five years imprisonment. Courts also have the authority to dissolve religious groups and to impose heavy fines.

The new law also includes a ban on advertising or opening religious centers near schools, hospitals or retirement homes. Targeting the youth is also illegal.

One pastor commented, “If we want to have children’s church, Sunday school, that can be seen as influencing minors. If we do work for old people, it’s preying on the vulnerable. If we want to have a time of prayer and fasting, it’s seen as deprivation of food and sleep.”

There is great fear that this law could be used to outlaw evangelism outright. Repeated attempts to share the gospel to someone could be considered criminal.

France is not the only country looking at classifying Evangelical groups as cults or sects. In parts of Switzerland, the home of reformer John Calvin and a country whose flag dates back 700 years as a symbol of the Christian faith, Evangelicals are experiencing the same backlash. Groups not associated with traditional Catholic or Protestant organizations are considered sects and many Evangelical churches have found themselves stereotyped in the media as dangerous

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cults. Sweden’s churches are also facing great controversy over legislation that could prevent pastors from speaking negatively about homosexuality. A church sermon describing homosexual practice as sinful “might” constitute a criminal offense under the new law. Anyone convicted would face up to two years in prison.

Belarus has passed the most repressive of all legislation this year by outlawing unregistered religious activity. The new law requires all religious literature to be pre-approved. The legislation also bans foreign citizens from leading religious organizations, restricts publishing and education to major faith groups, and bans all but occasional small religious meetings in private homes.

Over a dozen European countries are now looking for ways to contain faith groups. Ironically, the country with the biggest underground church—China—is now observing the European methods and taking notes.

Chinese leaders are even looking to French laws as a model for monitoring future religious activities in their own country.

Related Links: <http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/CWN/030102FranceCults. asp>France Passes Controversial Anti-Cult Law—CBN <http://cbn.org/CBNNews/CWN/120602europe.asp> The Coming Underground Church in Europe—CBN <http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/009/15.22.html> ‘Hate Speech’ Law Could Chill Sermons—Christianity Today <http://news.christiansunite.com/religion/religion02654.sht ml>Belarusian President Signs New Law To Make Religious Oppression Official—ChristiansUnite A P R I L

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THE OTHER WAR What’s REALLY been happening in Iraq?

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As Americans braced for war, the sales of Bibles and hymnals were up by 36 percent in January, the Financial Times reported recently.

Even as “other religious” books saw a 7 percent sales decline, the Times reported that U.S. publishers collected nearly $15 million in religious book revenues in January. “Is this a result of the war?... A fear of the unknown? Could be,” said Mark Rice, a spokesman for Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible publisher.

According to the Beverly LaHaye Institute, U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf are asking for more Scripture.

“Requests from commanders, chaplains, soldiers, sailors and airmen continue to pour in, including one scrawled on a piece of cardboard: ‘I have a Bible…but the guys in my unit don’t have any. Can you send [Bibles] over?’”

Brig. Gen. Dick Abel, who runs Campus Crusade for Christ’s Military Ministry, has been distributing Rapid Deployment Kits—small packages containing a tract, Bible, and devotional in a Ziploc bag. “I was sort of overwhelmed by it,” he says. “We sent out 400,000 prior to the war. We have orders for 40,000 and many of those are from the war zone. I find the spiritual dimension of one’s life extremely important in the armed forces—and certainly with soldiers protecting our freedom, going into harm’s way.”

—Maranatha Christian News Service

DEEP SOUTH CONFERENCE The Lake Park Chapel in Belle Chasse, LA will hold its 59th Bible conference May 3-4, 2003. Lake Park Chapel has held a Bible conference on the first weekend in May for the Deep South without interruption since 1944. This year, Keith Trevolt (KS) and Bob Brown (LA) will be the speakers, DV. Join them for a spiritually refreshing weekend in God’s Word. The meetings will begin on May 3 at 3:30 PM. Contact: Ray Cummings 103 Dixon Dr. Belle Chasse, LA 70037 504-394-3087 or 393-7083 ibelievegodslove@juno.com

a fellowship dinner on the Lord’s Day with the Monterey assembly. In conjunction with the weekend, a Saturday evening “Night of Encouragement” is planned. This inter-assembly event open to all will include dinner, special music from a choral ensemble from Philadelphia-area assemblies, and a gospel message from Mike Attwood. The cost for dinner tickets are $16 per person. The cost for the entire conference (including the Saturday evening banquet) is $155. www.knowtheword.com or e-mail: honeyrock@juno.com To register: Mark Kolchin P.O. Box 305 Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734

WEEKEND in the WORD Mike Attwood (GA) will be the speaker for a special Weekend in the Word to be held, Lord willing, May 24, 2003 at the Bird-in-Hand Inn in Lancaster, PA. The conference begins on Friday at 7 PM and concludes with

CHICAGO LADIES’ CONF. The 58th Chicago Area Spring Ladies’ Missionary Conference will be held May 3 from 10 AM to 3 PM at Palos Hills Christian Assembly. In the will of the Lord, the expected speakers are June Peck, Joy Carrera, and

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Elizabeth Barrier. Lunch tickets are $5.50 each and must be purchased by April 27. All ladies are cordially invited to attend and may contact: Corrine Warke at 708-599-1389 wrwarke@compuserve.com UPSTATE NEW YORK The Bellevue Gospel Chapel in Schenectady, NY, and Northway Bible Chapel in Clifton Park, NY, will hold an Annual Spring conference at the Northway chapel. The speaker is Garnet Cooney, missionary to Ireland. Meetings begin Saturday, May 3 at 3:30 PM. Contact: John E. Smith 518-861-6486 or 861-5022 johnesmith@aol.com TWO CONFERENCES IN NC Ramseur Gospel Chapel, (Ramseur, NC) Lord willing, will be hosting their annual men’s conference on Saturday, May 3 from 10 AM to 3 PM. The subject is to be the Old Testa2 0 0 3

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URGENT PRAYER for INDIA ment prophets and kings. Also on May 4-7 their annual Spring Conference is scheduled, with studies in Chronicles. Larry Price (FL) is scheduled for both conferences. For more info., call: 336-824-5525.

The parliament of India’s Gujarat state just passed a controversial bill purportedly to protect religious freedom but that requires anyone wanting to convert from one faith to another to get prior permission from a district magistrate. The Freedom of Religion Bill aims to prevent religious conversion by force or bribery, and it provides for three-year prison terms and fines of $1,000 for law-breakers. Even for those who convert without threats or inducement, failure to get approval beforehand can result in imprisonment for a year and a small fine.

The ruling party in Gujarat (which also heads the federal government) the Hindu nationalist BJP, introduced the law. Its general-secretary, Jayanti Barot, predicted similar laws would be passed across India.

Already Orissa in the east, Madhya Pradesh in the center of the country and Tamil Nadu in the south have passed similar bills.

“Everybody in India understands that one should live and die in the religion one is born into. Nobody should have the right to disturb this tradition,” he said. Christians make up just 2.5 percent of India’s more than one billion, mostly Hindu, population.

UPWARD BOUND x 2 Upward Bound Atlantic will be held on the campus of Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, May 3-10.

Speakers: Jabe Nicholson (MI), Roy Houghton (ON) and Sandy McEachern (NS). A week of intensive Bible study seminars as well as a “How to Study the Bible” course.

Upward Bound Ontario will be held at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Aug. 10-22. The first week is an intensive series of Bible study seminars including a “How to Study the Bible” course. For those able to attend, the second week is a 5day canoe trip in Algonquin Park.

Speakers: Rex Trogdon (NC), Brian Russell (UK), Joe Mikhael (ON), Gerry Libby (ON), Sandy McEachern (NS), Roy Houghton (ON) and Charlie Tempest (ON). Email: sandymceachern@hotmail.com 902-420-9489

ON). Speakers: Sam Cherian (MI), and Doug Kazen (WA). Conference begins with a gospel meeting Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 PM. Sunday, May 11, ministry at 2 PM following a provided lunch. Mr. Kazen will continue with ministry Monday through Thursday at 7:30 PM. Contact: W. T. Brandon 519-786-5518 Alex McIntosh 519-786-5038 CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE Claremont Bible Chapel (432 W. Harrison Ave, Claremont, CA) will hold their 12th annual conference May 16-18. Speakers: Randy Amos (NY) and Joe Reese (ON). Meetings Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 10:00 AM and 1:30 PM. Conference concludes with meeting on Sunday at 1:30 PM. Lunch will be provided Saturday and Sunday. Contact: J. Harry Elliott 909-621-1064 jhdelliott@aol.com

WORKERS’ & ELDERS’ CONF. The Ontario Workers’ and Elders’ Conference is scheduled to be held May 6 through 8 at Scottlea Bible Chapel in St. Catharines, ON. The invited speakers are Don Norbie (CO) and Steve Hulshizer (PA). All are welcome to attend. You might consider coming as a group from your local assembly. Encourage young men to attend. Contact Patrick Long at: pbl@msc.on.ca

ORLANDO AREA CONFERENCE In the Lord’s will, Lake Howell Bible Chapel, Maitland, FL, will hold an Orlando area conference May 1618, 2003. The speaker will be Roy

FOREST GOSPEL HALL You are cordially invited to attend the spring conference at the Forest Gospel Hall (33 Main St., Forest,

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Hill from Bristol, UK. Brother Hill will be speaking on “The Seven Churches in Revelation.” Contact: Dan Burson 407-695-3098 danburson@juno.com Mark Sherwood 407-277-0215 sherwood@cfl.rr.com VESSELS OF HONOR 2003 A Young Adults’ conference convened by East Tulsa (OK) Bible Chapel is scheduled to be held on the campus of Baker University, Baldwin City, KS, May 23-26, 2003. The theme for Vessels of Honor 2003 will be “Broken Vessels.”

General session speakers: David Dunlap (FL), Warren Henderson (IL), Harold Summers (BC). Seminar speakers, with general session speakers: Craig Rolinger, Nancy Rolinger, Bill Wortman, Keith Trevolt, and Steve Price. Contact: Jim Lindamood 918-663-1121 jimlindamood@vesselsofhonor.org Dan Moffitt at 918-744-6484 danmoffit@juno.com NEW ENGLAND CONFERENCE Bethany Gospel Chapel (Worces-

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ter, MA) is planning to hold their 48th annual conference May 23-25.

This year's speakers are Harold Smith (NS) and Sam Thorpe (GA). Ministry begins Friday at 7:30. Most meals will be provided.

PHILLY CONFERENCE The Olney Gospel Hall (314 W. Chew St.) in N. Philadelphia is planning their annual Memorial Weekend conference. Speakers expected: Jim Comte (ON), Mike Attwood (GA) and Roy Hill (England). Conference begins with prayer at 7:45 on Friday, May 23. Saturday: ministry at 2:30 and 7. Dinner provided at 5:30. On the Lord’s Day, ministry at 2:30, dinner at 5:30 and gospel at 7:00.

H. W. Wiegand 215-635-0822 50 YEARS OF FAITHFULNESS Grace Bible Chapel in Springfield, IL is planning to celebrate 50 years of the beginning of the testimony in that city. They would appreciate it if a Location: 3335 Woodhaven Drive, corner of Rochester Road, Springfield, IL (one mile east of Lake Springfield on Rochester Road).

They expect J. Eddie Schwartz (NC) to bring the messages.

Schedule of meetings: conference begins May 30 at 7:00 PM for ministry. On May 31, ministry at 2:00, 3:30, and 6:30 PM with supper provided. On June 1, Breaking of Bread is at 9:00 AM and ministry at 10:30.

Contact: Floyd Pierce 217-544-7419

915 S. 1st St. Springfield, IL 62704 fpierce@ameritech.net UPSTATE SC CONFERENCE The Piedmont Christian Fellowship (Pendleton, SC) announces a weekend series of special meetings to be held Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8. The invited speaker is Jamie Hull (CO) Themes: Worship: the Christian’s Highest Privilege; Cultivating Godly Friendships; and Living a Holy Life in Today’s World. First meeting on Saturday begins at 11.

Darryl Jachens at 864-646-9273 djachens@netzero.net PLAN AHEAD FOR THE FALL The annual Pacific Coast Christian Conference will be held Oct. 6-10 at the Mt. Hermon Conference Center (75 miles south of San Francisco, CA in the Santa Cruz mountains).

The conference begins with dinner Monday evening and ends Friday morning. Speakers: Ken Daughters (IA) and Jamie Hull (CO). Contact: Max Krieger 323-256-1992 maxnbethk@juno.com POSITION AVAILABLE Assistant Property Manager position at Camp Li-Lo-Li in western New York. Responsibilities in four key areas: custodial, grounds maintenance, rental hosting, and rental program arrangements. Strong mechanical/maintenance background desired.

Salaried position with benefits,

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including home on property. Contact: Larry Thompson 8811 Sunfish Run Rd. Randolph, New York 14772 716-945-4900 liloli@localnet.com APPLES OF GOLD Several young ladies from the Newtown Christian Fellowship assembly in Connecticut are offering a bimonthly magazine for young Christian ladies 12-18 years of age. It is our desire and prayer that this magazine may be a blessing as we are all learning to become women of God. Character studies, book reviews, recipes and more. There is no subscription fee. To request a sample: Apples of Gold c/o Rachel Kresina 113 Newgate Rd. Oxford, CT 06478-1534 awordfitlyspoken@yahoo.com You may also view articles from the current issue at: http://users.cleanweb.net/heberthome ADDRESS CHANGES Tom and Ruth Wilson 1 Andes Ct. Brick, NJ 08724 COMMENDATION Scott Dunkerton The Kenilworth Gospel Chapel informs us of the commendation of

Submitting Announcements to FRONTLINES Announcements for FRONTLINES should be received by Uplook at least three months prior to the event. Four months is required if you wish the announcement to appear in two issues.

E-mail: frontlines@uplook.org Fax: 616-456-5522 Mail: PO Box 2041, Grand Rapids, MI 49501

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Scott Dunkerton to the Lord’s work at Pinebush Bible Camp, work with youth, and to the ministry of God’s Word in the area assemblies. Scott’s address is as follows: Scott Dunkerton c/o Pinebush Bible Camp 90 Bible Camp Rd. Bloomingburg, NY 12721 Tom and Lana Robertson The believers meeting at Grace Chapel (Sherbrooke, QC) are very happy to join with the assembly at Ayer’s Cliff, QC in commending Tom and Lana Robertson with their family to serve the Lord at Sakeji School, Zambia. The family are well known and loved by us and we heartily wish them the Lord’s blessing.

AT HOME Martin A. Krumme Martin was born November 22, 1918 at Wauknon, IA. He attended gospel services in a school house in Cedar Falls on Jan 6, 1956. Following the meeting he was saved while reading the tract, “Safety, Certainty and Enjoyment.” He passed into the presence of the Lord on March 11. Robert Orr and Russell Nesbit spoke at the funeral held at Cedar Fall Gospel Hall. Please remember his wife Fern and the family in your prayers.

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life in the Lord’s service. He was an elder at the Bethel assembly in Kitchener, ON, for 30 years. Both his family and the flock will miss him.

Please remember in your prayers his wife, Agnes, son Fred, daughter Cathy and their families.

Audrey Ann Trotter Audrey Trotter was born in Conniston, ON, on June 27, 1931 and born again after a gospel meeting at Pelham Road Gospel Hall, St. Catharines, ON, in February of 1951.

This was shortly after her marriage to her husband Jack (whose testimony appeared in the June 2002 Uplook).

She was in happy fellowship in the Thorold South Gospel Chapel for many years. The Lord took her on March 31, 2003. Brother Ross McIntee and her son David spoke at the funeral. Please pray for her family, including five sons and a daughter.

She will be missed.

Robert John McEachern Bob McEachern, born January 28, 1927, was called Home on March 2, 2003. Saved at the age of 21, he with his wife Isabelle served the Lord together for 44 years. Bob was an elder in several Ontario assemblies and was known as a happy Christian, an encourager of young people, and a lover of Christ. Most recently he was in happy fellowship at Bethel Chapel, Kitchener, where he labored with his fellow elder Al Hillier. They were promoted to glory one day apart.

Please remember Isabelle, Sandy, Jack, Colleen and the rest of the family in your prayers. Pray especially for the large number of unsaved who heard the gospel at the funeral.

Joan Van Ryn After some years of illness, the Lord saw fit to take Joan Van Ryn, wife of the late Elliott Van Ryn, home to heaven. She was born July 15, 1933, saved in her youth, and passed into the Lord’s presence on April 1, 2003 at age 69. The funeral service was conducted by Bernard Osborne of Wales. Mrs. Van Ryn leaves four sons and one daughter, with their families, having been predeceased by one son, David. The family has been of great service to the Lord’s people for several generations, and Joan was a faithful help, especially to her husband as they labored together in the service of the Lord.

Pauline Stultz Chick On April 2, 2002, Pauline Chick passed peacefully into the Lord’s presence after a long battle with cancer. She was saved as a teenager and shortly after was baptized and received into the Westbrook, ME assembly. Proverbs 31:26-30 is a good summary of her life. She was active in assembly life, especially among children. She enjoyed helping the poor and needy, the sick and discouraged. She and her husband were

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truly “given to hospitality.” She is survived by her husband Daniel, two sons, two daughters, and several grandchildren. She will be greatly missed. A large funeral held in the Gospel Hall was taken by Clark McClelland and Charles Grob.

Elvin James (Al) Hillier Al Hillier was born on February 1, 1926 and passed into the Lord’s presence on March 1, 2003 after a fruitful P

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Robert Edward Harlow Dr. Ed Harlow was born March 15, 1908. After a long and fruitful life he went Home five days short of his 95th birthday on March 10, 2003. A stalwart servant of the Lord, his story is told in No Time to Quit, published

by Everyday Publications. His ministry spanned the globe. Author, publisher, missionary, founder of several heaven-blessed ministries, he was an influence for good in multitudes of lives. His funeral in Florida was taken

by Clark McClelland. A memorial service will be held at Portal Village Bible Chapel, Pt. Colborne, ON, at 2 PM on May 10. Pray for his wife Gertrud as she continues in the work.

Remember as well his three children, Stephan, Rhoda (Hess) and Mary Lou (Steffen) and their families.

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Reginald Fry (1917-2003) “A prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel” (2 Sam. 3:38)

Not long after arriving in Ireland in 1984,

Lord and His people by vocation. He was known all over Ireland and associated with many forms of gospel outreach: Boys Evangelical Camps, Dublin Christian Mission, YMCA, Crusaders, the Gideons, Scripture Text Posters, Scripture Union, UBM, and BCM. He had a great sense of humor, was energetic and hard-working, intimately interested in the lives of others, and always ready to challenge young people, especially about their relationship with Christ. Yet he was also someone that older folk often looked to for counsel. Early in life he chose the path of singleness as a way to serve the Lord and others.

He was a tremendous encouragement, help and confidant to assembly missionaries in Ireland over many decades, no matter whether they were short- or long-term.

It would be hard to over-estimate the impact of the Lord through Reggie on the Lord’s people and servants in Ireland.

The Lord blessed Reggie with good health right into his 80’s. He passed into the Lord’s presence on January 21, 2003.

Another well-known couplet is often quoted, but Reggie lived it:

I heard a speaker at the YMCA say that when he had become a Christian in the late 1960’s the real test whether a person was accepted as a true Christian or not was if they knew Reggie Fry. It was thought that if they knew Reggie they must be bona fide. His love for the Lord’s people and especially new believers and churches meant that he was a much known, loved and respected brother.

His primary passion seemed to be for reaching young people and children for Christ. Meeting them with his pockets bulging with rubber bands, buzzers, toy frogs, elephants, and challenging gospel booklets, he was a magnet to them. He would often quote the hymn: Just as I am, young, strong and free; To be the best that I can be, For truth and righteousness and Thee, Lord of my life, I come.

Reggie came from a godly family of seven. As he would put it, at an early age he found forgiveness and salvation through the blood of the crucified Christ.

He grew up in the Merrion Hall assembly in Dublin, hearing the Word of God under gifted teachers and preachers, and was committed to the assemblies in Ireland and elsewhere all his life. He too became an effective and often-called-upon preacher.

He was a chartered accountant by profession, but was an all-out servant of the

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Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ will last!

Submitted by Ron Hampton including comments shared at Mr. Fry’s funeral service in Dublin at Dun Laoghaire Evangelical Church on January 24, 2003.

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Not Violating Religious Rights?

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Saudi Arabia will not be on the U.S. State Department’s list of the worst violators of religious freedom when Secretary of State Colin Powell releases the annual list of nations subject to diplomatic action for “systematic, ongoing and egregious” violations of religious freedom. According to a department official, Saudi Arabia will not be listed as a “nation of particular concern,” despite the undisputed evidence of religious rights violations in the country. In its 2002 report, the State Department acknowledges, “Freedom of religion does not exist in Saudi Arabia. The government requires all citizens to be Muslim and prohibits all public manifestations of non-Muslim religions.” Critics believe that the US is concerned about retaining Saudi support in the Middle East. According to an article in the March 10 edition of Newsweek, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) considers Saudi Arabia as probably the worst oppressor of religious rights in the world. Christians in Saudi Arabia face constant danger. Christians have been held, tortured, killed and expelled from the country, often without charge, because of their religious beliefs and practices. Pray for Christians in Saudi Arabia who face this extreme oppression on a daily basis.

ALBANIA George Sturm writes: “Greetings from Pogradec (pronounced po-gra-DETZ). These last few days have been very, very encouraging. On Saturday and Sunday we held the inauguration of the new chapel in Pogradec. On Saturday about 130 people showed up, including a large group of believers

from Elbasan (where Ron Young is serving the Lord) and many unsaved friends from the neighborhood. Cecil Gaw of Northern Ireland preached a fine gospel message.

“On Sunday, close to 200 people showed up, including large groups from various local churches such as Tirane, Fier, Porro, Elbasan, Kavaja, Flak, and Korca. Enri Nase from the

MICROCH URCHES? Megachurc h—that’s o churches a ld news. T re intentio hese nally small that way. “ —and like You don’t it see many c today who hurch plan have their ters sights set o gregations, n huge con ” says Caro l Childress at Dallas-b , a researche ased Leade r rship Netw is working ork. “Small ,” says chu er rch consult Easum. “T ant Bil hat’ church spre s because it is the way l ad the fast the est in the fi organically rst century instead of — institutiona ready to pre lly.” Easum dict a majo is r shift. By smaller ch nature, urches are in a better keep track posi of individu al people a tion to tual journe nd their sp ys, which irihelps build community .

LL? ION BI converS R E V ON antien ANTI-C to introduce a has be The call n in Sri Lank f rapidly ace o islatio in the f anity in sion leg , s r a e y isti for around vangelical Chr t country. e his g d d in u yB n. grow minantl been no actio al o d e r p s a lic this h e g e w, ther e Evan Until no according to th lation modr, gis Howeve f Sri Lanka, le rsion law in o ve e Allianc a new anti-con be intror to eled afte u, India is set ment. The d a lia r N a il p m ist, Ta anka’s L i r f Buddh S o t in r o d e p c p du s. e su c group l has th proposa d some Catholi an Hindu,

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Tirane assembly gave a very encouraging message on the local church, using the church of Antioch as an example.

“At the end of the weekend we were all tired but very encouraged to know that God had been very faithful to us during these years in Pogradec. Truly, our God is an awesome God!”

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Where Is She Now? An update on Sarah Leach—and two more matters for prayer.

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Ten years ago, our lives were upended with what to young parents was terrifying news: our 7-year-old daughter, Sarah, had been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. It was January 8, 1993, a day that will remain engraved on our memories. Not only was that a day that would bring about significant changes in our lives as a family, but also a day that began an outpouring of love from the Lord’s people that we will never forget.

Ten years ago, Kathy and I were busy being “typical” parents of a “typical” family. As I worked and Kathy made a home, we raised our four children, who at the time were aged 10 (Ben), 9 (Laura), and 4 (Rebekah), along with Sarah. To that point, our greatest health concern had been with Laura’s asthma. The surprise diagnosis of Sarah’s illness—after a few puzzling weeks of low-grade fevers and sudden, severe bruising—came as a terrific shock.

The weeks and months that followed were times of grave concern, wishful encouragements, and at times, crushing disappointments. As believers, we grew closer to the Lord, both in devotion and in faith. The lessons we learned as a family, as a couple, and as individuals are indelibly impressed, and time has not diminished their effect.

Sarah began her treatment regimen immediately upon diagnosis, and was part of an aggressive protocol for the next three years. During the time her immune system was compromised by chemotherapy, Sarah contracted a serious internal fungal infection as perilous to her health as the leukemia. The combined therapies at one time required 30 hours of continuous IV medication twice a month and 31 pills a day. Her body weight was so compromised by nausea that she required a feeding tube for several months to help retain the nutrition her body needed.

Sarah’s treatments took place at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. From the beginning, the saints at the assemblies in Birmingham ministered to us time and again in ways both thoughtful and practical. One brother came for our laundry; a couple would sit with Sarah as we went for a quick hospital cafeteria lunch; another would spend a few minutes weekly just w w w . u p l o o k . o r g

telling jokes and trying to brighten our daughter’s day.

One of the most overwhelming moments for me personally was when Liddon & Hellen Sheridan came to visit the first time (of several) and Liddon slipped $20 into my shirt pocket for me to take Kathy away from the hospital to eat “real food” at a nearby restaurant!

Here was a man that I had been taught to “fellowship with,” not to “receive fellowship from,” at least not monetarily! I learned a valuable lesson regarding how we are all brethren.

Saints from all over the country ministered to our needs as a family. Vernon Schlief in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, led an effort to make our situation known for prayer and support. We had no medical insurance, and it was difficult for me to work on a regular basis for months. Believers from New York to California ministered to Sarah in ways as varied and original as they were thoughtful. And Uplook magazine, in the June 1993 issue, reported on our daughter’s situation.

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In a day before e-mail was a household word or in common use, Sarah was the beneficiary of many kindnesses, and many, many prayers. Even within the last two years, we still hear of saints who, not knowing Sarah’s present condition, have continued to remember her before the Throne of Grace. I have often wished that I could one day be as faithful a prayer warrior as many we have heard from. “Prayer,” said one brother, “is the MOST we can do!” and so it is.

Time and space would fail me to tell of the overflow of compassion that Sarah and her family experienced, but permit me to also mention the believers in Marietta, Georgia; Slidell, Louisiana; and a whole Sunday School class from Long Island, New York along with those previously noted. We truly learned a lesson regarding the unity of the body. We wish to thank each and every one who were moved to pray, write, call, visit, or support in some other way.

As for Sarah, the leukemia has long been in remission and is presumed “cured.” We still go for regular checkups, but only annually. The fungal infection left her kidneys with about 50% function in each one, so hypertension is a problem, though a treatable one. Our daughter is really a picture of health, now a 17-year-old high school senior with college aspirations. God

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WILL NOT LET THEE GO

by Deszler, 1692, trans. from the German by Catherine Winkworth, 1861

I will not let Thee go; should I forsake my bliss?

No, Lord, Thou’rt mine, And I am Thine, Thee will I hold when all things else I miss.

Though dark and sad the night, Joy cometh with Thy light, O Thou my Sun; should I forsake my bliss?

I will not let Thee go!

I will not let Thee go; Thou help in time of need!

Heap ill on ill I trust Thee still, E’en when it seems that Thou wouldst slay indeed!

Do as Thou wilt with me, I yet will cling to Thee, Hide Thou Thy face, yet, Help in time of need, I will not let Thee go!

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answered our prayers for healing in a marvelous way.

From this experience, we have been sensitized to others who are hurting, and would ask you to pray for two in particular: Caitlin Cloud of San Antonio, Texas, and Miranda Petrandis in Tallahassee, Florida.

Caitlin, age 9, is the oldest of the six children of Brad and Christy Cloud who are in fellowship at Cheryl Bible Chapel. She had a fast-growing, cancerous tumor behind her left eye present itself about a year ago. She had surgery to remove the tumor, and has undergone eight months of chemotherapy (as of February 2003) with another eight to go. She is doing well with it thus far.

Miranda, 2, suffered a severe case of encephalitis in 2001, which greatly slowed her maturing, and she now is suffering from infantile seizures. These are difficult to treat without depressing her immune system, which could potentially give the encephalitis opportunity to come back. Her parents, George and Stephanie, meet with Emmaus Bible Fellowship.

Both girls are in need of our prayers, and their families in need of our practical support as well. “I was sick, and ye visited me…Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me” (Mt. 25:36, 40).

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I will not let Thee go, my God, my Life, my Lord!

Not Death can tear Me from His care, Who for my sake His soul in death outpoured, Thou didst for love to me; I say in love to Thee, E’en when my heart shall break, my God, my Life, my Lord!

I will not let Thee go!

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Four Months Till Harvest? No! “Look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (Jn 4:35).

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“Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2)

Everyone in the world is either a missionary or a mission field.

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No man ever repented on his deathbed of being an out-and-out Christian. —H. Moore

WILL EAST MEET WEST?

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Do you hear the East a-calling, Day by day?

Do you hear its plaint a-falling, Far away?

Crying out, since sore distrest, Pleading, pleading to be blest, Needy East to tardy West— “Do not stay!”

There are no crown-wearers in heaven who are not cross-bearers here below. —C. H. Spurgeon Some Chinese believers give thanks to the Lord for a bountiful harvest

Yea, the East is calling, calling ‘Cross the sea, For the shadows are a-falling As life flees; Dark the day, in spite of light, Darker still the long-drawn night, Shadows sinful souls affright, Such as these.

Coming, coming, I am coming, I’ll not stay; Love shall conquer fear benumbing, I’ll away— Yes, the East shall meet the West, Hear, O East, thou shalt be blest, Jesus yet shall give thee rest— Glorious day!

—HENRY W. FROST

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ALL GRACE BEGINS WITH GOD FOR HE IS “THE GOD OF ALL GRACE” (1 Peter 5:10).

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet. 5:10-11)

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1. GRACE VS. DEBT (Rom. 4:4-5) It is not through owing

THE PRACTICAL EXTENDING OF MERCIFUL KINDNESS TO SUCH INDIVIDUALS AS A RESULT.

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2. GRACE VS. LAW (Rom. 6:14-15) nor qualifying 3. GRACE VS. WORKS (Rom. 11:6) nor doing

THE BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS THUS RECEIVED AS A GIFT FROM THE GRACIOUS ONE.

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Then it would not be by GRACE

THE RESULTING SPIRITUAL CONDITION THAT CAN OCCUR IN THE BENEFICIARY.

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THE VISIBLE TOKENS OR PROOFS THAT SUCH BENEFITS ARE OPERATIVE IN THE RECIPIENT. THE SOUL’S FEELING OF GRATITUDE IN THE RECIPIENT IN RESPONSE TO SUCH KINDNESS.

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THE ACTUAL THANKSGIVING THAT FLOWS AS A RESULT TO THE GRACIOUS GIVER.

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NOTICE GRACE BY CONTRAST IN THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS:

THE FAVORABLE DISPOSITION OF THE HEART MOVING IN GOOD WILL TOWARD ANOTHER.

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SOME EXAMPLES OF THESE SEVEN ASPECTS OF GRACE AS SEEN IN 2 CORINTHIANS An example of 1: Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ (1:2).

An example of 4: For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward (1:12).

An example of 3: In this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit (1:15).

An example of 7: Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place (2:14).

An example of 6: For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God (4:15).

An example of 2: We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain (6:1).

An example of 4: Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of (we want you to know about) the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia (8:1).

An example of 5: Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints (8:4).

An example of 4: Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also (8:6).

An example of 5: Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also (8:7).

An example of 2: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich (8:9).

An example of 7: But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you (8:16).

An example of 5: And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind (8:19).

An example of 4: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (9:8).

An example of 3: And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you (9:14).

An example of 7: Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift (9:15).

An example of 2: And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (12:9).

An example of 1: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen (13:14).

So the epistle ends as it begins—GRACE all the way: “Twas grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

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Seven Lakes in the Sea A testimony of the Lord’s goodness to Cambridge, Nova Scotia.

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My grandmother and her sister were the first ones to be saved after hearing the gospel preached in Bass River, Nova Scotia by Messers. Brennan and Goodwin. After they were saved, they began teaching a Sunday School class in Cambridge. Many in the community, now elderly themselves, remember hearing the gospel for the first time while attending that Sunday School.

Sometime later, my great Aunt Matilda moved to Moncton, New Brunswick to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Norman MacNeil who were in the Moncton assembly.

She was burdened for the souls of her loved ones in Cambridge and shared her desire for them to hear the gospel with the saints at Moncton.

In the winter of 1946-47, Mr. Isaac McMullen arrived in Cambridge and stayed with my grandparents, Henry and Annie Lake. Mr. McMullen rented the schoolhouse for meetings. He would visit the homes during the day and preach each night to a packed schoolhouse.

The Holy Spirit was at work in the community. Mr. McMullen preached with such compassion for lost souls and many responded to the clear gospel message.

At the end of the series of meetings, a baptism was held in the sea. Seven of those baptized carried the surname of Lake.

Mr. McMullen left Cambridge for meetings in Port

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Howe, Nova Scotia, where he told the believers that at Cambridge he had just baptized seven Lakes in the sea!

An assembly was soon started, first meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Leland Potter.

Some time after that, land was donated by Henry and Annie Lake for the construction of a meeting place. Help came from near and far to put up the Hall.

This building was used until, after much prayer and discussion, the saints felt led of the Lord to buy a nearby piece of land and erect a new meeting place. Supplies were paid for as the work progressed and as the Lord enabled.

The building is now completed. The assembly that meets there is small but the Lord is doing a work here.

Recently there have been a few saved and baptized. The Sunday School is a real encouragement as are the gospel meetings each Lord’s Day. The mid-week prayer and Bible study is held each Tuesday with help from some brethren from the Bethany assembly in Dartmouth, NS. Brethren from other assemblies come for a Lord’s Day from time to time to share the Word. All other meetings are taken by local brethren.

Please pray for Cambridge and the surrounding area. We desire that this new meeting place may bring glory to the name of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

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Kenya Elders’ Conference First annual Word Alive elders’ conference, Kenya 2002

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It was Friday, December 6, 2002 at 9:35 AM Kenyan time, as the British Airways 757 touched down at Nairobi International Airport. Mike Attwood and Sam Thorpe had not slept since leaving on the heels of an ice storm moving into Atlanta, Georgia, Wednesday afternoon. Having loaded luggage and 150 pounds of Bibles into the rear of Rex Riordan’s Land Rover, they were now moving along roads with more potholes and people on them than cars.

The smells of the African continent were bringing in a flood of memories for Sam and making new ones for Mike.

Upon arrival at the Emmaus Correspondence School, they were greeted by some of the Kenyan believers who had gathered to welcome them back. Saturday morning the Land Rover was repacked and headed off for Rongo, a small village near Lake Victoria, in western Kenya. After ten hours along rough roads and two ruptured tires, the day ended around the dinner table of Daniel Otieno Ochieng, enjoying a wonderful meal of rice, beans, chicken and fruits. The evenings were spent fending off the bites of mosquitoes, as this region is known as a high malaria zone.

Sunday was a full day of ministry and fellowship at the Brethren Assembly Fellowship of Rongo. It was here that the first week-long Bible conference was conducted just for the elders of the local New Testament assemblies in this district. Some fifty men gathered from two neighboring tribes, representing over a dozen different assembly testimonies. Mike and Sam each spoke two to three times a day, two-hour lectures at a time, on various aspects of NT Church truth.

The late afternoons and evenings were spent answering questions generated from the topics covered that day. During the breaks, Sam and Mike spent as much time as possible learning from the Kenyan elders about their assemblies, their families and personal lives, which are filled with a myriad of difficulties and challenges. The needs are beyond our comprehension, w w w . u p l o o k . o r g

yet our Lord proves Himself faithful. Many of these brethren spend much of their day in survival activities—just to see yet another day. While lacking what we would consider bare necessities, these men radiated the joy of the Lord. Their lips were full of praise to our Lord and Saviour, and their hearts hungered for the depths of Scripture.

During this week of intensive teaching on the local assembly, these elders explained that they were committing to carry back to their gatherings the notes and teachings they had learned. Each brother attending received a booklet of the lecture notes in both English and Swahili. Other brothers there have also agreed to translate the materials into two other tribal tongues.

Praise God as His teaching on this all-important topic of the Church is being embraced by so many Kenyan elders who can carry it on to places Mike and Sam will never see.

The elders were full of gratitude for the Bibles delivered from the saints in the US. The Word of God is very precious to them; they have a high regard and reverence for the Scriptures.

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the shores of Lake Victoria. The family of Puis, the Swahili interpretor, lives in the slums of this city. Their humble dwelling was found amid the stench and squalor of disease and spiritual darkness. The men drank a Coca Cola out of the sacrificial hospitality they displayed from their mud home. After the brief visit and prayer with the family members, many of them still unsaved, they braced for the grueling ride back to Nairobi, reaching the Emmaus compound after dark.

On the Lord’s Day Mike ministered at the Brethren Assembly Fellowship of Huruma and Sam at the Brethren Assembly Fellowship of Lukenya. Each of these visits was an experience full of cultural and geographical richness; but most important was the sense of unity of the Body of Christ, as they “broke bread” together as He commands us. The worship of Christ beautifully transcends all language and cultural obstacles. It was truly a “sweet feast of love divine” as they gathered around Him. The little assembly gathering in Lukenya had a very interesting start. A young man named Nicholas was serving time in a Nairobi prison. Through the prison ministry of the Murango Brethren Assembly Fellowship, Nicholas was converted to Christ. He grew quickly in the Word of God through the Emmaus Bible correspondence courses supplied by Rex Riordan, the Emmaus Correspondence School Director.

After being released from prison, Nicholas had a desire to reach the people of Lukenya with the gospel.

He traversed the sprawling ranges of that region carrying the message of Christ from village to village. The brethren from the Murango assembly helped out in the gospel outreach and soon there was a local gathering of believers meeting in the Lord’s name.

Brother Nicholas shepherded the little flock of believers until the Lord raised up others to serve as elders with him. They carried on the local testimony, meeting under a shade tree each Lord’s Day. The saints at Lakeside Bible Chapel, of Lincolnton, Georgia, learned of their situation and provided funds to construct a building. Today the work of the Lord in Lukenya continues to grow like a “root out of dry ground.” The assembly is located literally in the middle of nowhere, yet each Lord’s Day believers come, walking for miles from all directions, gathering in the Lord’s name, in the simplicity and preciousness of New Testament church order. What a joy it was for Sam to meet with these saints and see their hearts united around Christ and His eternal Word.

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Monday repeated the same four-day elder’s conference for the assemblies in and around Nairobi. The meetings were well attended and the testimonies of the Lord’s blessing in their lives were abundant. When Thursday afternoon approached, Sam and Mike were bodily exhausted, yet encouraged. They had mixed emotions—sad to be leaving the company of such precious believers, yet excited about returning home to their loved ones. A crowd gathered at the Nairobi airport to see them off. The saints want them back next year with two teams to expand the coverage of the WORD ALIVE Elder’s Conference ministry in Kenya.

Pray with them for God’s leading in this direction.

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FACTS at your

FINGERTIPS about KENYA Full Name: Republic of Kenya Area: 582,646 ssq. km. Most people live in the fertile plateaus of the south and west.

Much of the north and east is desert.

Population: 30,080,372 (for the year 2000).

Capital: Nairobi (2.3 million). Other major city (on the coast) Mombasa (600,000).

Politics: Independent from Britain in 1963.

Now virtually a one-party system with Pres.

Religion: There is full freedom of religion.

78% claims some brand of Christianity.

Evangelicals claim 36% of total, nearly equal to all evangelicals in Europe!

Challenges: Poverty, foreign debt, AIDs epidemic (14% of 15-49 age group infected)

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New Camp in the Deep South Land + time+ work+ prayer+ the Word+ God = holy ground

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It’s Saturday, November 3, 2003 and I’m standing by the lake with two of my friends and co-laborers (Ray Cummings of Lake Park Bible Chapel, Belle Chasse, LA and James Bonner of Needham Bible Chapel, Needham, AL). We stand quietly, watching, listening, trying to allow ourselves to slowly drink in the sights and sounds. Children running and playing! Adults paddling on the lake. Laughter, joking, flipping hamburgers, men and women walking hand-in-hand.

It all began with the vision of Vernon Schlief before any of us were around. But for many years (more than 20 that I can count) various men from the area have had a desire to have a camp in the Deep South. During this time, we would drive and bus our children and adults either to Tennessee, Texas, or Florida (9-12 hours each way) to be involved in Christian camping. While this has been profitable—souls have been saved as well as Christians being trained to serve—it provided no place for us to have our own camping experience. The long distances virtually eliminated the possibility of having our own retreats or other kinds of short-term activities.

After years of trying other arrangements, eleven years ago we rented a camp from another religious group. This rental camp has worked very well and we have learned a lot about holding a family camp. The problem has been that we have been required to invest a great deal into the facility and yet had no guarantee

that we would be allowed to return in successive years.

Each year we had between eighty and a hundred and twenty people attending and saw both adults and children saved.

Finally last spring, we found a suitable property about fifteen miles north of Picayune, Mississippi in the beautiful Pearl River Delta. It was ready to use, except for adult sleeping accommodations. The papers were signed on September 27, 2002. The facility had been for a church camp. There is a large log building with a twenty-bunk girls’ dorm and a twenty-bunk boys’ dorm on the other. The lodge also has a large kitchen, serving area, and large meeting room. It is situated on 22 1/2 acres with a 5-acre spring-fed lake, home to at least two alligators!

Our vision is that the camp will be utilized by all of the Deep South assemblies for the encouragement and building up of their local works, as well as the unifying of the work of the Lord generally throughout the area. We would welcome and encourage your prayers and practical involvement with us. Anyone desiring to help with this project, contact: Mr. James Bonner 2081 Bonner Town Rd. Needham, AL 36915 Phone: 251-843-5734 jamsbonr@milry.net

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The Challenge of China Are you ignoring one-sixth of the world’s population?

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I have had merely a taste from the vast smorgasbord of emotions, impressions, and experiences that are China.

So this brief assessment will give you only a fleeting glimpse of the land and its people. My intention is not to give you a detailed travelog but some facts that may help you in your prayer ministry for the Chinese people and for this mysterious land.

The challenges of China are as massive and complex as its population. Please pray as you read.

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To add to the challenge, the majority of China’s people live in rural villages, scattered through the countryside, making them much less accessible than those in the major cities. Even using liberal statistics, there are still more than one billion lost souls in China, souls that are “loved Above.”

However, assuming 75 million believers in China, if every true Christian there was able to share the gospel with about 18 distinct Chinese people, the whole country would be evangelised!

The Numerical Challenge

The Linguistic Challenge

One out of every six people in the world is Chinese.

And it is estimated that by the year 2025, the population could reach 2 billion.

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For those used to the relative simplicity of the alphabets used in most of the world, the complexity of the Chinese character system can be daunting. In classical Chinese, each character is based on one or more of 214 radicals (also called primitives or roots). These radicals are arranged in order of complexity from one to seventeen strokes.

The language includes about 600 pictographs (this group includes most of the radicals) which are simplified drawings of an object, and 700 ideographs made by combining two or more pictographs to form a new character. Add to that 20,000 more phonetic characters that are formed from combining radicals brought together for their sound rather than their meaning.

Although Chairman Mao

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As one Communist regime after another fell in eastern Europe, calls increased for democracy and personal freedoms in China. This social unrest climaxed in the bloody Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, an attempt to suppress the desire to break out of the Communist mould.

However, as China continues to open its doors to Western business interests, it also finds rising expectations in its citizens for those Western freedoms as well.

It seems that China today has welcomed almost everything the West has to offer— except Christianity. While Communism is officially atheistic, the regime has agreed to a peaceful coexistence with other religions—Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, etc. It Two members of the Peoples’ Liberation Army stride along does officially recognize the “Three Self a section of the 1500-mile-long Great Wall.

Patriotic Movement,” a network of stateauthorized churches, but continues to persecute those who refuse to submit to the Communist simplified the language somewhat, it still is a bewilgovernment as head of the Church (a ludicrous position dering language to foreigners and requires extensive at best). study to become proficient enough to share the gospel.

Add to this The Literacy Challenge. With one-quarter of the population unable to read their own language, this adds appreciably to the difficulty of establishing a solid evangelical work, especially in the rural areas.

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The Political Challenge

China’s modern history has been one long struggle for the common people. Following the routing of Chiang Kaishek’s Nationalist Revolutionary Army and its flight to Taiwan, Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. The 1950s and 1960s saw the first Five Year Plan, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution, when the Red Guard was launched, closing universities, killing intellectuals, and attempting to eradicate China’s past. After the death of Mao, a power struggle between the “moderates” and radicals ensued, with “moderate” Deng Xiaoping finally establishing a six-member Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 1977.

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The Cultural Challenge

The Chinese claim a cultural history reaching back 4500 years. But during the Zhou period (c. 1100-221 BC), at the time of the emergence of Confucianism, there arose the concept of the “mandate of heaven.” China is known to its people as “The Middle Kingdom” because it is seen to sit between heaven and earth, with the right to rule over the other nations. Anyone seeking to bring the gospel to the Chinese may well be confronted with the attitude, “we are the people.”

The Chinese were the inventors of paper about AD 100. They invented block printing in the 9th Century, the moveable press in the 11th Century; and by 1750 had printed more books than the rest of the world combined. Their building prowess, workmanship in metals, agricultural skills, and sciences and philosophies leave us with the conclusion, as one veteran missionary said, that we have only the gospel to give them.

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The Doctrinal Challenge

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One positive effect of the Communist regime seeking to suppress, or at least limit, religious expression in the country is that they have banned the Jehovah’s Witness and Mormon cults (although they are active in Hong Kong). However, the Chinese Church suffers from its share of false teachings, including homegrown heresies like “Lightning in the East,” “Lingling,” “Established King” and “Cold Water.”

The doctrinal stability of the Church there is all the more uncertain because of the dramatic number of new converts (some say as many as approximately 3000 daily—Pentecost every day!). As well, there is a paucity of good Bible teaching material and a very limited number of teachers and shepherds for the new converts. There is a heroic effort being made to bring in Bibles and Christian literature from the West and to produce both printed literature and CDs containing Bible teaching aids within China itself. There are also, for those willing to take the risk, Bibles available at the “Three Self ” bookstores in China. But the need is far greater than can be obtained at the present time.

Even when materials are printed, add to this The Logistical Challenge. Once the material is ready, how do you distribute it across the country and get it safely into the hands of those who need it, without endangering them through contact with Westerners? Here we see the need of a sovereign, superintending God who can protect His flock from the wolves and get the green grass to His little lambs.

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The Manpower Challenge China needs the gospel and then biblical teaching for those who receive heaven’s good news. Where will she find those who can help her in this monumental

challenge?

How thankful we are for those who regularly take risks travelling in and out of China with help for the believers there. Please pray for their safety and for the good success of their journeys, not only into China but into other needy countries in southeast Asia.

There is also a cadre of Christian business people and educators (especially those teaching English as a second language) who have continuous opportunities in personal testimony because their skills, services or products are in demand there.

God give them opportunities, boldness, and wisdom to function well “as sheep in the midst of wolves” that they might be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Mt. 10:16).

Will You Take the Challenge?

The main entrance to the once Forbidden City, the Beijing palace of the Chinese emperors. Chairman Mao, whose picture still looms over the main door, opened it to the people.

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There is one category of servants for China in which we all qualify: as prayer warriors. This kind of help requires no plane flights, visas, border crossings, language study or surruptitious meetings.

In my travels among assemblies I hear most prayer for needs in North America, much prayer for Africa, less prayer for India, South America, and Russia with its

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✌ FACTS at your

FINGERTIPS about CHINA Area: 9,573,000 sq. km. (mainland) Population: 1.3 billion (1/6 world pop.) of which 93% are Han Chinese, plus 55 minorities.

Capital City: Beijing (pop. 13.8 million), other key cities: Shanghai (14.2), Tianjin (10.3), Guangzhou (6.4), Shenyang (5.7), Changchun (5.6), Harbin (5.4), Chengdu (5.2). There are 85 other cities with populations exceeding one million.

Some of the breathtaking beauty of the rugged terrain of China—and one of the reasons it was shut off from the rest of the world for centuries. former sattelites, little prayer for the Muslim world and southeast Asia (and almost no prayer for Western Europe, the Caribbean, Australia and the islands of the sea). Perhaps we need more balance in our intercession to the God “who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).

Religions: The majority hold a blend of Confucian folk wisdom, Taoism (also spelled Daoism), and Buddhism. Their primary religious activities surround ancester worship and appeasement of the gods adopted from Taoism. There are also approximately 14 million Muslims.

Here are some prayer pointers for China: • PRAISE for the surviving, reviving, and thriving of the Church in China. Undoubtedly one of the great stories of the 20th century.

• PRAY for continued opportunities in the gospel, more freedom and protection for the believers.

• PRAISE for changes in opening China to the rest of the world. While this has unfortunately brought growing materialistic attitudes, it has also allowed Christians to enter through educational and business opportunities and bring the gospel with them.

• PRAY for the raising up of godly shepherds and teachers to care for the many new believers, and protection from the false cults abounding.

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A part of the more than 300 new believers baptized recently by a mainland Chinese assembly at an undisclosed location.

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BOOKS J . B . N .

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Not Without a Witness The hidden message in Chinese characters

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While in Hong Kong recently, I acquired a book entitled The Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis were Found Hidden in the Chinese Language. It is co-authored by C. H. Kang, a former missionary to China now residing in Singapore, and Dr. Ethel R. Nelson, a medical pathologist who worked for many years in Thailand. The book is published by Concordia.

The main premise of the book is to show that the essential message of Genesis can be found in the ancient classical Chinese characters.

Among other things, the authors show that the 4,500 years of Chinese history takes us back approximately to the time of the confounding of the languages at Babel. After that time, and for some centuries, the written languages of the Egyptians, Sumerians, and the residents of Mesopotamia were also pictorial. We are most familiar with the Egyptian hieroglyphs. But, the authors contend, the Chinese—separated from the rest of the world by distance, mountains, and the divinely provided language barrier after the Tower of Babel fiasco—did not have their characters evolve into an alphabet as did the other nations further to the east.

The authors also seek to show that the original prevailing belief in China was monotheistic (Chapter 2).

In fact they go on to explain their conviction that these root Chinese characters are pictographs of some of the foundational stories unfolded in the book of Genesis.

Following this, the majority of the book is given to dissecting the complex Chinese characters and demonstrating that these pictographs are built on truth commonly known by the world community until the time of the spreading out of the nations, and later included by Moses in the early record of our Bible. I will give some examples towards the end of this article.

Kang and Nelson attempt to forestall several objec-

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tions to their thesis. For example, how do we know that these characters were not changed to their present form (with their latent gospel message) by Christian missionaries in fairly recent times? Is it not possible that the characters examined are actually phonetic rather than pictographic, in other words chosen for how they sound rather than how they look? Is it not possible that the symbolism is based on pagan rather than theistic sources? The authors take their time to seek a reply for each of these issues; whether satisfying to the reader you will have to decide.

Whether you find every explanation of the character composition convincing (I found some of them a stretch), there is much helpful background material in the book—about the Chinese history, culture, language, and prevailing religions, for example—comprehensive endnotes, and a lengthy bibliography. At 140 pages (paper), I found it an intriguing read.

Before I give you one or two samples from the book, let me show you some of the book’s explanations for the way the Chinese characters were constructed.

First, they give us some of the radicals, the most primitive of the characters, which are simplified representations of the words themselves. For example: here is the character for cliff

for roof or house

for streams or to flow

for mouth or person

for field or garden

for man or person (four different radicals)

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The authors then show how more complex characters or radicals are formed by combining or adding to existing radicals. They use the basic symbol for man to show how this works.

Here is the basic symbol for man

But when a man gets married, he is pictured literally as two men

Here is another excerpt from the book, explaining the construction of various characters from the symbol for mouth:

As the book progresses, many examples are given to show, in the authorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reckoning, how closely aligned these characters are to the biblical story of creation as found in Genesis. Here is an excerpt from page 41.

IN CONCLUSION The authors present many other fascinating combinations.

For example, the word for righteousness, they state, is composed of a combination of the symbol for sheep over the character for I or me. The word for large ship is a boat with eight people. Is it possible that for all these centuries the Chinese people have had the gospel at their fingertips?

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Available from GFP W I L L I A M

M a c D O N A L D

A Classic Back in Print!

A chapter from the re-issued True Discipleship

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When a man is truly committed to Jesus Christ, it seems to be a matter of no importance to him whether he lives or dies. All that matters is that the Lord be glorified. As you read The Triumph of John and Betty Stam, you will find a note repeated throughout the book— “that…Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (Phil. 1:20).

The same undertone is found in the writings of Jim Elliot. While still a student at Wheaton College, he wrote in his diary, “I am ready to die for the Aucas.”

Another time, he wrote, Father, take my life, yea, my blood if Thou wilt, and consume it with Thine enveloping fire. I would not save it for it is not mine to save. Have it, Lord, have it all. Pour out my life as an oblation for the world. Blood is only of value as it flows before Thine altar.

It seems that many of God’s heroes reached this same place in their dealings with God. They realized that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (Jn. 12:24). They were willing to be that corn of wheat.

This attitude is exactly what the Saviour taught His disciples, “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Lk. 9:24).

The more we think of it, the more reasonable it seems.

First of all, our lives do not belong to us anyway.

They belong to the One who valued us with the cost of His precious blood. Can we selfishly cling to that which is Another’s? C. T. Studd answered the question for himself when he wrote these words from Cambridge University in England in 1883: I had known about Jesus dying for me, but I never understood that if He died for me, then I didn’t belong to myself. Redemption means buying back, so that if I belong to Him, either I had to be a thief and keep what wasn’t mine, or else I had to give up everything to God. When I came to see that Jesus Christ had died for me, it didn’t seem hard to give up all for Him.

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Secondly, we are all going to die anyway if the Lord does not come in the meantime. Would it be a greater tragedy to die in the service of the King or as a mere accident statistic? Was Jim Elliot not right when he said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”?

Thirdly, it is unanswerable logic that if the Lord Jesus died for us, the least we could do would be to die for Him. If the servant is not above his master, what right do we have to go to heaven more comfortably than the Lord Jesus did? It was this consideration that prompted C. T. Studd to say, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” Finally, it is criminal to hug our lives when through their reckless abandonment eternal blessing might flow to our fellow men. Men often offer their lives in the interests of medical research. Others die to rescue loved ones from blazing buildings. Still others die in battle to save their country from enemy powers. What are the souls of men worth to us? Can we say with F. W. H. Myers: Only like souls I see the folks thereunder— Bound who should conquer, Slaves who should be kings, Sharing their one hope with an empty wonder, Sadly contented with a show of things.

Then with a rush the intolerable craving Shivers throughout me like a trumpet call— Oh, to save these! to perish for their saving, Die for their life, be offered for them all.

Not all are required to lay down their lives as martyrs. The stake, the spear, the guillotine are reserved for a select few, relatively speaking. But each of us can have the martyr spirit, the martyr zeal, the martyr devotion. Each of us can live as those who have already abandoned their lives to Christ.

Come ill, come well, the cross, the crown, The rainbow and the thunder; I fling my soul and body down For God to plow them under. —AUTHOR UNKNOWN

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THE START OF IRAQI HOSTILITIES Don’t forget that Abraham was an Iraqi, too!

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cially in the books of Daniel, Jeremiah and Revelation. In fact Babylon is mentioned 260 times in Scripture until its demise “in one hour” (see details in Rev. 17 and 18).

It is believed that the remains of the original tower still exist, called in Arabic, Birs Nimrud. The tower’s height is estimated to have been 660 feet taller than the Great Pyramid at Giza. Hislop, in his well-known book, The Two Babylons, describes the religion of Babel and its serpentine journey through Persia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, continuing to this day.

As I write this, the fate of Sadaam Hussein is unknown to the West. He has seen himself as a modern Nebuchadnezzar, having huge billboards of himself and the ancient Babylonian monarch portrayed standing together. It would seem Hussein’s attitude could well be expressed in the words of his hero, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30).

If only he had responded to the monumental lesson of Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling and had also spoken these words truthfully, “Now I…praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase” (v. 37). If it was not beyond God’s power to bring Nebuchadnezzar to the foot of His throne, it would not be beyond His grace to bring Sadaam Hussein to the foot of the cross.

Sadly, it seems, Iraq’s present dictator is more like Belshazzar in his defiance of the God of Daniel. Of him it could be said (as Daniel said of Belshazzar), “Thou…hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this” (5:22).

John records the death-throes of Babylon (whether literal or mystical) and the last great battle: “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:14). This will be the war to end all wars.

Our hearts respond, “Come, Prince of Peace!” —J. B. N.

The present land of Iraq straddles the ancient river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. In fact one of its old names was Mesopotamia, meaning “the land between the rivers.” The region’s earliest mention is found in the Bible’s very first account of geographical locations, giving the names of the four waterways that branched from the main river which flowed from Eden: “…And the fourth river is Euphrates” (Gen. 2:14).

No need to recount the sad story of the Fall and expulsion from Eden—its grievous effects are all too well-known. But that rebellious act would become a philosophy of formal contempt against the true God, and would find a permanent home at a site “between the rivers” where the Tigris draws closest to the Euphrates in its 900-mile journey to the Persian Gulf.

The tower of Babel (originally called Bab-el, “the gate to God” and changed to Babel, “confusion”) became the scene of the first confederate showdown between God and rebel-mankind. It happened in one of the chief cities of Nimrod, a warlord from the line of Ham (Gen. 10:9-10). He was brother to the progenitors of the Canaanites and Egyptians, among others.

There at Babel, eastward from the region near Ararat, a plan was drawn up that directly contradicted the decree of heaven. God had said, “Fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1, NKJV). But they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (11:4, NKJV). It seems they were well along in the project—perhaps having finished the tower and were working to complete the city, v. 8—when God intervened. Confounding their language, He forced them to separate: “So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city” (v. 8, NKJV).

But the human race did not cease in their attempts to return to their original plan. In fact the Bible could well be called “a tale of two cities.” The other city, besides Babel (later called by the Greek form, Babylon) was, of course, Jerusalem. There, instead of the words, “Let us make a name for ourselves” may be written, “the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name” (Deut. 12:21). The two cities are found juxtaposed espew w w . u p l o o k . o r g

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M I S S I O N A RY E X A M P L E S & G O S P E L TO O L S Burnt Alive Vijay Martis

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No Time To Quit: R. E. Harlow Della Letkeman

The story of the martyrdom of Graham Staines and his sons, the work that is still being carried on, and the Christian's response to persecution.

219 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $10.99US $16.99CDN

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The EvangeCube

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Read about a man who served his Lord with vision, determination and tenacity as he served the Lord in different ways around the world. 318 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $10.99US $16.99CDN

The Evangecube is like a three-dimensional tract. Its simple, pointed pictures serve to illustrate the Gospel to children as well as to adults.

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$7.88CDN

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Final Destiny (KJV) Bwana Bill

Peggy Williams

X-9042 Story of a man God used in remarkable ways and circumstances which will challenge believers to serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

180 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $8.99 US $13.99 CDN

Our Great Adventure in Faith

Jenner of George St. Dr. Raymond Wilson

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Vernon Schlief's life of faith among the poor and outcast in the deep south.

Wonderful stories, inspiring us to live by faith as well.

160 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $5.99US $8.99CDN

An excellent evangelistic book dealing with the infallibility of the Bible, sin, death, judgment, substitution, excuses and Christian life.

32 full color pgs.

NKJV X-1054 NIV X-1046 RETAIL $2.99US $4.49CDN

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Vernon Schleif

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The Wonders of God William MacDonald

The incredible story of how God used an obscure sailor in Australia in the salvation of many young service personnel during and after World War II. 96 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $10.99US $16.99CDN

B-GGW

A book that sweeps through the intricacies of creation, penetrates the providence of God, and finally testifies of His redemptive power.

119 pgs.

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Frederick Leahy

500 Gospel Sermon Outlines X-00310

John Ritchie

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Most of this book is filled with topical gospel sermon outlines plus a few sections on special topics and occasions.

126 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $7.99US $11.99CDN

We can associate every person in this book with great things done for God. Discover how they met the Saviour and began to walk the Christian pathway.

142 pgs.

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40 Conversion Stories More Conversion Stories

X-6391 X-6405

These stories compiled by Samuel Fisk tell the circumstances and decisions that resulted in the changed lives of men like Mueller, Wesley, and William Wilberforce.

186 pgs.

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$2.88CDN

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Ultimate Questions (KJV)

Life is full of questions, but the ultimate questions are about God. This booklet is perfect for giving to those who are seeking real answers.

32 full color pgs.

NKJV X-UQNK NIV X-UQU RETAIL $2.99US $4.69CDN (Specify

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Zvi Kalisher

X-0592

Zvi arrived in Israel as a Holocaust survivor and went on to accept Jesus as Messiah. Read how he shares Him with everyone who will listen.

240 pgs.

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What Every Catholic Should Ask James McCarthy

X-0012

Raises important questions and supplies answers from the Scriptures, explaining how you can have friendship with God and know His plan.

32 pgs.

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The Best of Zvi

X-UQK

John Blanchard

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Great Conversions

X-1038

William MacDonald

$5.88CDN

Christianity: Opium or Truth Gooding & Lennox

B-COPT

This book honestly faces the objections of thoughtful people. There is an intellectually acceptable way to a personal faith in Christ.

141 pgs.

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g GOSPEL FOLIO PRESS By Mail: 304 Killaly St. West, Port Colborne, ON L3K 6A6 Canada

T R A I N I N G I N E VA N G E L I S M Guarding the Gospel of Grace David Levy

X-0266

Conversations With Catholics James McCarthy

B-1747

When we lack peace, joy or victory in our walk with Christ, often its because we’re not clear on how God’s grace works in our lives. 206 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $10.99US $16.99CDN

Sharing real-life stories, McCarthy offers a glimpse into the way Catholics think about God and helpful responses from Scripture.

195 pgs.

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Fast Facts on Islam Ankerberg & Weldon

X-0115

With many Christians still unclear about the facts of the Islamic religion, the authors expanded their previously released “Facts of Islam” with more detail.

160 pgs.

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Spiritual Warfare Ray Stedman

X-0446

Gospel According to Rome James McCarthy

Stedman shows clearly how Satan attacks us, and how utterly defenseless we are against him. But he also offers assurance that, in the strong arms and mighty armor of Christ, we can become more than conquerors. 202 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $11.99US $17.99CDN

X-GAR

Islamic Invasion Robert Morey

This powerful book provides a side-by-side comparison of Scripture with the first new worldwide Catholic catechism in 400 years.

406 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $12.99US $19.99CDN

X-9831

Gives insights you need to understand Islam and the challenge it poses today by comparing its major aspects with the Christian faith.

232 pgs.

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In Defense of the Faith

Worlds Apart

William MacDonald

B-WA

Dave Hunt

Occult Invasion X-4955

Dave Hunt

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X-2693

Acquire the skills you need to recognize the subtle incursions of the occult and tools you can use to halt its destructive advance.

647 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $14.99US $22.99CDN

Drawing from the mostasked and difficult questions from his ministry, Dave Hunt provides biblical answers for skeptics and believers.

347 pgs.

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The world system and the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ stand bitterly opposed. Both vie for your heart and mind. Only one will win. 76 pgs.

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Evangelism for the Fainthearted Floyd Schneider

Compact Guide to World Religions Dean C. Halverson

X-7046

Here is a book that will help even timid believers to begin to share the Good News with those in great need of it around them.

220 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $11.99US $17.99CDN

Today evangelical Christians more than ever need to understand their neighbors, their changing beliefs, and how to reach them.

272 pgs.

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Can I Really Believe?

Howard Vos

X-7954

Cunningly Devised Fables X-2544

Answers to tough questions such as the existence of God, miracles, Jesus as both man and God, and the resurrection.

188 pgs.

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Paul Young

J-4124

In this new book, the author describes some general features which characterize cults. This helpful book will enable young people to discern the serious dangers, and how to respond positively with the gospel. 112 pgs.

Paper RETAIL $9.99US $14.99CDN

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Reaching Muslims for Christ William J. Saal

X-3229

Muslims—they're unreachable, right? Wrong! A treasury of experiences and insights from those working with Muslims all around the world.

223 pgs.

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Unholy War: America, Israel and Radical Islam

$13.88CDN

Randall Price X-08234 The author, with a Ph.D in Middle Eastern Studies, has as his main objective to inform Western Christians about the Muslim worldview and its impact on our days. 446 pgs.

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By Phone: 905-835-9166 Toll-Free: 800-952-2382 Fax: 905-834-0012 Email: orders@gospelfolio.com (Applicable taxes, shipping and handling are additional. Sale prices good until July 31, 2003)

UPLOOK

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emember to pray for those involved in writing, translating, editing, proof reading, printing, mailing, transporting, distributing and using literature in lands where such activity is difficult, dangerous, even deadly. Yet it must be done for the Master, who personally found it deadly to come into a hostile world as “the Word… made flesh” (Jn. 1:14).

Yet ordinary letters and words become missionaries from heaven when they communicaticate the gospel.

By them God Himself shines into darkened hearts “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

Does anyone know what this passage is?

It’s the great gospel verse, John 3:16