continued from All Roads Lead To Him…

Life Needs a Star…

Just as the ancient mariner needed the north star, just as the builder needs his plan, just as the air pilot needs his chart, so does every life need a purpose, a star.

No life is worth a nickel without a purpose. Examine please the lives of our nation’s great men. Study Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, Edison, Morse, Wilson. Marvel as you will at their devotion to an ideal. Note how they kept their eyes on their star. You need a star, too.

Who can be the star for today’s youth? Shall we choose the best of earth’s nobility? Yes, – but the truth is that even the noblest have failed. They are men just as we are men, and prone to the same pitfalls and mistakes. We need someone more than human if we would be guided to Life’s goal.

In the greatest volume of English literature there is One who is called “the Star.”(1) And through the centuries he has been the incentive, the inspiration, the source of hope for many pilgrims. More steadfast than Polaris, He never changes. In fair weather and foul he can be fully counted on. May we invite you to choose Him for your Star?

There Christ stands in the center of time. As to His character, it is magnificently above reproach. Of all the sons of men, he alone is without(2) sin. Of His wisdom the sages never cease to marvel. Of His unselfish deeds multitudes can testify. And of His ability(3) to help in today’s world there is no doubt.

But if that were all, there still might be a great gulf. It is a joy to add that His love(4) for you is as great as the distance from Heaven to earth. Believe me, all Highschoolers need Him.

Listen while I tell you His story, for it’s truly the most amazing that has ever been told. In the beginning of all things He(5) was there. When uncounted heavens and earth’s sphere were created the work was that of His(6) fingers. And when the garden of Eden first knew the tread of human feet He(7) was their Maker.

The story goes on. It was not long until a cloud of terrible sin intervened and the human race staggered. There was no hope, for all had sinned and the punishment was death. Centuries followed with the same sad condition of despair. Then one day God hung a huge star over Bethlehem to announce that His Son now in human form had begun the work of redemption.

Without a trace of exaggeration we say that His life was beautiful. His deeds, words, compassion all eloquently testified to His “starry” origin. But the thirty-three years of His life were but a prelude to the day when the drama of the ages was enacted. Cruel men nailed Him to a cross of shame, and on that stage He gave His life to pay the penalty for your sin and mine. So from that scene of death there springs a fountain(8 ) of eternal life.

This story does not end there. Loving hands took the bruised body from the cross. Loving hearts placed it in the borrowed tomb. After three days He arose nevermore(9) to die. And after promising to return,(10) He ascended beyond the blue to be your Star and mine.

Here is a peerless star for your life. Here is a purpose worthwhile. Fasten your eyes on Him. Let the light from His life illumine your daily path. Make Him your goal, and His will your will. Think with your heart on His “starship.” Hitch your wagon to this Star.

———————————————————————————————–

(1) Revelation 22:16                (5) John 1:1                         (9) Revelation 1:18

(2) 2 Corinthians 5:21              (6) Colossians 1:16              (10) John 14:3

(3) Matthew 28:18                   (7) Genesis 1:26

(4) Galatians 2:20                    (8 ) John 4:14

…to be continued [Next Chapter: How To "Hitch"...]

continued from Let’s Begin Thinking Here…

All Roads Lead To Him…

I think you’re saying, “suppose what he says is true, that God is the great Cause of all things, and that the reason for my existence is that I might do His will. How then can I come to know God? If he is so great, so powerful, then perhaps He is terribly unapproachable as well. Is there a way of approach to God?”

Look here, Highschooler, I have good news for you. It is true that God is great. Believe me, He is inexpressibly greater than all the mighty universe which He has created. And you know that even with modern scientific instruments we have not yet even discovered the limits of the skies. But that almost unbelievably good news is that God desires to know(1) you. He wants your companionship, and longs for your fellowship. Strange and unbelievable as this may seem, it is as true(2) as can be.

But I must tell you here that fellowship with God is absolutely impossible in your natural state. You see, is your heart and life there is sin,(3) and there are transgressions. You were born in sin and your parents were sinners before you. God’s first attribute is holiness, and this holiness cannot ever fellowship with sin. What then shall be done? God desires your fellowship, – you want to know God, and this is utterly impossible because of the sin in your heart.

It thrills me to be able to say that in this situation which, humanly speaking had no remedy, God did something. He did not condone your sin. He did not minimize your guilt. he did not fail to condemn your transgression, but provided someone to serve as your Substitute. This Someone was His own dear Son,(4) the Lord Jesus Christ. The story of how this was accomplished is a tender and beautiful one.

Long centuries ago, a beautiful Babe was born in ancient Bethlehem of a virgin mother. This Babe was none other than the Son of God come in the flesh. After growing up and overwhelmingly proving His deity by peerless deeds(5) and matchless words,(6) He willingly gave His life to die on a cross(7) of shame. There He became your Substitute. There God placed on Him your sins. There He fully paid the price of your redemption. Then, after three days, He rose triumphantly from death and returned to the gloryland. Thus the way is open for you to know God.

God has intended that no one shall miss Christ. References to Him are found in every walk of life. Our world is filled with God’s arrows pointing to Him. All the roads of earth lead to Him. Consider a few with me.

Did you know that every time you write a date you acknowledge that just so many years ago Christ came? Every piece of money testifies the same. The best in music, the greatest in art are centered about the person of Christ. The bestseller of both today and yesterday is the Bible which is “His Story.” Thousand of churches in our land bear constant testimony to Christ, the great Head of the Church.

Nor is this all. Literature is replete with references to Him. His followers inhabit every country on the globe. Missionary endeavors follows His banner to the ends of the trail. Radios fill some of the ether waves with the “best story of all.” Book stores contain shelves filled with volumes dealing with His life and teaching. Governments rest upon His principles. It is utterly impossible to avoid Christ.

Life’s questions are solved when you come to God through Christ.(8 ) To those who invite Him, Christ takes up permanent residence(9) within the temple of their hearts. Surely I do not need to state that everyone needs Him. You, too.

———————————————————————————————–

(1) Isaiah 1:18                      (4) John 3:16                        (7) John 19:16-18

(2) Matthew 11:28                 (5) Matthew 9:35                   (8 ) Colossians 2:3

(3) Romans 3:10-12              (6) John 7:46                         (9) Galatians 2:20

…to be continued [Next Chapter: Life Needs a Star...]

continued from Hi, Highschoolers!…

Let’s Begin Thinking Here…

Now, with the kind permission of my high school readers we’ll pass up delightfully enjoyable subjects as Algebra, Latin, Civics, History and the like which regularly delight your grey matter, and we’ll suggest some subjects which are so big and so important they’ll demand your closest concentration. But for all their size, these questions are answerable, and what’s more, they’re tremendously relevant, I mean they’re right down where you live.

Let’s start right at the beginning and ask what’s life all about anyway? Why are we here? We didn’t just happen to be here where we are, living creatures on a seventy year march through life. Who placed us here, and why? What’s life’s purpose? Surely even a freshman will agree that there’s no purpose in blissfully skipping through life as it were just a bowl of cherries.

Think now! Here we are, vibrant with a quality we call life. We didn’t originate life, nor do we maintain it. Our parents were the same and our grandparents. We breathe because we’re alive. Our hearts tick simply because of some mysterious force. But where did life come from, (1) and what’s our responsibility(2) in the possession of it?

Life is easy because of a compatible environment. It’s definitely proveable that we were made for our surroundings, and they were meticulously fashioned for us. Otherwise at best, life would be a vain struggle. But the world is wonderfully planned, and who has done this?(3) You didn’t and I didn’t. Our government didn’t. But Someone did, and the question is, why did He?

Now don’t get the blind staggers already, for as we go along, we’re going to endeavor to answer some of these questions. But they are big questions, we’ll admit.

Listen, Highschooler, life does have a purpose. We’re not blind creatures of hapless chance. We’re not mariners on a sea of uncertainty. There is a reason for everything, and we can know it. Put this down first of all that there  is a Supreme(4) Being. He is the creator of all things, and the sustainer as well. Everything we see and know has come from His creative hand. All things obey His will. He is responsible too, for our existence. The life we possess has come(5) from His life, and is loaned to us for a reason. Someday it must be returned.

Literally millions and millions of voices speak eloquently of God. The exquisite fragrance and design of the rose. The unerring instinct of the homing pigeon. The untaught structural ability of the beaver. The breath-taking loveliness of the sunset. Life is filled to capacity with mysteries which amaze and delight us. But the explanation for them rests in the fact of an Almighty God.

Our twentieth century boasts many telescopes. There, with the aid of stellar photography, we gaze wide-eyed at the unbelievable heavens above. What we see staggers the imagination. Billions, yes and we mean billions, of brilliant, scintillating suns are there, all journeying in their courses, all obeying the will of their Maker. What a mighty, mighty God.

Now to the microscope where other worlds unfold. The lesson there teaches that seemingly inert matter teems with life. Minutia too obeys well established laws of God. Energy too, is there beyond the wildest calculation. What a wise, wise(6) God.

Or look at your body. It too is a house of a million marvels. You have a soul too, and a capacity to understand and worship God. Here is one answer to the mystery – God has made you for Himself.(7) God has purposed(8 ) that you should fulfill His will. Tell me, what else in life is so important at this?

———————————————————————————————–

(1) Genesis 1:1                     (4) Isaiah 45:5                     (7)Proverbs 16:4

(2) Psalm 150:6                    (5) Genesis 2:7                     (8 ) Genesis 1:28

(3) Isaiah 45:12,18                (6) Psalm 145:3

…to be continued [Next Chapter: All Roads Lead To Him...]

CAN HIGH SCHOOL YOUNG PEOPLE THINK?

by: William W. Orr, A.B., Th.B., D.D.

Can High School Young People THINK?… The answer is YES!

Hi, Highschoolers!…

Don’t misunderstand us, we believe you can think.

We believe more than that. We believe that once you have the facts before you, you will think rightly. We are confident too, that when you think things through you will proceed to do something about it. You see, we do believe in you.

Today is a day of very shallow thinking. Far too many people, old as well as young, don’t think at all. They blissfully skip through life following the crowd, without a serious thought in empty heads. This way they become an easy prey for false leaders and dangerous philosophies.

We want to challenge you to ponder on life’s greatest themes. We’d like for you to get clearly in your mind the fundamental questions of life and then we feel the other problems will care for themselves. Isn’t this good logic?

So we invite you to read this booklet slowly and carefully. It’s written especially for you. And while you read, don’t fail to ponder its teachings in the light of your own personal needs. Do not hesitate to accept what is true, and do not be surprised if the truth changes your entire life.

The funny little numbers in the text (1) refer to verses out of the Bible (2) listed at the bottom of the page. The idea is to look ‘em up as you go along. Please do this, as it’s part of the plan.

Now you can read on…

———————————————————————————————

(1) Psalm 119:105          (2) II Timothy 2:15

… to be continued [Next Chapter: Let's Begin Thinking Here...]

I was going through my stuff this week and came upon three old booklets that I bought from Rev. & Mrs. Schott during their garage sale.

These booklets – “Can High School Young People Think?”, “How we may know that God is” and “Keys for the Sunday School Teacher” were literature used by Rev. & Mrs. Schott to teach and train our Sunday School Teachers and Young People, respectively.

In the succeeding days, I will be posting the chapters per booklet. I hope they would be a blessing to you as you “grow in grace.”

"YOU"

Last Sunday I voted to close the church; not intentionally, not maliciously, perhaps, but carelessly, thoughtlessly, indifferently, I voted.

I voted to close down it’s doors that its witness and its testimonty might be stopped.

I voted to close the open Bible on its pulpit – the Bible taht has been given to us by years of struggle and by the blood of many martyrs who died that we might have it read.

I voted for our minister to stop preaching the glorious truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I voted that the children of the Sunday school no longer be taught the stories of the Bible and no longer lift their tiny voices in singing “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

I voted for the voice of the choir and the congregation to be stilled, that they no longer sing in united praise.

I voted for every missionary of the church to be called home, every native worker supported by the church to stop preaching, every hospital, every school and dispensary on its foreign missionary fields to be closed.

I voted that its colleges close their doors and no longer to retain its youth for Christian service.

I voted for every home missionary project to be abandoned, every influence for good and right and for the truth in our community to be curtailed and finally stopped.

I voted for the darkness of supertition, the degrading influence of sin, the blight of ignorance and the curse of selfish greed once again to settle their damning load on the shoulders of an already burdened world.

You say: “How did I vote to close the church and all its activities?” Simpy by staying away from the Sunday services, the prayer meeting, by your spending more time for yourself and more money on things that are not bread, cheating the Lord our of His tithe and offerings; by loving the world and its pleasures more than God. Oh, yes, you could have been faithful and gone to church regularly, but 101 excuses got the best of you. So you stayed home and voted to close your church!

Heb. 10:25 - Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The Apostle Paul is undoubtedly the greatest missionary that ever lived. In his ministry, we find the pattern of what a missionary really is. His writings as well as his practices in the first century of Christianity reveal the model which modern missionaries ought to follow.

Acts 14:21-23 is the outline of Paul’s typical ministry among the people to whom he ministered. The passage reads, “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”

From this passage, we find Paul’s method of ministry. First, we find that he preached the gospel to the lost. A missionary then is one who preaches the good news of salvation to those who are lost and on their way to a Christless eternity in Hell. Second, we find that Paul teaches the word of God to these new converts. He taught them and encouraged them to continue in their newfound faith. Lastly, we find that Paul ordained elders or pastors. As the number of new converts grew, Paul would then establish new churches and ordain pastors to lead these local assemblies.

The Bible Baptist Church in Guerrero is blessed to support preachers all over the island of Mindanao who practice Paul’s biblical method of missions. Our “missionaries” are faithful in preaching the gospel, perfecting the saints through sound Biblical teaching, and planting local churches without the aid of foreign agency. There have been literally thousands of souls saved through the ministries of our missionaries. These converts are also being taught the Word of God and growing in grace. In addition, many of these converts have gone on to start local New Testament churches.

Our Missionaries (Rev. Richard & Mrs. Mary Ellen Schott)

— from the Beam [17Jan09]

There are two youth groups in the Bible Baptist Church – the Ambassadors Group and the Young People #1.

Where did “#1″ of the Young People #1 come from? Is the Ambassadors Group just a Young People#2? To know the answer, let’s go through history…

Previously, the church only had one big youth group which Mrs. Mary Ellen Schott handled as its Adviser. During Rev. & Mrs. Schott’s, our Missionaries, furlough in the States, they tasked Mrs. Araceli “Cel” Aspiras, now our Church Secretary, the Advisorship.

While assuming the resposibility, Ma’am Cel and the youth members noticed the widening gap between the older and the younger ones in the group. When the older ones handled the youth program, few young ones participated and vice-versa.  Thus, our two youth groups were created.

The older ones (College and Career) composed the Ambassadors Group. This was not a secondary group but would act distictly from the other. They were named “Ambassadors” because they were to serve as “representatives” of Jesus Christ in their schools and work area. The group also acts as “ministers or volunteers” in many of the church activities. Mrs. Schott became the first Adviser of the group.

The younger ones (High Schoolers) became the Young People #1. “Number 1″ means that they were “always first” in the Lord’s eyes. These group acted as a training ground for the future leaders and workers of the church. This is where potential meets power as God works in their young lives. Ma’am Cel became their original Adviser.

So that’s why we have our two Youth groups in church – and what they should be from the start.

May God continue to bless the church with young people who would continue to serve the Lord, from their generation to the next.

1 Timothy 4:12 – Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

PS. Many thanks to Ma’am Cel Aspiras for the information.=)

When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man,

And skill a man,

When God wants to mold a man

To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows shapes him

Through testings and trials which

Only God understands;

While his tortured heart is crying

And he lifts besearching hands!

How he bends but never breaks

When his good He undertakes;

How He uses whom He chooses,

And with every purpose fuses him;

By every act induces him

To try His splendor out —

God knows what He’s about.

- Author Unknonwn

God must always have a “broken” vessel before one can be shaped and molded into a “vessel of honor.” (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

As the pastors of the mission churches gave their sermons during the 43^rd Annual Mission Conference of the Bible Baptist Church, my heart was thrilled and my vision enlarged with the vast opportunity still yet available to further improve the ministry of these preachers.

I would like to share my thoughts and ideas with you.

POSSIBLE PROJECTS FOR MISSIONS

1. Gospel Tracts

I think the simplest way to spread the message of Salvation is through tracts. Tracts contain a simple presentation of the Gospel and you just simply give them out to people. Another plus with tracts is the advertisement of the church at the back. Thus, tracts serve as a gospel presentation as well as a church invitation.

Unfortunately, the tracts available to our mission churches are from BBC-Davao and BBC-Tagum. According to Pastor Almabat of BBC-Mabuhay (this church is located at the Lamidan Area), sometimes the people who receive their tracts question – “Do you want us to go to Tagum and attend church there?”

It seems funny but this shows how tracts are a vital tool in the ministry. It would be nice if we could reproduce copies of our tracts but with each mission church’s address at the back.

2. English – Visayan Dictionary

Our BBI – Lamidan students are trying to learn the English language as fast as possible. Our BBI – Davao students, on the other hand, are busy learning the Visayan dialect. Ironic isn’t it?

It would greatly help our Bible Baptist Institute students if we could provide them with English – Visayan Dictionaries. This is really needed in their study as their outlines are in English but the people in the mission fields, particularly in Mindanao, use the Visayan dialect.

The ability to speak both languages is a great tool for the preacher in the mission work.

3. Visayan Bibles

This project will not only help pastors but also their members. Here in Davao, Pastor Ingay always encourages us to read our Bibles through and many members have been blessed as they have done so.

Why not help the members of mission churches do the same. As an observation, our mission churches have limited number of Bibles for their growing congregation. It would be great if we could provide Visayan Bibles to our mission churches as this would really accelerate the spiritual growth of their members.

4. Christian Song Visual Aids

Good, godly Music helps the Word of God find a lodging place in the hearts of its hearers. The lyrics of these Christian songs often contain Biblical doctrine in itself. Songs like “Read your Bible, Pray everyday”, “Pray, Give and Go”, “Jesus Loves Me”, and “My God is Great!” teach our children the basic foundations of the Christian life.

Providing visual aids of Christian Songs would help the Children’s Ministry of our mission churches. It would be easy if the project be patterned after the visual aids used presently by our Good News Class workers – a bundle of ten or more visual aids  (Christian songs  written in Manila Paper) rolled and contained in plastic tube containers. This innovation makes this project durable, light and transportable.

5. Books

Lastly, like any other student, our pastors need more books for their study. The student is only as good as the quality and the quantity of books that he has read and learned. This goes true with the pastor also.

The Bible in itself is a already a library of books. But additional study materials would improve the way our pastors understand Bible terms, discern the thought of Biblical passages and prepare their sermons – thus giving their members a much clearer presentation of the word of God. Simply, they are able to rightly divide the word of truth.