The Open Bible Bulletin - February, 2022

OPEN BIBLE

Because of COVID, visit our website or call us closer to the time of each event for further updates and cancellations.

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The greatest privilege any person has is to know God and walk with Him. This can never happen apart from God’s Word. If you are wanting to learn God’s Word more deeply and discover His plan for your life more fully, then we can help. God has created you to know Him and to make Him known.

We encourage you to consider at least one year of Bible training. Our LifeQuest Program will give you an in-depth knowledge of God’s Word and help you apply it to your life. Bible school also provides you with an atmosphere to develop meaningful friendships, learn

FAMILY FILE Marriages

Colby Long (’19 & current ABM/B.Th. student) to Cyan Hatfield on May 25, 2019.

Grace Francis (Assoc. ’20) to Jed Grant (ABM/B.Th. ’21) on June 18, 2021.

Maisy O’Brien (Assoc. ’21) to Daniel Ford (Assoc. ’20 & current senior student) on June 19, 2021.

Shannon Willigar (’20) to Benaiah Said (Assoc. ’20) on July 4, 2021.

Alex Spearin (ABM/ B.Th. ’21) to Grace Spencer on October 9, 2021.

Births

September 15, 2021 - to Krista-Lee (Sullivan, ABM/B.Th. ’19) and John Neal, a daughter, Adaline Sara.

November 6, 2021 - to Sarah-Ann (Blackburn ’19) and Jonathan (ABM/B.Th. ’20) Swanson, a son, Noah James.

November 14, 2021 - to Colby (’19 & current ABM/B.Th. student) and Cyan Long, son, Brooks Theodore Alton.

Homegoing

Rose E. (Dow) Hinkley, Graduate of 1960, went home to be with the Lord on November 22, 2021. Please pray for her family.

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and grow with others of likeminded faith.

The tentative dates for our next College for a Day are April 14-16, 2022. Come learn and grow with us.

VOL. 63 NO. 2 FEBRUARY 2022

BULLETIN

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nbbi.ca Spring Conference & Graduation 2022

ENCOUNTER YOUTH RETREATS Due to the continued instability surrounding COVID, we feel it best to cancel our Encounter 2022 Youth Retreats. We do not know what the future holds but we are trusting God every step of the way. Thank you for the support you have shown NBBI and we look forward to the day we can begin hosting our many retreats and conferences again. If you have any questions, please contact the school.

New Brunswick Bible Institute 2335 Route 103 Victoria Corner NB Canada E7P 1C7 Phone: (506)375-9000 Fax: (506)375-1800 Website: nbbi.ca Email: nbbi@nbbi.ca

Editor................................................. Larry Rushton Writers.............Faculty, Staff, Students & Alumni Typist................................................. Brenda Cabral Layout & design...........................................Larry Rushton Copy proof..............................................Rose Meed Printer.................................................Merritt Press

For weekly updates visit us at nbbi.ca/connect

FOCUS

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming commencement exercises for 2022. We have faced various challenges throughout the year but the Lord has been faithful, our students have grown and we are confident that God has been glorified on our campus. Thank you for supporting this ministry through your prayers and giving. We are excited to see how God will use our graduates in His service.

Due to the continued restrictions in place because of COVID, graduation events will be limited to Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, 2022. A more detailed schedule will be released in the days to come but we encourage you to mark these dates on your calendar.

Those who are able to come will have an opportunity to do so and for those that cannot, online streaming services will be available. Please contact the school with any questions you may have.

PARTNER WITH US

nbbi.ca/donate

Give online: Click the Donate Now button. Make a one-time gift or choose the recurring option for automatic monthly support.

Give by mail: Send your cheque payable to: New Brunswick Bible Institute 2335 Route 103 Victoria Corner NB E7P 1C7 U.S. Donors: East Hodgdon Bible Church Attn: NBBI Fund PO Box 828 Houlton ME 04730-0828 Give by e-transfer: Send an e-Transfer via the bank of your choice to nbbibusiness@gmail.com.

For additional options: Call us toll-free at 1-800-771-NBBI (6224).

BY LARRY RUSHTON Compelled To Follow

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Would you like to visit our campus and take a tour of the classrooms, dorms and other student buildings?

Even though we have to take extra precautions during tours at this time from those outside our student body, we would be glad to show you around.

Please call us and we can schedule a day for you to be here. Please bring your mask! Email us at registrar@nbbi. ca or call (506) 375-9000 extension 247. We’d love to meet you!

I recently began reading in the book of Mark during my morning devotions and very early in this book I read about Jesus calling His disciples. I asked myself, what was it that compelled these men to follow this man, Jesus? He wasn’t well known yet and humanly speaking, His credentials weren’t that grand. The only details that we read about Him in the book of Mark before he called Simon and Andrew is, first, that He came from Nazareth of Galilee. That wasn’t anything special. Nathaniel asked later, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Then we see that He was baptized by John. Many were being baptized by John in the River Jordan. And immediately afterward, He disappeared into the desert for 40 days.

When He returned, in two short verses before He called His first disciples, Jesus started proclaiming the gospel of God. His earthly ministry was just beginning.

There is a lot we know because we have the New Testament Scriptures that these disciples did not know then.

Jesus then approached a couple of fishermen. I married a fisherman’s daughter. I have seen the hours fishermen keep and how hard they labour on their boats; the dangers they sometimes face. Maybe a change was welcome but it seems, once a fisherman; always a fisherman. They love doing what they do. So why did Si-

mon and Andrew, later James and John, also fishermen, and then others, drop what they were doing and, seemingly, without further thought, follow Him? These men may have studied the Old Testament Scriptures in their spare time or when they visited the synagogue.

They very possibly had heard of the virgin birth and all that surrounded that event.

Although, they couldn’t depend on Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter, I’m sure there was a lot of talk about it. They may have heard about this young Jewish lad who sat among the teachers in the temple amazing them with His understanding and His answers. They may have heard the proclamation of John at Jesus’ baptism and, if there, even heard the voice from heaven.

But what was it really that caused them to step out of their comfort zones and enter the yet unknown?

I guess to answer that question we would also have to ask what was it that caused Abraham to offer His only son Isaac on that altar? What was it that caused Moses to stand against the mighty Pharoah? What was it that caused David to face Goliath or Joshua to march around Jericho? These were all men moved by the Holy Spirit to do great things for God. I can look back on my life and see times when I went places and did things this introverted, backward human being could never do on his own, but by the

grace of God and through the power of His Spirit, I knew I had to follow. I was, as the disciples were, compelled to follow.

Do you feel the tug of God on your life?

Excuses, fears, doubts – Moses had them.

I definitely had them. But following God is easy, in spite of all the circumstances, when you allow the Holy Spirit of God to not only take residence in your life, but totally take control.

I could never claim to be as great as these men of faith, but God has used me over the years in various ways to accomplish His will in my small part of the world.

Can He use you, of all people? He most certainly can! Dwight L. Moody once said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to Him.

By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” Will you be that man, that woman?

NBBI

God’s Purpose Our Passion Established 1944 2 Timothy 2:15

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PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE

BY MATTHEW LITTLE

Bearing Burdens “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 Life is filled with “burdens”. By this I mean the heavy loads, hardships, struggles and difficulties of daily life. We all carry our unique burdens and then sometimes we are hit with monumental lifechanging ones. Like the errant foul ball that strikes the unsuspecting fan, burdens tend to hit us when we seem least prepared. Paul is not seeking to convince us of the presence of burdens for that goes without saying. Rather, he issues a command to carry other people’s burdens along with our own. With that in mind, this verse presents us with a powerful yet seemingly problematic task.

Have we read this correctly? Does God really require me to march through life lugging the weight of my own problems and then adding somebody else’s to the mix? The answer is, yes!

have loved you.” Are you connecting the dots? Helping others carry the weight of their burdens shifts our attention from self-love to brotherly-love. The reason why Scripture so often reminds us to love others, is because it is counter-intuitive to our sin nature. Ephesians 5:29 reminds us, “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it.”

Self-love is always the default setting in life. Opening ourselves up to the weight of other people’s burdens helps us turn from self-love to God’s love flowing through us to others. Second, it seems apparent that “burden bearing” helps us to see that we are not alone in our struggles. As God’s people help each other, we see that the “have in common” that we all share in this sin-cursed life is that we all get battered and bruised along the way. Jesus himself said that in the world we would have troubles (John 16:33).

First, in carrying others’ burdens, we are doing what Christ has commanded.

We “fulfil the law of Christ”. In John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I

So the questions remain: What is stopping us from being burden-bearers and how might we move forward? First, we must renounce the prideful spirit that keeps us from admitting to oth-

ers that we have struggles. Galatians 6:3 says, “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” It is easier for me to say to someone, “I can help you with your problems” than it is for me to say, “We can help each other with our problems”. Pride convinces me that my burdens must be left lurking in the shadows while I move through life convincing others that all is well in my world. Second, our connection with people must move beyond the superficial. Much interaction in the Christian life, between believers, is disingenuous. We hide our flaws and are unwilling and uninterested in the deeprooted problems and concerns of others.

Helping to bear one another’s burdens may be one of the greatest invitations from God that you have left unanswered.

Never forget that whatever burdens you bear yourself or for others are all being taken to the same place anyway. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your cares upon him, for he careth for you.”

2022

Are you looking for a ministry opportunity this summer? NBBI has a program for you. Vacation with a Vision gives you and your family an opportunity to come to the campus of NBBI, be involved in various work projects, enjoy great food, and fellowship and serve the Lord in a practical, hands-on way. We feed you, house you and even provide a program for kids ages 5-12.

Consider joining us on June 26 - July 1 for the whole week or even for a few

As time went on, more and more kids kept signing up for the summer and overall we had just over 50 campers come to camp and hear the Gospel!

Last year with COVID-19, the numbers were smaller than usual but yet again, God heard our prayers and was faithful to bring in more campers than we were expecting! We saw eight kids trust Jesus as their Saviour and others dedicated their lives to the Lord.

Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know”. God says to call to Him and He promises to answer. We were asked to pray before the camp season started and after that, it was in the Lord’s hands. He indeed answered in great and mighty ways and I couldn’t be anymore thankful to Him for that. This was one of the best summers yet and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for next year!

BY ABIGAIL WILCOX

Dates: June 26 - July 1

1. New siding on Liberty Hall (the newly renovated girls’ dorm).

2. Renovate the bathrooms in Liberty Hall.

3. Build an addition for storage on the Kenneth M. Robins Study Centre 4. Various other smaller projects.

The biggest thing I saw this summer was how God was answering our prayers in ways I couldn’t even imagine.

The staff at Tay Valley encouraged each one of us to take a group of campers who previously attended and pray for them on a rotation before the camp season started. Whether that was for their salvation, walk with the Lord, home life or coming back to camp, etc., we were asked to be faithful in praying for them. It wasn’t until half way through the summer that I saw all our

prayers being answered. One night during teen week, I came to the realization that there were three campers in my cabin that week that I didn’t think were coming back to camp again. Not only did God bring them back to camp for the summer, but I saw tremendous growth in each one of them and one girl got saved! God was so clearly not done with them yet.

FIELD TRIP

VacationVision with a

This summer I had the opportunity to serve at Tay Valley Bible Camp! I was able to serve as the head female counsellor and do some work behind-thescenes like dishes, cleaning, and helping the work crew. In whatever way I was able to serve, it proved to be an opportunity to see God at work throughout the camp.

Tay Valley Bible Camp

days. There is no cost to you but your labour will have great eternal reward.

Please contact us with any questions or to register.

Here are the projects to be completed this summer.

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