“GET INVOLVED”

The right half of the ad I am looking at tells us about the New Zealand Bible Month 2014 and encourages us to get involved.

The Bible arrived in New Zealand 200 years ago and was the first book printed in this country. The New Zealand Bible Society, established in 1846, offers free resources to get involved.

In two of the free online  resources I am especially interested in and they are:

One resource  tells us about the journey of the Bible from OIHI in 1814 to STEWART ISLAND in the 1840s.

The second resource is an exciting missionary story. Maori were not only reading but also discussing the Bible and apparently could not stop. Midnight passed and they kept the missionary awake. The name of the missionary was William Yate.

“Is your church celebrating the arrival of the BIBLE in New Zealand 200 years ago?” is written on the left side of the advertisement in big letters.

What a good question! What is your answer?

“Have you had your 2014 Health Warrant of Fitness?” asks the Public Notice.

“Have you had your 2014 Health Warrant of Fitness?

The health check consists of Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI).

There is no doubt that Age Concern Kaitaia is concerned about our PHYSICAL Health Warrant of Fitness. And we should be concerned about our physical health.

But what about our Warrant of Fitness when it comes to our SPIRITUAL HEALTH? Our Physical Warrant of Fitness is important, but our Spiritual Health Warrant of Fitness is of uttermost importance.

Just as the letters in the New Testament are solely written for Christians, the following is also only written for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ:

1. ARE YOU READING THE BIBLE REGULARLY? YES/NO

2. ARE YOU PRAYING REGULARLY? YES/NO

3. ARE YOU TALKING TO OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT PROMPTS YOU TO DO SO? YES/NO

And yes, the list is not complete. Do you want to add? Please let me know.

CAN I ASK YOU, “HAVE YOU HAD YOUR 2014 SPIRITUAL HEALTH WARRANT OF FITNESS?

Sunflower

“But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.” – Second Chronicles 26:16

Sunflower

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.” – First Thessalonians 1:4

The book is an exposition of Ephesians one and I am blessed reading it. There are 37 chapters and the volume has about 450 pages.

I am on page 49!

From Christmas 1966 until Christmas 1979 I worked as a missionary in Thailand.

Thailand, Bantak

Image / Rachel Flintoff

For one Field conference we had the General Director of the Mission as guest speaker and I think it was he who said that the Thai field was one field without problems and that he enjoyed coming.

Missionaries are only people and there are usually relationship problems on the mission stations.

Just now I have finished reading the book “We would see JESUS” by Roy Hession.

From the book I am learning why there are relationship problems between missionaries.

Especially new missionaries concentrating on service for God, instead on God himself.

God Himself must be our goal, and not activity for God.

It is just as easy as that.

We had a very wise Field Leader in Thailand and he was like a father to me when I was a young missionary on the field. I remember him saying something like this:

“If we put enough pressure on each other we will all go home eventually.”

The reason why we did not have any major problems was due to his wise counsel.

Thailand near Bantak

Image / Rachel Flintoff

What helps you most in hard times?

That is still the question on my mind.

I have mentioned already that Praising the Lord helps me most in hard times.

But there is still something that helps me more than anything else.

What helps me more than anything else are memorized verses from the BIBLE.

One of those memorized verses is Revelation 12:11, where it says,

“They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

I think that verse is special to me since the visit of a missionary to our place in Kaikohe, where we were working (United Maori Mission). I think I remember correctly that the missionary who had been working in Africa (Congo) for many years used the verse in a short devotion.

There are other Bible verses which are very precious to me and which I have memorized.

They include:

First Corinthians 3:11;

Second Corinthians 3:17;

Isaiah 30:15;

First John 1:9;

First John 3:8;

James 4:2.

One verse I really like very much is First Corinthians 3:11, where it says,

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is JESUS CHRIST.”

I know of course that I should know  more verses from memory, and that I should make an effort to commit more verses from the Bible to memory.

Revelation 12:11 is a very powerful verse, because it mentions the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And please remember always First John 3:8, the second part.

Let us remember again Paul and Silas who praised the Lord at midnight in prison and King Jehoshaphat who praised the Lord when he was attacked by enemies (Acts chapter 16 and Second Chronicles chapter 20).

But most of all remember the Lord Jesus Christ who answered the devil with verses from the BIBLE, when he was tempted (Matthew chapter four).