Dear Friends of Ballee,

Welcome to 1991 - or at least to our first magazine of 1991! I trust you all have had an enjoyable blessed Christmas as you celebrated the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am reminded of a verse of a Christmas piece sung by our Youth Choir:

Christmas isn’t Christmas ‘till it happens in your heart,

Somewhere deep inside you is where Christmas really starts;

So give your heart to Jesus, you’ll discover when you do

That it’s Christmas, really Christmas to you.

- that way, the magic of Christmas will not just be once a year, but every day of the year as you remember the Saviour Who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Lesley and I would like to thank all at Ballee for their support and encouragement throughout 1990, and most of all to thank our God Who never faileth. It is in His strength that we embark upon this New Year opening up before us, and it is true that none of us know what a day, let alone a year, might bring forth. It will no doubt be filled with breathtaking joys together with the inevitable heartbreaking sorrows; it will be a battle but also a mission; it will be a race but also relaxing beside still waters; opportunities for service yet also for praise.

An appropriate text to remind you of at this New Year season is found in James 4 v 13-15:

"Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain; whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, for that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that".

Let me suggest to you some times of prayer that will help us as a fellowship in the months DV that lie ahead:

Let us pray for Proper Motivation

 

Our motives are those desires or needs that drive us into action, and so as followers of Christ it is of supreme importance that we have proper motivation for all that we seek to do, the highest motive is love. Is all that you do, all that you say, all that you desire, controlled and motivated by love for Christ, love for the Saints, love for the Church, love for the lost?

Let us pray for Divine Guidance

 

As we face the journey of a New Year we should recognise that there are some dangers involved in every journey. If we are to walk through this year confidently and in a manner that glorifies God we need Divine Guidance.

I remember seeing a sign on the back window of a car "If I’m not heading west, stop me and turn me around!" As Christians our desire, motto should be, "If I’m not heading towards Christlikeness, stop me and turn me around". Many books have been written and published on this subject of guidance, and I certainly could not add to the wealth of material, but for me the secret of guidance is to stay close to the Guide! If you let the Guide get away ahead of you it will be hard to follow His leading; if you get in front of the Guide you have taken over His role and expect Him to follow you! Please, please stay hand in hand, step by step, with our Heavenly Guide, The Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for Proper Purpose

 

The controlling purpose of one’s life is of tremendous importance. Some people never achieve anything of real significance because they have a low purpose. It has been often quoted "it is better to aim at perfection and miss, than aim at imperfection and hit".

Our purpose in life surely is to be a blessing to others, and to bring glory to Christ. May we determine this year that we will aim high for God. To aim for what will be impossible unless God is in it.

Let us pray for an Unsaved World

 

I am convinced that we as the people of God are not as compassionate as we should be. The vast multitude of unsaved people about us does not bother us the way it should. Please pray that God will bestow upon each of us the blessing of a burdened heart for those who do not yet know the Saviour.

As we let God place a burden of compassion on our heart we will be more inclined to share the Good News of what Christ can do if we will trust Him. The little chorus says:

Give me Lord one soul today

O teach me Lord just what to say

Friends of mine are lost in sin

And cannot find their way.

Few there are who seem to care,

Few there are who pray,

Melt my heart O Lord Divine

Give me one soul today.

Let us pray for the Homes of Our Fellowship

 

The home is of supreme importance both to the Church and to the purpose of God in this world. The well-being of our homes is of tremendous importance to each of us personally. Our witness for Christ in the world can rise no higher than the quality of our Christian life at home. Pray for unsaved loved ones, and those who have grown cold to the Lord.

Let us pray for the Leaders of our Fellowship

 

For the Elders and Deacons who take on such an awesome responsibility before God, with such willingness and enthusiasm. Pray for wisdom that they might guide aright, pray for a unity and oneness among them that will glorify God.

Let us pray for Personal Dedication

 

Life is made up of decisions. The Christian life if it is genuine and fruitful is made up of a continuous series of decisions that bring us closer and closer to God’s purpose.

It is possible that you have lifted this magazine up out of curiosity and you are not a real Christian. Maybe a Church-goer, but never have been born again - can I leave a few verses from God’s Word with you - remember it cannot lie:

Romans 3 v 22/23 "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God"

Romans 6 v 23 "The wages of sin is death"

John 3 v 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life".

Today I pray that you see your great spiritual need and come to the Only One Who can meet that need ... The Lord Jesus Christ. Repent [be genuinely sorry] of sin, and trust in the finished work of Christ on Calvary to cleanse and save you. Make Him your Saviour and Lord.

Possibly most of those reading are Christians, and I pray that you will make that prayer of personal dedication, be done with just attending services, but rather prove God daily in your life, that each service will be an exciting blessed time, that together we might see God work in our midst in 1991.

oOo

I gave them to Him,

All the things I valued so,

Until I stood there empty-handed,

Every glittering toy did go

And I walked earth’s lovely highways

In my rags and poverty;

‘Till I heard His voice entreating

"Lift your empty hands to Me".

Empty hands I lifted to Him,

And He filled them with a store

Of His own transcendent riches

‘Till my hands could hold no more

And at last I comprehended

With my mind so slow and dull

That God could not pour His riches

Into hands already full.

oOo

The life and death of the Lord Jesus are a standing rebuke to every form of pride to which we are subject.

1 Pride of Birth and Rank

"Is not this the carpenter’s Son" -- Matthew 13 v 55

2 Pride of Wealth

"The Son of Man hath not where to lay His head" -- Matthew 8 v 20

3 Pride of Respectability

"Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" -- John 1 v 46

4 Pride of Personal Appearance

"He hath no form nor comeliness" -- Isaiah 53 v 2

5 Pride of Reputation

"Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners" -- Matthew 11 v 19

6 Pride of Independence

"Many others, which ministered unto Him of their substance" -- Luke 8 v 3

7 Pride of Learning

"How knoweth this man letters having never learned" -- John 7 v 15

8 Pride of Superiority

"I am among you as He that serveth" -- Luke 12 v 27

9 Pride of Success

"He came unto His own and His own received Him not" -- John 1 v 11

10 Pride of Self-Reliance

"He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them" -- Luke 2 v 51

11 Pride of Ability

"I can of mine own self do nothing" -- John 5 v 30

12 Pride of Intellect

"As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things" -- John 8 v 28

13 Pride of Self-Will

"I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" -- John 5 v 30

14 Pride of Resentment

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" -- Luke 23 v 34

15 Pride of Sanctity

"This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them" -- Luke 15 v 2

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" -- Philippians 2 v 5

Selected

oOo

It is with praise and thanksgiving to God as we look back over the past few months of our meetings that we realise what a privileged people we are. As many missionaries and mission representatives have come and spoken to us in the Ladies’ Fellowship we have indeed been challenged and spoken to in our own hearts and yet been blessed by what God is doing. How wonderful it is to have liberty both to preach and to gather together for prayer without such obvious persecution - and yet how we take such liberty for granted by not coming to meetings and learning. How feeble can be our excuses. Surely such evenings can only serve to broaden our prayer perspective.

It has been a great encouragement to see a few more faces at our prayer meetings and we give thanks to God for that, together with the blessings shared and answered prayers among our group of women. It has also been great to see some new faces amidst our fellowship evenings and we do praise God for the interest shown.

On December 12th we met a little more informally for our Christmas Dinner. It was a very enjoyable evening although after such a delicious meal it was a wonder that any of us were able to play any games at all. Although our spirits were lighter when we left our body weight was certainly a little bit heavier. Grateful thanks to Sally and Moira for organising the games.

As we approach the end of another year may I wish all our ladies a very Merry Christmas and may 1991 prove to be as spiritually uplifting and encouraging as 1990.

Lesley Kennedy

oOo

These seven simple questions could revitalise your praying.

Your attitude towards prayer reveals your attitude towards God. You can easily forget the majesty of God and speak to Him with less care than you speak to your friends. No one hears you talking to God. Your concentration can lapse and you can spend minutes saying nothing. If you were to hear your private prayers played back on a cassette recorder would you be shocked? Before you offer another petition ask yourself these questions.

What do I want?

 

Do you know precisely what you need from God? A blind man cried out to Jesus for mercy. In reply Jesus asked him what he wanted from him. You may ask for God’s blessing and fail to say in what way you need it. You may ask for victory over sin and not say which sin you want to overcome. When the man prayed specifically, "Lord, that I might receive my sight" [Mark 10 v 51], he received his sight.

Can God grant my petition?

 

God will not grant your petition if doing so causes others to suffer. Jack went to his Pastor in great distress. "For six weeks I have been asking God to let me get the job of foreman at our plant. Instead, Carl got the job". The Pastor knew both men and their respective abilities. Carl’s qualifications were clearly superior to Jack’s. He explained to Jack that his petition was wrong and that God could not answer favourably because it violated at least one other person’s deserved advancement. James [4 v 3] warns us, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss" .

Have I done my part?

 

God is willing to do for us what we find impossible. But He expects us to use the abilities He has given us. When Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus, He asked the people to roll away the stone from the tomb. They could do that; there was no reason for God to do it. Then He used His miraculous powers to do the humanly impossible - raise the dead. Jesus did not unwind the grave-cloths or call on His Father to do so miraculously. He instructed the people to do that simple act. The Lord will do for us what we cannot, but we must do what we can.

What is my present relationship with God?

 

A soured relationship can prevent God answering your prayers. Isaiah put it plainly; "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" Isaiah 50 v 1-2.

oOo

As Christians we are called to walk

The pathway straight and true,

Thus following Christ’s example

In everything we do.

There is no point in talking

Of the faith that we profess,

Whilst exhibiting to other

A life of Godlessness.

As a vehicle for learning

The eye’s better than the ear,

Since wise counsel may confuse

But example’s always clear.

So like the moon which has no light

But reflects that of the sun,

We the righteousness of Jesus

Can reflect to everyone.

If consistently we do this

In thought, in word, in deed,

The sceptics who are waiting

To the change will soon take heed.

No longer can they say

A real hypocrite is he

Or she’s not one bit better

Than unbelieving me.

The standards were not set by me

But by Him Who gave His all,

So Christian play your part

By responding to the call.

oOo

"U"

We can’t spell Sunday without U

We can’t spell Church without U

We can’t spell success without U

Our Church needs U to help;

We are counting on U.

oOo

The Pastor proclaims eternal truth to people who often do not want to hear.

He teaches, though he must solicit his own classes.

He heals, though without pills or knife.

He prays for people and hopes they pray for him.

He leads worship and tries to make God real to those present.

He sows God’s Word and cultivates God’s vineyard so that we may have deep roots in Christ and bear abundant fruit of the Spirit.

He is a manager, administrator, correspondent, keeper of official records.

He is sometimes a lawyer, often a social worker, frequently a one-man emergency squad!

He is in constant demand from other people to speak, and can be used as a decorative piece at public functions.

He is a writer, speech maker, something of a philosopher, a bit of a scholar, salesman and arbitrator.

He seeks the lost, visits the sick, counsels the troubled.

He comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable!

He tries to lead people towards Christ, Baptism, Membership. Service, Parenthood, Marriage, Maturity, Old Age and finally Death.

He tries to keep people focused on eternity as they rush through time,

He also tries to stay sweet when scolded for either not doing or doing his duty.

He plans Church programmes, special weekends and anniversaries.

He is determined to multiply ministry and not monopolise it.

He wants people to experience the joy of being givers of Christian Service as well as being recipients.

Then he spends considerable time in keeping people out of each others’ hair.

Between all this he prepares his weekly sermons, seeks to maintain his walk with his God, and preaches those messages to the people who come that don’t happen to have any other engagement.

--- Then on Monday he smiles when some jovial chap roars: "What a job you have - only one Day a week!"

oOo

In the Spring of 1991, God willing, the North Antrim Care Group will carry out a campaign in Ballymena entitled "Picking up the Pieces". This has the explicit backing of [virtually] all the Church groups and leaders in Ballymena.

The aims of the campaign are:

[a] To increase awareness of the harmful effects of pornography

[b] To persuade, if possible, newsagents to stop stocking pornographic material

[c] To encourage Christian people to buy their papers and magazines in shops which do not stock such material.

Members of the Care Group will be in contact with newsagents in the town and we also hope to carry out a street survey on women’s attitudes to pornography. Details of our campaign and the results will be published in the local press. Newsagents who do not stock pornographic magazines will be given and asked to display in their shops a triangular sticker - "Family Shop - we’ve said no to PORN".

You can help us in our campaign by:

[a] Noting whether or not your newsagent stocks pornographic magazines

[b] Expressing politely but firmly to him/her your disapproval of such material [with reasons if possible] and encouraging him/her to stop stocking it

[c] Considering buying your papers and magazines in a shop displaying one of our yellow stickers.

The effectiveness of this campaign depends on your involvement. Help us begin "Picking up the pieces".

[Care is Christian Action, Research and Education - an interdenominational, evangelical organisation based in Westminster which is working to promote God’s standards of morality and respect for human life in our society.]

In the beginning God created mankind.

 

IN HIS IMAGE: To rule over His creation , dependent on and answerable to Him.

 

MALE AND FEMALE: Only as Man/Woman - two sexes, interdependent, equal and different - did God’s image in mankind become complete. Only then was declared ‘very good’.

 

Sex is a vital part of God’s plan for men and women; to be celebrated and enjoyed, as the Song of Solomon so vividly describes, but so precious that strict guidelines are laid down for it. The Bible makes it clear that sex is only to take place in the context of a heterosexual, lifelong covenant relationship - marriage.

With the Fall, God’s intended, perfect balance of the sexes was lost. As people reject God, interdependence gives way to independence, as in homosexuality; equality yields to superiority, as in sexism; and sameness replaces complementarity. Sex is torn from its intended place in an exclusive, loving and lasting commitment and reduced to an obsession with technique and performance in self indulgent promiscuous, adulterous and perverted relationships.

And so God’s image in us is marred and broken.

In our modern society there are many influences at work which tend to deface and destroy God’s image in mankind. Pornography in all its many forms is one of the most widespread and powerful of these destructive forces.

PORNOGRAPHY:

Destroys family relationships, creating impossible expectations in partners; sometimes leading to child abuse.

Degrades people, especially women, by reducing them to mere sex objects.

Damages children, warping their understanding of sex and humanity during vulnerable periods of their development.

Is addictive, often leading on to increasingly explicit and violent material.

Triggers sexual assault, as those who use it put into practice their destructive fantasies.

 

But surely pornography is not a problem in Northern Ireland, in Mid-Antrim, in Ballymena?

Have you ever looked through the film titles available in your local video shop?

Did you know that two thirds of the newsagent’s shops in Ballymena stock pornographic magazines, and that in one large shop thirty different titles are on display?

Recently a fifteen year old boy appeared in the local Crown Court and was convicted of indecent assault on a four year old girl. His lawyer said in his defence - "He is a victim of circumstance. He was at a very adolescent age when he came into contact with ‘sexually explicit material’. [Ballymena Guardian 3 October 1990.]

Let us not deceive ourselves that this is someone else’s problem.

God in Christ has redeemed us, and called us to be the "Salt of the earth" and the "Light of the world". It is part of our tack both to DECLARE and DEMONSTRATE in our lives that God’s image in us can be restored. It is up to us - all of us - to PICK UP THE PIECES.

oOo

Be Strong!

We are not here to play, to dream, to drift;

We have hard work to do and loads to lift;

Shun not the struggle; face it, ‘tis God’s gift.

Be Strong!

Say not the days are evil; who’s to blame,

And fold the hands and acquiesce! Oh shame!

Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name!

Be Strong!

It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,

How hard the battle goes, the day how long;

Faint not! Fight on! Tomorrow comes the song.

~~~

What folly when we will not see

That we must face eternity!

The human soul is either sent

To Heaven’s bless or hell’s torment.

~~~

Where you go hereafter depends largely on where you go here

~~~

Think of the thrill we’ll have a meeting

Loved ones who’ve gone on before,

Think of the joy and the rapture

Then think of parting no more.

~~~

God’s people never say goodbye for the last time.

~~~

There are three kinds of Church Members:

* Effective

* Ineffective

* Defective!

~~~

Medical warning!! The World is being inoculated with a mild form of Christianity which is making us immune to the real thing.

~~~

How is it that more people are ILL on Sundays that the total number sick on the other six days?

~~~

MEMBERS: Don’t forget Annual General Meeting on Thursday 14th February 1991 at 7.30pm.

oOo

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength" Isaiah 40 v 31

If I were dying, and had the privilege of delivering a last exhortation to all the Christians of the world, and that message had to be condensed into three words, I would say, WAIT ON GOD.

Wherever I go I find backsliders - Methodist backsliders, Baptist backsliders, Salvationist backsliders - all kinds of backsliders by the thousand until my heart aches as I think of the great army of discouraged souls, of the way in which the Holy Spirit has been grieved, and of the way in which Jesus has been treated. If these backsliders were asked the cause of their present condition, ten thousand different reasons would be given but, after all, there is but one, and that is this: they did not wait on God! If they had waited on Him when the fierce assault was made that overthrew their faith and robbed them of their courage and bankrupted their love, they would have renewed their strength and mounted over all obstacles as though on eagles’ wings. They would have run through their enemies and not been weary. They would have walked in the midst of trouble and not fainted.

Waiting on God means more than a prayer of thirty seconds on getting up in the morning, and going to bed at night. It may mean one prayer that gets hold of God and comes away with the blessing, or it may mean a dozen prayers that knock and persist and will not be put off, until God arises, and makes bare His arm on behalf of the pleading soul.

There is a drawing nigh to God, a knocking at Heaven’s door, a pleading of the promises, a reasoning with Jesus, a forgetting of self, a turning from all earthly concerns, a holding on with determination to never let go, that puts all the wealth of Heaven’s wisdom and power and love at the disposal of a little man, so that he shouts and triumphs when all others tremble and fail and fly, and becomes more than conqueror in the very face of death and Hell.

oOo

Dear Friends

As I get the different prayer letters from all the missionaries in the work of God, it is encouraging to hear that souls are getting saved all over the world. Surely this would assure us that God is still answering prayer. James and Dorrie Gunning have been seeing souls saved, backsliders restored and God answering prayer regarding ruin of the crops. Mina Shaw has also been encouraged by the fact that one of the mothers who attended the Bible study at the creche has got saved. So pray on for all the workers with the Acre Gospel Mission as they work for the Lord in Brazil.

Joe and Ruby Black have returned from India and they said in the prayer letter that they wished some of us could have been with them in India to meet the trophies of grace from the darkness of Hinduism, but we know we will meet them some day in the presence of Jesus. Joe was saying that their work was just like a drop in the bucket as the population was increasing by one hundred million in five years. Yes friend it’s hard to take in, so we need to pray that the Lord will work in India in these days. We also know that the people in high authority are not in favour of funds reaching India from outside the country for evangelism only. Already preaching the Gospel by Christian relief has been forbidden; so do pray for India that it will be kept open for the Gospel.

We thank God that He has helped Geoffrey and Gillian to settle in to the study in Panama; they are doing very well indeed but they have a long way to go and so they need our prayers. I’m sure you have all got the latest prayer letter and you will see from that all the requests for prayer; so don’t let them down. Remember too the children that God would keep His good hand upon them.

Much prayer has ascended to the throne of God on behalf of our good brother Sam Irons in the past few months and we praise God that He has answered in a wonderful way. God has brought him through the operation and back into our midst once again and for this we praise Him. It was a trying time for Anna also and the family circle, but God has been good. Pray for Anna as she has returned to Holywood three days per week. Pray that God would reward both Sam and Anna by saving some of the young soldiers and their wives up there at Holywood.

James McKeown and Audrey are still doing a tremendous work for the Lord up there in Belfast. James has a great knowledge of the Scriptures and we know that God will bless him as he shares this with other young men in the College. Remember James and Audrey as they travel on the roads going to meetings etc. Pray the God will keep them safe as they travel and bless them as they share the Gospel with others.

I would like to wish you all a blessed Christmas and New Year rich with God’s blessings.

Desmond Shaw

oOo

Refugees who left Albania in July told an ECM team that they regularly listened to the Gospel broadcasts. Many had memorised the times and frequencies of the broadcasts as well as the ‘write in’ address, though they had been too afraid to write.

One man had pencilled the programme times and frequencies on the wall of his house and another said he had been interrogated by police for listening to the programmes.

One woman said her mother used to gather her grandchildren around the radio to hear the message.

The team were able to distribute many tracts and Gospels, and shared the Gospel with a famous professional footballer.

Praise God for this new evidence that Albanians inside Albania are listening to the Gospel.

Pray that the Albanian refugees in West Germany and Italy will be linked up with Christians.

Pray that Christians will reach these refugees before they are side-tracked into the cults.

 

oOo

Until I learned to trust

I never learned to pray,

And I did not fully learn to trust

‘Till sorrow came my way.

Until I felt my weakness,

His strength I never knew;

Nor dreamed ‘till I was stricken

That He could see me through.

oOo

From every corner of the globe, ships come which navigate the fifty mile long stretch which joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans together. This is the Panama Canal. Basically self-supporting, in hydro-electric power, the Canal is a unique monument to man’s ingenuity. As the country’s number one economic asset it has served the country of Panama since around the turn of the Century when it was built by the French and later bought by the United States. Today the Canal is still officially owned by the United States. This, however, is soon to become history, as an agreement signed between President Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos of Panama, in the 1970’s, promises to hand control of the Canal back to the native Panamanian Government by the year 2000.

It is to this beautiful country of Panama that we arrived on 23rd August 1990. There had been a very special Farewell Service in our home Church, Ballee Baptist, in Ballymena. It was attended by many of our friends and family. [We would thank all who were involved in preparations and all who came to see us off. It is a day that we shall never forget.] Our farewell at the Airport with our family had been just as difficult as we’d expected, but we left them with the calm assurance that we were in the Master’s hand. We had then stopped over in Pennsylvania with friends from our Church there at Sunbury, for two weeks. The stay had been enjoyable and relaxing, though constantly on the move, even managing to fit in a visit to Canada as well. [We are so thankful to the Lord for all our friends at Emmanuel Bible Fellowship Church.]

It is with this as a background that we found ourselves flying into Panama City on 23rd. The flight from New York to Houston, Texas was good yet uneventful, after which we rushed through Houston Airport to catch our connecting flight to Panama. Arriving into Panama at around 9,00pm the culture shock hit us, as we realised that the people all around us did not speak the Ballymena brogue that we were accustomed to ! Granted, it was just as confusing, [I can understand how the Pastor feels listening to all of us!!], but not only were the language different and the colour of their skins, but they also think differently. When we got to our baggage, men literally ran to help us. "How sweet!" you may say, but not so sweet when they charged us a dollar a bag, and were hassling us for more when a missionary friend bailed us out!! Imagine two new "gringo’s", in a strange yet beautiful country, new to everything around them and everything new to them ... what a potential for disaster!! As we walked closer towards the first of our obstacles, immigration [migracion], Satan hit his first dig, Doubt! "What if they don’t accept our paperwork?" [There had been some confusion on that one!] But there we saw the Lord move in the hearts of the ladies at the desk, for as they saw Sarah and Matthew, we found them more interested in the children than the paperwork. Then as we were praising the Lord for how He had worked just then, we entered the Customs Department. Attack number two ... worry! "Oh, I hope that they don’t ask us to open all our suitcases up!" The lady there asked "Please open up ALL your cases!" [6 suitcases, and handluggage!] I offered a quick prayer to the Lord, "Help" and then settled my heart to opening up the suitcases, and going through the long procedure of searching them. Then she continued, "Awh! Don’t bother!" I began to question "What did you say?" The Lord had dealt with potential disaster number two.

Time and time again we have seen the Lord undertake in situations that we found we didn’t have the faith to ask for, yet He knew our heart and what we needed. Just recently, I had been thinking to myself how nice it would be to have a car, to go shopping etc. in especially with the children, but yet I hadn’t asked the Lord about it. [I guess we think sometimes that some things aren’t worth bothering the Lord about!] Anyway, later the next day another Missionary who is in the Kuna Tribe was talking to me, and told me that he and his wife had thought and talked about it, and that they would like for us to look after their car for them while they are gone interior!!

Well friends, I’ll stop now. I hope to be sending little snippets for the magazine, to keep you up to date. Thanks to all who have written. It has been such a blessing to get letters from you. I promise ... we will reply to them!

Geoffrey McGrath

oOo

Is there some problem in your life to solve?

Some passage seeming full of mystery.

God knows who brings the hidden things to light;

He keeps the key.

Is there some door closed, by the Master’s hand?

Which widely opened you had hoped to see?

Trust God and wait, for when He shuts the door

He keeps the key.

Is there some earnest prayer unanswered yet?

Or answered not as you thought to be.

God will make clear His purpose by and by

He keeps the key.

Have patience with your God, your perfect God

All wise, all knowing, no longer tirer He

And of the door of thy future life

He keeps the key.

Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest

As Knower of every door

He keeps the key

That He at last, when just He sees ‘tis best

Will give the key to thee.

oOo

"The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad" Psalm 126 v 3

Anna and I would like to thank all who upheld us in prayer over the last year and especially the last few months. For all those who sent cards, letters, gifts during my operation in London; these were much appreciated and with the hymn writer we can say:

Through it all, through it all,

We’ve learned to trust in Jesus

We’ve learned to trust in God

Through it all, through it all,

We’ve learned to depend upon His Word.

Sam and Anna Irons

oOo

Father, I thank You for the way

You walk and talk with me;

Father, I thank You for the day

You set my spirit free!

Father, I thank you for Your love

Unchanged - will always be

In a world that changes rapidly!

Jesus, I thank You for Your name,

It is my only plea;

Jesus, I thank You that You wept

In dark Gethsemane.

Jesus, I thank You for Your death

On cruel Calvary

Now a new and living way I see!

Spirit, I thank You that You came

To give me liberty;

Spirit, I thank You that You guide

My steps unerringly;

Spirit, I pray that You will use

My humble testimony

To the One Who bore my awful shame!

oOo

As 1990 draws to a close our Youth Fellowship is now in "full swing" and between 25-30 of our young people have attended our meetings.

On 7th October we had a "Meet the Mayor" night in which the Mayor of Ballymena, Sandy Spence, answered all sorts of questions ranging from his private life to his work as a Councillor. Good fellowship was had by all and we were challenged by Sandy’s last answer about being "Fishers of Men".

October 21st saw a new speaker take our Young People, an Angus Kennedy - no relation! - and once again we were challenged about ‘not being ashamed of our faith’.

It was decided that on the 4th November the Young People would make a tape and send it to Geoffrey and Gillian McGrath out in Panama. This we did and it is our prayer that when it reaches them it might be a blessing to them as they continue their language studies.

Thursday November 15th was our Annual Youth Rally in which the Youth Choir and Heavenly Connection took part as well as various other items, and Victor Maxwell brought a short message at the end of the service. The next day one of our members, Aaron Herbison, flew over to Liverpool to join the Continentals [a Gospel Youth Choir] for a month and we as young people would like to wish him God’s richest blessing in this venture.

Our penultimate meeting on 18th November was taken by David Hamilton from ‘Teen Challenge’ and he spoke on the subject of temptation.

The final meeting of the year was taken by three people from the Belfast Bible College, Helen, Nigel and Gary. Gary ministered to us in song and then Pastor Kennedy asked questions to Helen and Nigel about their lives before they knew the Lord, their lives as Christians, and how much they enjoyed the College. A most enjoyable evening was had by all and it was nice to see over 35 young people there, some for the first time.

As I said at the beginning the average attendance has been between 25 and 30, but there is still room for more. If you would like to come and have never been before you can be sure of a warm welcome, God’s presence and a cup of tea at the end of each meeting.

Trevor Robinson

oOo

Jesus is the One True Light

That shines in the world today,

Other lights may beckon us

But they only lead astray.

So if we follow Jesus

Son of God most high,

He will always light our path

And be ever nigh.

~~~

I can stand up for Jesus

And say a word or two,

Although I’m only very young

I’d like to say to you

That if you follow Jesus

And give Him all your best,

You can safely trust your life to Him

He will do the rest.

~~~

For summer, winter, spring and fall,

For your watch - care over all,

For the rainbow’s promise true,

We give our thanks, Dear God, to You.

~~~

Heavenly Father hear my prayer

For little children everywhere,

Help them to remember Thee

However different they may be.

In many countries far away

They have no toys with which to play,

No comfy beds in which to sleep

And very little food to eat,

But bless them Lord, where’re they be,

All boys and girls belong to Thee.

oOo

A lone horseman make his way homeward through a forest in the late evening. Suddenly, he was startled by a harsh cry of "Halt! Quick now! Your money or your life!" The traveller emptied his pockets of the few coins that he had. The robber searched his saddlebags but found nothing but books. He uttered an expression of disgust and disappointment. The traveller leaned towards him and quietly said, "But I do have something of value to give you". There was a pause. "You may not think so now. But the time will come when you will bitterly regret this kind of living. When it comes, then remember this; ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin’. Remember it, for then it will serve as your only hope". The highway man turned with an angry snarl and galloped away.

Years passed. The traveller went about his task of preaching the Gospel from place to place. One day in a particular town he was approached by a man at the end of a meeting. With tear-filled eyes the man said. "God bless you, sir. God bless you indeed". The traveller looked closely at the man and slowly recognition dawned. "Yes," said the man, "I am the robber you repeated the text of Scripture to many years ago. That word followed me like a hound, dogging me everywhere I went, until at last it led me to Christ in confession of sin and faith in His blood. All that I am now I owe to the Blessed Lord and you, His servant."

The traveller was John Wesley and the text of Scripture he quoted is found in I John 1 v 7. Why not read it for yourself. It can do for you what it did for that robber. The Word of God, and the blood of Christ have lost none of their power.

oOo

It matters to God about you!

He meaneth to see you through!

The might of His hand no power can withstand -

He always is thinking of you!

oOo

It’s up to us to make the world

A brighter, happier place,

For only God can fill our hearts

With beauty, love and grace.

Let us therefore seek the Lord,

And finding - pass Him on

To all our friends at home and school,

Then we’ll hear His words "Well done!"

`

oOo

1 Don’t let your parents down;

they brought you up.

2 Choose your companions with care;

you become what they are.

3 Be master of your habits;

or they will master you.

4 Treasure your time;

don’t spend it; invest it.

5 Stand for something;

or you’ll fall for anything.

6 Select only a date;

who would make a good mate.

7 See what you can do for others;

not what they can do for you.

8 Guard your thoughts;

what you think, you are.

9 Don’t fill up on this worlds crumbs;

feed your soul on the Living Bread

10 Give your all to Christ;

He gave His all for you.

oOo

The Good News Club recommenced after the summer break on 17th September, and has met regularly every Monday night since then at our customary time of 7.00pm. The attendance this year has been way up on any previous year, with an average of between 75 and 80 boys and girls turning up each night. Particularly encouraging has been the constancy of the attendance from week to week, and we thank God for the children’s health and strength, as well as for their faithful attendance throughout the season.

Mr Tommy Wright [Glenarm Baptist] and Miss Janice Warwick [IFM] paid their now annual visits to the Club on 15th October and 19th November respectively. Tommy told the story of Mephibosheth, while Janice told us of a young orphan boy who not only came to know the Saviour himself, but who also had the joy of seeing his adoptive father [an atheist] saved as well. The children enjoyed the two lessons immensely, and we would thank both Tommy and Janice once more for giving of their time so freely in this way.

Our own series of lessons this year has been on the life of Moses. Since beginning that study, we have been learning the Ten Commandments each week and it has been a real blessing to us all to hear how well the children have learned them and of their good understanding of what they mean. Just before Christmas we listened to all the children recite the commandments - right from the youngest [who were able to say at least some of them] to the older ones who were able to say them all. As we taught the commandments week by week we were very aware of the state of the world today and how God’s laws are broken daily. How vitally important it is for the children to learn God’s standards and not the world’s. It is our prayer that God will bring His Word to their remembrance as they go on in these difficult days.

The Church bus has, as always, been our main method for bringing the children in to the meetings. Its age is beginning to show, however, and on a couple of occasions recently it has let us down. We were able to fetch the children in by car on each of these instances, but as you can imagine such large numbers make it quite difficult to do this. The bus really does perform a truly invaluable service on a Monday night and I would ask you to consider this matter prayerfully at the present time.

The large numbers of children who have been attending the Club [and we thank God for each and every one of them] have brought added responsibilities in terms of supervising the youngsters of course. We thank God for the new helpers who have come along this term. Each and every one is needed and we now have a goodly number of faithful, dependable helpers. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who prayerfully and financially support the work, and for all the words of encouragement that have been given in recent times. Please continue to pray for the Club, as we prepare to start the new term and our study of the [second half of] Life of Christ.

"... Suffer the little children to come unto me ..." Mark 10 v 14

Ivan Bankhead

oOo

Our Saviour is God’s only Son,

Salvation’s work by Him was done;

We are united with this one -

That’s why our God is for us.

~~~

Christ was delivered for our sins

That we might be delivered from our sins.

~~~

God gives His grace so rich, so free -

No one will He deny,

For He has promised in His Word

An infinite supply.

~~~

God’s wrath comes by measure;

His grace without measure.

~~~

I see a distant homeland,

Where there shall be no tears,

And no more pain or sorrow,

Nor nameless dread or fears.

~~~

Heaven - no pain, no night, no death, no tears,

Praise God!

~~~

Some people give their thousands,

And some the widow’s mite,

But what is done for Jesus

Is precious in His sight.

~~~

The Lord sees not only how much we give

But also how much we keep

Sel