bibletoyou

Folks, our garden has produced bushels of beans and corn, as well as pecks of pickling cucumbers, and enough zucchini for all the church families! The tomatoes are ripening and there are beets nearly ready. We have half of a wheelbarrow full of large white onions drying out.  The cantaloupe and pumpkins are forming up in multiples! Of course we had to buy seeds and plants; it did have a cost.  We then had to work the ground, plant the seed, weed it, water it at times, and feed it. It took time and labor; it was often very trying and tiring.  Mr. Earley and I also prayed ernestly for our garden and, Praise God, He answered our prayers and blessed the work!

Our Bible To You garden which includes shut-ins, children, and inmates has also been worked with and prayed over. The fruit is showing as 3 people have accepted the Lord as Saviour in the past few weeks. God has also used this outreach to connect a pastor with a family of one of our inmates. Another student has asked us to send a child’s Bible and some godly books  to a 7 year old. God is supplying those for us to send to her. We have already sent her a child’s lesson and welcome letter. We have been able to be a guide and help as well as a prayer warrior for these people. This is all a part of working our Spiritual  Garden!

How about you; are you working in a spiritual garden? Are you praying over it, watering it with your tears, feeding it the preserved Word of God?  You reap what you sow; are you sowing to the flesh or to the Spirit! Harvest time for our home garden is half over now, but the harvest time for souls, and the discipling  of the newly saved,  is nearing its’ end! Let us urge you to find a way to Garden for Jesus!

As things are becoming worse with sin and depravity in our Land, we have noticed that even the gardens often suffer. We believe God is a withholding  blessing, and giving exactly what sin causes, loss and suffering.  We asked God for a good garden this year, in spite of it, reminding Him that we are still here, and we are still trying to reach and teach. God has blessed our garden with rain and sun in good proportion.

God is also blessing our spiritual garden. Many of our people have expressed their gratitude for the unfailing ministry of sending the lessons and “Chats” to them. One of the ladies, Lori, sent us her picture. She is a nice looking girl who has looked to us for help in understanding God’s Word. She is growing and blooming spiritually at this time. 

God is blessing our spiritual garden as we labor and pray. Do you remember the nursery rhyme that asks “…how does your garden grow”?  Well, we ask you,  “How does your spiritual garden grow”?

I have been weeding in the garden a good deal lately, as the weeds got ahead of us. What a job! It was a good time to talk to the Lord, so I prayed for our students as I worked. But Soon, thoughts were forming ; one thing I noticed was how much easier it is to pull out the small weeds than to pull out the large ones. It is not only harder to pull out the large ones, but they also have larger root systems that hold a good deal of dirt. Getting the dirt shook off, so they do not regrow, makes a mess when the dirt is knocked off. If it is quite large, it  leaves a hole, then dirt needs to be replaced to give stability to the good plant. Weeds also keep the sun from reaching the smaller plants. The sun helps plants to convert inorganic resources, such as sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and minerals, into organic resources that the plant can use.

That got me to thinking of how sin is like weeds. The weeds have to be gotten out, or the garden will not produce healthy, strong, productive plants. The weeds rob the ground of nutrients, water and space needed by the plant. They rob away the money invested to buy plants. They rob away the nutrition, making the ground poorer. Sin does all of the same things in our lives. It robs us of spiritual joy. Sin harms our bodies, stunts our spiritual growth, and separates us from sweet fellowship with God, our Father. It causes extra trouble for the people we love and causes financial loss. The longer the sin has had to take root and grow, the stronger is its’ hold.  Sin can leave holes like hurt to others, illness, poverty, loneliness, shame, etc.

I was reminded to be sure to get rid of spiritual weeds quickly. Satan tries to sow spiritual weeds in our lives. I saw the need to be more determined than ever to refuse to allow a spiritual weed to take root in me! It is my desire to bring forth good fruit through my life; how about you?

God has not just carried us through the recent illness, but He has blessed us much. Numerous people sent love gifts that were needed, if we are to continue with ministry work. As an example of general output covered, we sent lessons and adders to 28 students, one certificate, and eight new contacts. We also sent a study Bible to a man who has recently gotten home.  There are other needs so we are looking to God for it all!

God lead a servant of the Lord to our web site. He was praying for lessons like these, that were the pure Word of God! He called and asked if he might use the lessons for his ministry work. Of course we said yes, with a capital Y.

Our church had a missionary, Brother Taylor, in this week who has a church and orphanage in Thailand he is caring for. We invited him and his wife for lunch so we could then show him boxes of teaching materials that were to be given to missionaries. We also introduced him more fully to Bible To You . There are presently no teaching aids at the church or orphanage. He chose a few spiral bound visuals as the cost for him to carry an extra suitcase of any weight could cost him as much as $100 to get it from Bangkok to the hill country in Thailand.

Does anyone reading this know of a way to help missionaries with shipping to Thailand. He asked us to see if we could find help in this area of need.

Brother Taylor was very excited about Bible To You. He asked if we would mind if he would try to translate the lessons into Thai for use in the home and  in other ministry outreach. We assured him that he had freedom to take off with it! All we asked is the permission back to share his work with other missionaries in Thailand, to which he heartily agreed. Pray for this budding work.

We are firing our engines to fly on in this work; God needs others to do the same!

Hello folks, It grieves us that our contact with you has been interrupted for some weeks. We have had COVID. We are nearly back to normal so I trust to be in contact regularly once more! the most recent ladies’ lesson is ready to post. It just needs its answer key done. We have been keeping up with weekly work to our students. God bless, guide and keep you! Carl and Kay

A student asked why some say we should worship on Saturday. Some teach Sabbath worship. Part of our answer is as follows. Much of it was taken directly from Way of Life’s web site. Perhaps this will help someone else!
1. The sabbath, though mentioned in Genesis 2:2-3, was not delivered to man until it was given to Israel in the wilderness (Nehemiah 9:13-14). Ellen White added to Scripture when she taught that Adam and the patriarchs kept the sabbath.
2. The sabbath was not given to mankind in general, but to Israel alone as a special sign between her and God (Exodus 31:13, 17). If the sabbath had been kept by mankind from the creation, it could not have been given as a special sign to Israel.
3. The New Testament teaches that the believer is not bound by the sabbath law. See Colossians 2:16-17.
4. The sabbath was a type of salvation. “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10). As God rested on the seventh day from His work of creation, the believer today rests in the completed work of Christ. In order to enter into God’s rest, a person must accept God’s work and must cease from his own work (John 6:28-29). Salvation must be accepted as God’s gift.
5. Jesus kept the sabbath because He was born under the law to fulfill the demands of the law. See Galatians 4:4-5. The Lord Jesus made Himself a servant and was born under the law of Moses that He might redeem sinners from the curse of the law and bring them into the eternal liberty of sonship.
6. It cannot be proven that the apostle Paul and the early churches observed the sabbath. It is true that Paul met in the synagogues on the sabbath in order to preach to the Jews assembled there, but this does not mean that he observed the sabbath. According to the Bible, the reason Paul visited synagogues on the sabbath was to preach the gospel. Paul’s desire was to preach Christ. He was burdened for his own people, the Jews. So, he went where the Jews were to preach Christ to them. Consider Acts 13:14-44; 16:13-14; 17:2-4; 18:4.
7. There is much evidence in the Bible and elsewhere that the early Christians met and worshiped on the first day rather than on the sabbath.
On the first day,  which is Sunday:
Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:9).
Jesus first appeared to his disciples (Mark 16:9).
Jesus met with the disciples at different places (Mark 16:9-11;  Matthew 28:8-10; Luke  24:34; Mark 16:12-13; Jn. 20:19-23).
Jesus blessed the disciples (John 20:19).
Jesus imparted to the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).
Jesus commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel (John 20:21; with Mark 16:9-15).
Jesus ascended to Heaven, was seated at the right hand of the Father, and was made Head of all (John 20:17; Ephesians 1:20).
The gospel of the risen Christ was first preached (Luke 24:34).
Jesus explained the Scriptures to the disciples (Luke 24:27, 45).
The Holy Spirit descended (Acts 2:1). Pentecost was on the 50th day after the sabbath following the wave offering (Leviticus 23:15-16). Thus, Pentecost was always on a Sunday.
The Christians met to worship on the first day (Acts 20:6-7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

Since those days, the vast majority of Christians have met to worship on the first day of the week. They do this in honor of the resurrection of their Savior. Christ was in the tomb on the sabbath and rose as the firstborn from the dead on the first day. The sabbath signifies the last day of the old creation (Genesis 2:2). Sunday is the first day of the new creation.
8. Sunday is not the sabbath. Bible-believing Christians do not observe the sabbath by assembling on Sunday. The New Testament believer is redeemed from the obligations of the Law of Moses. Romans 14:1-13 and Colossians 2:16 clearly state that believers are not to be judged in respect to holy days. The Galatians’ respect of holy days caused the apostle Paul to fear that they were not even saved! See Galatians 4:10-11, 20.
9. The idea that Sunday observance will be the mark of the beast is not found in Scripture. This idea came from Ellen White. It is true that the Antichrist will “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25), yet nowhere does the Bible say that this will involve the sabbath or Sunday. The Bible does not reveal exactly what laws the Antichrist will change.                                                                                                                                                                       We rightfully worship on Sunday, not Saturday!

This is an email we saved back a number of months ago to help us remember that Bible To You lessons are needed. They are serving God’s purpose. Oh how wonderful to be serving a God who can take the work and multiply it, sending it forth into the world, the needy world!

“Thank you for your prayer letter.  We love the BTY .  We have a free Bible ministry and we send a copy with every Bible we send.  They are going all over the world. Thank you.”

J.R. Trammell  Pastor at Harvest Hill Baptist Church

International Women’s Day is by far a false god celebration. Seeking a gender equal world means erasing the God given worth of a man and the God given worth of a woman. Satan encourages us to rise up against God.  In Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them and in
Genesis 5:2 ” Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

Women are the one special half of God’s creation of MAN or MANKIND. He developed each with special abilities, and for different purposes. Please avail yourself of the LADY LESSONS which are here, in our web site! They should help with training ladies and girls to see the value of being a woman!

America, the beautiful, the Land of the free and the brave! One nation under God. A nation of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is the Land that we loved and thanked God for! We now look upon this nation’s rapid run, away from God, from His Word, and from his ways with great sorrow. We are largely, one country against God!

The only thing that can turn this nation back to God is Christlike Christians who fervently pray, preach, teach and live the Word of God.  We must also faithfully and patiently endure the chastening which is coming into our midst.

We choose to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord! How about you? Can you use Bible To You lessons in any way?

Look, think and pray. God will show you the way!

Two students sent notes of thanks that remind us of their need, not only for the Word which we send, but also for the personal touch we try to give everyone. Perhaps you would enjoy hearing their notes.  JB wrote:” I want to thank you for always sharing a part of yourself with each Bible study you send me. All I have is Christ. All of my family has died since my incarceration in 2012….”. JS wrote: “Thank you for everything and I thank God for bringing you into my life. Please keep praying for me to get home to my children…”.

Pray for them, and please pray for us as we carry their burdens to the Lord and try to show them right paths of victory in Jesus, lives no longer lived to the flesh!