Graduation

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The close of the week saw a proper bout of illness amongst our group. It seemed the Lord's better judgment to afflict our bodies, and my voice was taken away for a few days. Thus, the street meetings—which we had hoped would bear such good fruit—had to be moved once more. It is peculiar how simple things were when we kept to our indoor meetings; we hardly missed a gathering for simple interference. But now, taking the Word to the public, it is constant. If our health does not fail us, the rain pours. The path to public duty seems ever paved with resistance, be it from the body or the weather.

These petty ailments and sudden showers, are but pebbles in the path, mere obstacles we simply step over in the grand march of faith. Why should we fret over a missed meeting or a change in our schedule? It is true that our LORD is seated on the throne, ruling over all the earth and all its concerns. Our salvation does not rest upon the success of our earthly itinerary, whether we meet or whether we do not. The blessed, comforting, all-important reality is that we have already been accepted in the Beloved. What earthly interruption can truly touch that Heavenly Assurance? Absolutely none. My heart is ever trusting, knowing that the outcome is certain, and the work, though hindered in the world, is sealed in grace.

A long awaited occasion approaches this coming Lord's Day. Seven of our precious, young pupils from the children's gathering are prepared to take their next step and move up to systematic study. Three years have passed since they first began, diligently pouring over the simplified portions of our children's study bible. But what a blessing awaits them! Come the New Year, each of these seven souls shall be presented with a treasured gift: an actual, complete Holy Bible. To hold the very Word of God in their own hands and to bring into their own homes.

Our unceasing prayer is for the Lord to perform a great work in their young lives: that He would open their minds and hearts to the truth of God’s Word; that this illumination might lead them into a greater understanding of Scripture, a deeper, greater trust in His promises, and finally, a more profound, greater revelation of His immeasurable love, all found and centered in Christ Jesus our Savior.

May He be pleased to cause His Word to bear fruit unto the children's true and lasting Regeneration. For what is knowledge, or even perfect understanding of the Scripture, without the transforming power of the Spirit? It is only the new birth, the Regeneration, that makes the truth truly alive within the soul, securing their future not just for this life, but for the life everlasting. It is our sincerest hope that this new access to the Holy Book will be the very instrument by which the Master calls them unto Himself.

The LORD Opens A Door

A blessed development came about: the LORD hath opened a new door for us to procure the Old and New Testament scriptures at exceedingly low and affordable prices. While we have always considered it a privilege to purchase them at the ordinary price (direct from supplier is 130 Php, outside it is 240 Php) to honor and support the labor of the faithful printing houses, this new arrangement will prove an immense relief.

The funds we use for the ministry's expenses, from the buying of materials for the children, the bibles given away, to the tracts printed and shipped from overseas—we gather from the humble, earnest collections of the saints, and every single cent must be stretched thin. But God hath raised up kind-hearted people who willingly subsidize this portion of the labor, ensuring the necessary materials reach many ministries. Since we freely give these Bibles away—though with much greater care and discretion than our distribution of tracts—the prospect of obtaining them at a significantly reduced rate (now only 50 Php) through a partnership agreement is an opportunity we shall most gladly embrace. This is truly the Lord providing seed to the sower, enabling us to spread His Word further and wider than we dared hope!

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