Word Studies: II Peter/Jude

Class: 2 Peter/Jude

Week #6: October 17-21
Professor: Mr. Matthew Little
Assignments: The epistles of II Peter and Jude need to be read once before the classes start on Tuesday morning.
The sections of Be Alert (Warren Wiersbe) dealing with II Peter and Jude are to be read.

Mr. Little is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute (NBBI). Completing four years of training in 1998, he served in pastoral ministries across Ontario and New Brunswick, along with his wife and three children. He is involved in hospital chaplaincy ministry and serves on the Canadian Board of Biblical Ministries Worldwide. In 2008, Mr. Little joined the NBBI faculty as a full-time staff member.


II Peter and Jude are two epistles which cannot be compared to any other books of the Bible. The intent of each book is to expose and condemn false teachers. When one reads these two books, they may seem extremely harsh and unforgiving. However, Peter and Jude are discussing teachers who deserve the condemnations found in these letters. They have no respect for the Word of God or even the Author Himself and teach doctrine directly adverse to what the Bible says. Because of this egregious assault on truth, Peter and Jude seek to warn believers about these false teachers and teach believers discernment and understanding in fighting for the standard of truth found in God's Word.

As Peter and Jude did in these small yet powerful epistles, Mr. Little also seeks to warn the students of false teachers and give them an understanding of truth versus falsehood.

The teacher and some students shared some thoughts on the subject.

"We have to be on guard against apostasy and be firmly grounded in the truth. We have to be proactive in teaching others."
- Mr. Little, New Brunswick

"I've always known the dangers of not being firmly established in the Word, but so far, all through II Peter it stresses how dangerous are the ways of the world and how we need to be aware of false teachers. The book is a giant call to be holy and to know God's truth. It just seems neat to me to be learning about reasons to study God's Word while at the BI."
- Cameron, Mt. Forest

"This week in the II Peter and Jude class, I am learning that we should know our faith well, so we will not be deceived by false teachers. Also, Jesus is coming and we should be prepared."
- Sophia, Waterloo

The year at the Bible Institute is an intense training session from opening weekend to Open Air Evangelism all the way through Word of Life Youth Camp for summer ministry. However, without studying the Word of God the students would be without the firm foundation they need to withstand "the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). II Peter and Jude teach this principle of the study of truth. Without a knowledge of truth, how can one defend the truth? In today's world, believers need to know, trust and defend the truth of God's Word.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

- 1 Peter 3:15

BW

MIA: (Ministry in Action) Open Air Edition

Open Air Evangelism (OAE) is the crucible of the year at the Word of Life Bible Institute. Definition of a crucible is this intense trial by fire which can only be survived by the grace of God.  Four weeks into the school year, staff and students alike, pack up and move to Toronto for four days, living in a church's sanctuary and Sunday School rooms and preaching the gospel on the streets of Toronto and Hamilton.

This is the crucible.

This is Open Air Evangelism.


When Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28, He did not just command the twelve disciples with this amazing directive, it was for all of Christ's followers then and now. At the Bible Institute, the students are provided many opportunities to obey this command and OAE is just one of these.

The students began this crucible with Personal Evangelism Training with Sam Frey, a missionnary with Word of Life for Open Air Evangelism. Sam Frey comes to the BI to train the students in street evangelism and then accompanies them to Toronto, leading a team each of the four days. Robert Strong and Hannah Heynen, interns with Mr. Frey, also participated with the training and the ministry. The students were trained on the "how to" of street evangelism and specifically on the method they would be using during OAE. The method employed during the week was the use of paintboards in Hamilton and buskers in Toronto. In the use of paintboards, one of the male students would make a presentation on the street using the board both to illustrate the gospel but also to attract attention.

Sam Frey teaches on how to use the painterboard.

 In Toronto, in order to be allowed to draw a crowd, one needs a busker license, therefore, several of the students attained licenses a few weeks prior to OAE. These buskers were trained to do a rope trick that presented the gospel as well as a tool known as the evangecube. Both the paintboards and the buskers were used to attract crowds and then the students would pull aside individuals in order to  talk with them one on one.  After a full day of training on Saturday, the students got ready to go on Sunday and after supper Sunday night they were on their way.

The students and staff stayed at Long Branch Baptist Church during the week. Their appreciation for the church staff and members could not be fully expressed for the use of their facilities.

Monday morning the students were assigned to the vans and headed to the various locations in Toronto and Hamilton. Commissioned by the Son of God, they were focused on the task at hand and yet were not without their fears. The Monday of OAE is always an eye-opener to what street evangelism is like and also more importantly how lost people really are. Forever etched in the minds of these students will be the images and stories that became the topic of the day, including the woman who claimed to be Jesus, the man who drank hand sanitizer, and the continuous onslaught of persons walking past the answer to all their questions and the relief to all their pain.


                                                                                                                                                                      

Some of the students share the gospel in Hamilton.

On the one hand, many of the students were wondering if they would last the week, and on the other, some were thinking that the day was too short. The experiences of the students were different from person to person. Even though some were having a difficult time, the over-all feeling on Monday night was enthusiasm for sharing the gospel especially when the news came out that one person accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

On Tuesday most of the students moved to a different location and some had the chance to go to the Norfolk County Fair with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and work with them to share the gospel to children through drama and face-painting. The following is what one of the students said about this unique opportunity to tell kids about the love of Jesus Christ:

"Having the oppurtunity to go to the Simcoe Fair was such a great experience. I believe the Lord used me and those around me to clearly present the gospel message to the kids that came through. It is an experience I won't forget."

- Sarah, Alberta

On Wednesday, the students assisted Long Branch Baptist Church with getting some information about the church and a Gospel of John into the homes in the area by going door-to-door in and around the neighbourhood. They also took time on Tuesday to participate in a prayer meeting at the church and one of their ministries as well, Conversational English with Chinese Exchange students.

Two of the students perform the rope trick for some pedestrians.

Thursday came quickly and for the last time for OAE the students hit the streets of Toronto and Hamilton and another group went to the fair as well. The day ended with the students leaving to go home for Thanksgiving weekend.

The experience was as varied as those participating. Some students absolutely love it. Others learn that they could not do it on a day by day basis. The following comments express the students thoughts on OAE:

"OAE was an amazing experience! It has taught that we need to have a passion to share God's Word with the people we pass by everyday on the street."
- Tyler, Waterloo

"OAE challenged me to get real with this world, to step out of my comfort zone, to overcome my fears and share the gospel. I ended up learning about God and where others without Christ are coming from as I shared."
- Ryan, Wyoming


Open Air Evangelism has an enormous effect on the student body as whole. Afterwards, the students are more unified, because of a joint purpose  and the sharing of the emotional rollercoaster. The students share this memory for the rest of  the year and they have now learned to work together. Most importantly, as a group, they have learned to rely upon God for strength and wisdom.

Looking back, the students survived the first month of the BI. Now, they have been tried by fire and have survived the crucible, Open Air Evangelism. Looking forward at a year of ministry, the class of 2012 is ready for serving the Lord in every way He calls them to.

- OAE by the Numbers -

1100 - Children heard the gospel

1000 - Gospel Tracts handed out to people on the streets

900 - Times the gospel was preached publicly

30 - People that walked away with a New Testament in their hands

14 - New brothers and sisters in the Lord

Numbers don't mean anything... but changed lives do!

 BW

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MIA: (Ministry in Action) Door-to-Door Edition

It was just two weeks ago last Saturday that the students descended upon Owen Sound to tell the world that Jesus saves. Going door-to-door is an annual activity that gets the students involved in witnessing early on in the year and prepares them, if only a little bit, for Open Air Evangelism in Toronto and Hamilton.


The students received Personal Evangelism Training on Friday and Saturday morning. They learned how to approach people and how to start a conversation. They also learned how to steer the the conversation towards the gospel and away from rabbit trails. One of the most practical things they learned which could be applied in numerous ways was the importance and method of sharing a personal testimony. By lunchtime on Saturday, the students were at least slightly prepared for door-to-door. The students were nervous and yet excited about the opportunity to share their faith.

Saturday afternoon, several van loads of students hit the streets of Owen Sound ready to share the good news of Jesus Christ. They spent over two hours going door-to-door in several different neighbourhoods and receiving many different responses.


The students took some questionnaires with them in order to have a conversation starter. These are some of the questions with some varied responses.

In answer to Who is God?:
        "When I hear about God, I think about religion and church."
        "God is a divine presence and we cannot know what He is like."
        "The universe is God."

In answer to What happens to man when he dies?
        "When man dies, since all do, they just cease to exist."
        "We each make our own ideas about the future."
        "When you die, you join the spiritual soul of God."

In answer to What is right and wrong?
       "No one knows what is right and what is wrong so we have to compromise."
       "You should follow the golden rule, but right and wrong is opinion."
       "You do what you are brought up to believe. Each to their own."

The responses that are written above are saddening and yet they are just a few of many similar beliefs. Because the world has fallen into the trap of believing a lie, Christians need to speak the truth. St. Francis of Assisi once said," Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." However, scripture tells us there is more than just actions involved with preaching the gospel.

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! "

Romans 10:14-15

This is what the students did in the streets of Owen Sound. They brought the glad tidings and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all was said and done, about sixty tracts were given out and most importantly one person accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. It is so awesome to see God work in and through the lives of the students this year.

BW

Open Air Evangelism

    Last week students and staff of WOLBI were out on the streets of Toronto and Hamilton sharing our faith with anyone who would listen.  Sam Frey, Word of Life's Open Air Evangelist, trained us and ministered with us all week.  We were all nervous but 'pumped up' to share God's incredible message of the gospel.

It was amazing to see God work through us and help us realize that we need to be obedient to God's call to share our faith and then let God work through us.  Every year students fear it and love it.  This is the real purpose we are all here; to tell others about what Christ has done for us.

"I loved open air...It was amazing to see the life change when people got saved...I was tired every night but excited for the next day knowing that we were going to share the most important truth people need to know and believe.  It was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. Open Air did many things in my life, just in the short week. Most of all Open Air Week made me not ashamed of the Gospel, realizing that it is all God, all we do is give the message. It has made me bolder in witnessing and has made my relationship with Christ a lot more serious." Alumni (Grad 2010)

Students this year said:

"People were shutting me down and I was so discouraged so I began to pray.  I looked up and there was a guy on a park bench so I went over to talk to him and he ended up getting saved.  It was such a good reminder that God has a plan and that even when we don’t see it, He is always working."

"I have been considering ministry in this area and it stood out to me that there are so many Christians who are struggling and it's so important to minister and pray and encourage other believers."

"I loved it.  I loved the challenge.  I loved doing what I didn’t think I ever could."