Barnabas Ministries UK

Rev. A Linford, before his decease, was recognized as a good, great and interesting Bible teacher in the Assemblies of God Fellowship for many years. He was a well-loved Bible College lecturer and writer that bequeathed a tremendous amount of Biblical material in his generation. What a legacy he has left to be researched and brought forth to refresh our day! We shall be using such on this site: His writings from the book of Proverbs and also his Editorials that he wrote for the Redemption Tidings when he was its editor. I trust you will enjoy and appreciate his inspired teaching.

JIGSAW PUZZLES

Jigsaw puzzles have been with us for 200 years. They were originally used to teach history, geography and religion to children; the earliest jigsaws were maps cut into pieces. They took on. Jigsaw puzzles left the strict realm of education for that of entertainment. Their popularity is such that 1 7 million were sold last year.

The name ‘jigsaw” comes from the type of fretsaw used to cut the early puzzles. Modern puzzles comprise hundreds of interlocking pieces. Their fascination lies in creating order out of the chaotic jumble of apparently meaningless bits, the skilful matching of shape and colour until the complete picture finally emerges.

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle. Its many pieces often seem to bear little relationship to each other, and it is some­times difficult for us to trace any purpose in what happens to us. But to those who love God there is a purpose, often concealed from us, but silently working all the time.

How blessed to see this purpose unfolding. There are times when piece fits piece so aptly that we know that we are on the right way to solving the puzzle. Prayer and answer link together so closely, promise and fulfil­lment hang so nearly, precept and experience prove so bound together. It is not always so, alas! But do not try to force the pieces together. God’s plan, when revealed, fits easily. It is good, and perfect and accept­able.

A practised jigsaw fan always follows closely the picture that comes with the puzzle. This is what the finished product looks like: it is his guide to completion. By following the indications thus provided he is able to add piece to piece and approach the perfect image of the pattern. How good to see the picture grow, to see semblances of recognisable features, indications of rational shapes I We have our pattern of life. It is the full-length portrait of Jesus in the Bible - the Living Word embodied in the written word. As we follow this, we shall see God’s predetermined purpose for us taking shape - “to be conformed to the image of His Son”.

We may not see all the pieces in position in this life, but the “puzzle” of our being will be completed one day, the last bits being added at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Then we shall say with A. R. Cousins:

I’ll bless the hand that guided,  I’ll bless the heart that planned,

When throned where glory dwelleth   In Immanuel’s land.

DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL WOMEN

“To deliver thee from strange women” -Proverbs 2:16-19

God made male and female so that a man and a woman might fulfill His will in holy wedlock, enjoying sweet companionship, sharing life’s benefits, yoked in happy service, finding complete fulfillment in each other. But sinful women, for personal advantage, exploit the God-endowed instinct of sex, and set a trap for unwary males.

Five evil qualities mark this immoral woman. First, she is “strange”.  That is, she belongs to another, for all women in those days were pledged to some man. She is also a stranger to virtue, her chastity bartered for illicit pleasure. She certainly is a stranger to God. Secondly, she is a flatterer. With soothing tongue she beguiles her victim into submission to her passion. As Delilah lulled Samson to sleep and robbed him of his strength, so this woman exerts those tender wiles that make females so attractive, to lure the passing stranger to her den of shame. Thirdly, she forsakes her husband, whose lordship she despises, and forgets the covenant of marriage made in the presence of God. A woman who yields to the passion of sexual desire loses all sense of morality and religion. She is prepared to sacrifice the boon of married bliss and the blessing of God to gratify her lust. Fretting at the yoke matrimony, she contrives a life of deceit and infamy. Fourthly, her house becomes a brothel. What should have been a love-nest is now an immoral resort, what was a home has become an annex of hell. Foul deeds, fetid disease and spiritual death issue from the place that should have been the site of chastity and love. Fifthly, her grip on her patrons is deadlv. It is easy to take the first step on the road to immorality, but the path is slippery, and once set on this downward track there is little hope of return. “Neither take they hold on the path of life” - sexual diversion is damning to the soul, ruinous to the reputation, destructive of character and shattering of real personality into a form of slavery, a subservience to our baser selves.

The disciple of wisdom is expected to live a chaste life, for chastity is part of that sanctification that enables us to present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, acceptable in His sight.

PRAYER

Keep me clean, 0 Lord, that I may serve thee with untarnished love.

Rev. E. Anderson  

ALGERIA: 19 churches closed since

November as a result of new religious laws

Between November and March, 19 churches in Algeria were ordered to close

by the authorities. In the space of four months, more than a third of Protestant churches were shut down.

In 2007 there was a revival among the Kabyle people in the mountainous regions of northern Algeria. Neighbour witnessed to neighbour and the Good News was spreading fast. Then, in November last year, the March 2006 law restricting non-Muslim worship was suddenly implemented throughout the country.

The Eglise Protestante d’Algerie (EPA, The Protestant Church of Algeria) was established in the 1 970s and is recognised by the government. Their 32 congregations range from a few dozen to more than a thousand members. 14 of these churches have now been ordered to close. There are also 20 independent fellowships, of which five have been shut.

The authorities have closed the churches on various pretexts, including security concerns and property rights, as well as accusations of breaking the new religion law. Christians convicted under this law can face hefty fines and up to five years in prison.

The law makes evangelism among Muslims illegal and prohibits any Christian activity from taking place outside of a state-recognised church building. In January, French priest Pierre Wallez was given a suspended one-year sentence for praying with Christians in a place that was not a registered church building. He was visiting a refugee community that priests have visited for years.

Faced with this pressure, one EPA pastor expressed his appreciation of support from Christians around the world :”I feel the effectiveness of prayers for me from our greater family everywhere”

Religious Affairs Minister Ghoulamullah called on the closed churches to re-register. But Algerian Christians have found the registration process has been fraught with obstacles from

the government. One Algerian Christian website reported the result: “the churches are closed, services forbidden, and nothing can change the situation!”

The media have become increasingly hostile to Christians, warning of campaigns to ‘Christianise’ Algeria. “I equate evangelism with terrorism;’ Religious Affairs Minister Ghoulamullah said in a newspaper article in February.

Police detained two Algerian Christians travelling by bus in March for carrying 11 Bibles. They were searching their bags at a routine check-point and found that one Christian was carrying a personal Bible. The other, a church council member, was carrying 10 Bibles.

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In February three Algerian Christians were convicted of ‘insulting lslam’ and told that they would be sentenced to three years in prison and fined. Their written sentences have yet to be delivered. Another Algerian Christian accused of evangelising was told that he would be fined and jailed for a year, but a later court hearing acquitted him.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Algeria, particularly pastors and evangelists, that they will receive God’s wisdom and courage as they continue to worship in an increasingly hostile environment.

REVIVAL SNIPPET

THOUSANDS ARE CONVERTING TO

Christianity as the move of God contin­ues to sweep through China.

The Revival Christian Church reports that 120,000 people have recently become Christians in the region of Henan. Chris­tian website www.jesus.org.uk claims that three women went to the Xinyue district in Henan, and after seven days of minis­try 1,100 decided to follow Christ. There

There were also reports of the evangelists feeling a fire sensation in their hands; as they laid hands on the people, the new converts

testified of feeling a burning sensation throughout their body.

A spokesman said, ‘When missionar­ies worked here previously, they didn’t see such numbers converted even after several years. We sense this is the time for the Holy Spirit to mightily work through us.

Rev. E. Anderson

THE CAMEL

It is impossible to get Dahlias from a packet of Parsnip Seeds and it is just as impossible to get Runner Beans fro Mustard Seed, even if you use all the Faith in the World. And we must all remember that THERE IS TO BE A HARVEST AND ONLY THAT WHICH HAS BEEN PLANTED CORRECTLY WILL PRODUCE A GOOD CROP.

The apostle Paul said, ‘Whatsoever things are . . . .TRUE . . . .HONEST . . . . JUST . . . . PURE . . . . . LOVELY . . . . . OF GOOD REPORT . . . . . think on these things’. If we obey the Bible in our thought life, our lives in general will be to the praise of Jesus. If we think corruptly, viciously, meanly, sneakily, smuttily . . . . we shall reap a harvest of disappointment and eternal loss.

What you sow  makes a real difference. We shall pass through this world but once . . . . Let us make sure that we leave a trail of joy and blessing for the little ones that follow that trail . . . .

Did you hear about THE CAMEL THAT WAS LOST ????????

An Arab lost his camel that was very heavily laden with goods.

As he was retracing his steps he came upon another Arab and said to him, ‘HAVE YOU SEEN MY CAMEL?’.

Was he lame in his left front foot ???? Arab number two inquired.

‘Yes’ said Arab number one who was very upset about Charlie . . . .

‘Did he have a missing front tooth’?????

‘Yes’ said Charlie’s master, very excited that he was soon to find his favourite Camel.

‘Was he loaded with spice on his left side’ ????

‘YES’’, ‘YES’, ‘YES’, SAID Arab 1. He knew now that Arab 2 had seen his Camel.

‘And he was loaded with sugar on the right side of his hump’.

‘Yes, that’s right, then you’ve seen my lovely Charlie!!!!!’

‘NO . . . . . .’ said Arab 2. ‘But as I was on my journey I saw Charlie’s’ footprints and I knew he was lost, I knew he had passed my way. His one footprint was fainter than the others and so I knew he was lame in his left front foot. He left blades of grass at every mouthful so I knew he’d been to the Desert Dentist. On the right of the footprints there was an army of ants eating sugar and there were flies on the left of the trail, so I knew he carried spice. BUT I HAVEN’T SEEN YOUR CAMEL. Be sure your Life’s trail is a good one . . . . . .