Dear family, brethren, and friends,

Saturday was set aside to invite all the young people and their parents to study “Selecting a Mate: The Lord Builds the House” (Ps. 127:1).  Part 1 focused on God’s part and Part 2 on man’s part in the process of selecting a mate for marriage.  Our attendance of 44 filled a large room with several youngsters sitting on the floor, almost half of them ages 9-18 (plus 8-10 people joining via Zoom).  They could not have been more attentive.  They participated in reading Scripture and in asking questions during the open forum.  Some of them approached me to ask follow-up questions after the session dismissed.

Some of them are new converts who did not grow up hearing such Bible lessons, so they are learning a lot of new things.  The study explained that the most crucial step in finding the right person is being the right person, i.e., a faithful Christian who is separated from the world!

Some of them learned for the first time why the common dances engaged in by their friends are lascivious and sinful.  Naturally, this led to questions such as, “Should I attend the prom if I do not dance?”  No, for several reasons. 1. It puts a Christian in the wrong environment where friends will attempt to persuade us to join the festivities of dancing.  2. Next, it destroys our example and influence as a Christian because other young people attending the dance will quite naturally assume we danced.  We could hardly wear a sign stating, “I am not here to dance because dancing is a sin,” and expect to be welcomed.  3. Last, our hearts will break watching our friends engage in sin and we could not possibly enjoy such an occasion since we love our friends and want them to be saved.

One young lady said, “I attended the prom last year because I was not a Christian, but now as a Christian I understand and will not attend this year.”

The session started at 6:15 and ended about 9:00 PM.  One family drove 2½ hours to bring their two children.  The closing prayer included a petition to God that all of the young people present will marry Christians and have happy, stable Christian homes.

Tonight’s session is a good reminder that there are still young people who want to do what is right, if only we will teach them!  The session certainly reminded me that in spite of the challenges and sacrifices involved in making these trips, it is worth every effort we make!  I would love to be in my own bed sleeping with Donna tonight, but if this study helps even one young person remain faithful, marry a Christian, and complete their journey to heaven, it will truly be worth it all!

Many Filipinos are employed in New Zealand as farm hands especially by dairy farmers.  Some of our brethren start work at 5:00 AM and work all day on these farms.  Therefore, worship on the Lord’s Day must be in the evening in a rented community building near the farms.  Our worship started at 6:00 PM and dismissed at 8:15 with an attendance of 55 (plus 15 joining on a closed Facebook line).  This included 14 who were baptized since I was here last February.

My sermon was a two part study of “The Threat of Pornography: Making Sex an Idol.”  There were no questions tonight, but the saints were very attentive and supportive of the lesson.

Little Yanah Abon was born in October 2017 and the doctors gave her a slim chance of survival.   She not only survived but has a very cheerful outgoing personality and the brethren nicknamed her “The Miracle Baby.”  She adopted me last year and again this year.  What a treasure she is – another reminder of God’s love!

People came straight from work so that we could start the Monday service a few minutes past 6:00 PM.  Since the farm workers had no time to eat, they brought food and put it on a table at the back.  49 were present as we continued to study the series on moral truth, with the first sermon on “The Truth about Abortion.”  Next, we took a 20 minute break for everyone to grab a quick bite to eat and we immediately resumed with a study of “The Truth about Homosexuality.”

I know they were getting tired near the end of this second lesson, as was I.  But, there are many new converts and I was asked to present a bonus lesson (i.e., not part of the series announced) on “How to Study the Bible.”  Lo, and behold, no one left when the extra lesson started and we all seemed to be energized, myself included.

At tne end, to show how to use Bible study tools in a practical way, I reviewed the conditions of pardon to show they are not all found in one verse, but all are necessary: faith (Jn. 3:16), repentance (Acts 2:38), confession of Christ (Rom. 10:10), and immersion in water for the remission of sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38).

The next example was Colossians 1:15-18 which the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion perverts to claim Christ is a created being, an angel but not God (“the firstborn of every creature”).  Scripture refers to him as “the firstborn,” meaning having the first or highest rank because he “created all things.”  If he was created, grammatically that would mean he created himself, and so the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation inserted the word “other” years ago to cover up their obvious mistake: he created all “other” things.

Last, I pointed out that even our brethren sometimes struggle with passages and get wrong ideas in application by not properly using the tools of Bible study.  I have encountered brethren who use 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 to teach the following things in reference to a woman being silent in the assembly.

1. Women must not sing in public worship, because singing is speaking.

2. A woman should be taken into a side room to confess Christ before baptism lest she speak in the assembly.

3. A woman is not permitted to teach children or other ladies in a class when we assemble for Bible study.

4. A woman is not permitted to participate if a Bible class teacher asks participants to read a verse, ask a question, or offer a comment.

The key to all of these is found by marking the word “speak” throughout the chapter to see it refers to men who spoke in tongues and prophesied, i.e., led the mixed assembly.  Women are not to “speak” in leading the assembly.

Also, the women who should “ask their husbands at home” were the wives of the prophets who spoke by divine inspiration.  For the prophet’s wife to interrupt her husband’s delivery of a divine revelation during the worship on the pretext of interrogating him was out of order and involved her asserting the authority to take the lead, i.e., to speak in the role of the men who led the assembly.

This was not a general rule forbidding all women to participate in a study where discussion is appropriately led by a man.  In fact, the church at Corinth had many female members who had no husband who could answer proper questions (virgins, widows, wives of unbelievers – see chapter 7).

I waited to eat after we dismissed at 9:00 PM to avoid having mucus problems while teaching.  After getting back to Abner’s house, I worked and got to bed about 12:30 AM.  My body was ready and willing to rest!

What a privilege it is to teach God’s Holy Word to these precious souls who demonstrate such a sincere hunger to learn and grow.  I introduce each session by emphasizing that we must have the faith of Noah – a faith that is not afraid to stand alone or ashamed to be different from the world around us.

Our last session in the series was conducted Tuesday from 6:15-8:30 PM and was attended by 41 souls (with 17 joining online via Facebook).  Tonight’s sermons addressed “The Truth about Transgender” and “The Truth about Social Media.  Our audience paid keen attention and remarked the subjects were timely.  We hated to part company but hope to see each other again on this side of eternity, but, if not, then in heaven!

Just to make the trip a little exciting, when I took a swim in the ocean this afternoon a bronze whaler shark came within about 10 feet from me.  They can grow to about 11 feet long and this one was at least that long.  Though I am told they are not normally aggressive toward humans, I decided today’s swim was finished and parted company with my new companion.

For the first time on this trip I was able to enjoy seeing the moon tonight, though there was little to see because its phase is Waning Crescent.  Small as it was, it conveyed the love of dear family, brethren, and friends in many places who also watch for it during these trips.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

To see good Bible study material, go to:
https://www.hebronlanechurchofchrist.com
https://biblework.congregateclients.com
https://truthbooks.com
https://www.truthmagazine.com