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B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #125 -

B.A.S.I.C. Newsletter #125

I Cor. 16:9  ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

July 28, 2008

Gone to be with the Lord
In the NCLC, Nigeria this last week retired pastor Eakin Etuk went to be with the Lord. He attended the Bible Institute and graduated from it at an advanced age. He served until unable to do the work any more. He is the brother of Pastor E. E. Essien.  May the Lord comfort his wife and children in the sure and certain knowledge of the resurrection and that his soul is now with the Lord.
Pastor Nathanael Mayhew
Beginning this year Pastor Mayhew will replace Pastor Koenig in the visitations to East Africa. I was glad to be able to work with our brethren in East Africa and pray that Pastor Mayhew will be given by our Lord the wisdom and strength to carry on this joyful task. The mission board’s decision on this has obvious benefits to our brothers in East Africa. Pastor Mayhew is considerably younger than I am and will certainly have the stamina to speed on with the Gospel. 2 Thess. 3:1 He will also devote his time completely to this work in East Africa, while I had to divide my attention between India and Africa. I am sure as time passes we will see other blessings come forth from this change also. Pastor Mayhew will represent the mission board to our sister churches and seek to visit and work at least one month each year. A meeting was held in June by the mission board on the East African work with Pastor Mayhew. If any of the brothers in Kenya and Tanzania have questions about for this meeting, they should be addressed to Pastor Mayhew. He also now begins as the correspondent for: Etago CLC, Nairobi CLC, LCEA, CLCEA. God bless His work and crown all our efforts with success. His email is ndmayhew [at] juno [dot] com

The Athanasian Creed Part 1  (1 of 2 parts)

(by Pastor Mayhew)

We just celebrated the festival of Holy Trinity.  While we are constantly reminded of the truth of the doctrine of the Trinity in our worship services and Bible study, on this day we focus special attention on the fact that the only true God is the Triune God.  One God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

One of the most powerful defenses of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Athanasian Creed.  Martin Luther once said of the Athanasian Creed: “I doubt whether the New Testament church has a more important document since the Apostolic Age.” However, in our day, the Athanasian Creed is not nearly as well known as it was in Luther’s day.

The Athanasian Creed is like the Apostles’ in that its author is unknown.  It was written later than the Nicene Creed, appearing in its complete form near the end of the eighth century.  It was wrongly attributed to Athanasius at first, but has kept that title because Athanasius vigorously defended the deity of Christ and the Trinity – the two main subjects of this creed.

The Athanasian Creed is an excellent statement of our faith, pointing out several false teachings concerning these fundamental teachings of Scripture.

In the years 400-800 A.D. false teachers arose who began to deny the doctrine of the Trinity and the person and work of Jesus Christ.  For this reason, the “Athanasian Creed” deals with the most fundamental Christian truths of the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, and His redeeming work.  Our ultimate salvation is at stake because without knowledge of these truths saving faith is impossible.

This confession consists of two distinct parts: The first sets forth in great detail the teaching of the Trinity.  It goes beyond the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds which do not state the doctrine of the Trinity explicitly, but by implication. The second part contains a short and clear statement concerning the doctrine of the person of Christ, teaching the proper relation between the divine and human nature of Christ.

Questions for Review:

1.   What are the two main teachings of the Athanasian Creed?

A.  ______________________________________________________________

B.  ______________________________________________________________

2.   Give a few Bible passages that support each of these Biblical teachings:

A.  ______________________________________________________________

B.  ______________________________________________________________

3.   Check the correct statements.

(A) There are three distinct Persons in the Trinity.

(B) The three Persons are three gods.

(C) The three Persons are of equal majesty and power.

(D) The Son and the Spirit receive their authority from the Father.

(E) The Father was first, then the Son, then the Holy Spirit.

(F) There is only one God, who has revealed Himself in three Persons, but one in Essence.

(answers are below)

Bible Challenges-continued (final)

Quiz Book by F.H.Moehlmann

Quiz:  Whose Hand

l. Touched the ark of god and caused his death?

2. Flung a venomous beast, clinging to it, into the fie?

3. Was touched by the Master’s hand in Peter’s house?

4. Smote the blessed Savior’s face?

5. Was grasped by the Master’s hand in Jairus’ home?

6. Received a ring from his father upon his return home?

7. Did Jesus take hold of and lead out of town?

8. Drew a sword in the Master’s defense?

9. When opened, satisfies every living thing?

10.Was staid from slaying his own son on a mountaintop?

11.Plucked forbidden fruit?

12.Flung thirty pieces of silver on the floor of the temple?

13.Did the king of Egypt bedeck with a precious ring?

14.Was stretched forth, and waters parted?

15.Did hardened soldiers compel to hold a reed?

ANSWERS to the above Athanasian Creed.

1.   What are the two main teachings of the Athanasian Creed?

A.  The Trinity

B.  The Deity of Christ

2.   Give a few Bible passages that support each of these Biblical teachings:

A.  Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 15:26; Luke 3:21-22;

B.  Colossians 2:8-10; Isaiah 44:6 and Revelation 22 12-20; Exodus 3:14-15 and John 8:58;

3.   Check the correct statements.

(A), (C), (F)

Purposes of BASIC Newsletter
It is good to review the reasons why we have this newsletter twice a month.

It is a multi-tasked newsletter.

• Mission Board policy is enunciated and reinforced.
• News tidbits from the different fields are shared with all the foreign brethren since we are in fellowship and would be interested in each other, this includes announcements of CLC brothers and sisters helping in different fields.
• There are prayer announcements to allow brothers to pray for brothers.
• Reports on the different fields from the men in the different fields allow a sharing of information. I try to go through all the fields based on the visitations as to how things are going.
• I try to set up series to teach in spoon sized portions: homiletics, hermeneutics, isagogics, church history,comparative symbolics, apologetics,   basic Bible info, etc. in an ongoing theological education and refreshing of it
• There are devotionals
• Over the years since starting it in 2002, I have asked  a number of men to write in it to give our overseas brothers a variety of material from CLC men as well as from other brothers in India and Africa.
• There are enunciations of mission philosophy
• Just the sending of it to the mailing list is to undergird our fellowship relationship in fact
• I have used it also as outreach sending it to non-members and prospects
• Most recently we started to have attachments(Armor of God) to allow an even broader approach

I welcome your suggestions and even criticisms. Recently, one reader mentioned he thought it would be better to have the Bible answers to each Bible quiz in the same issue. So we did it. We are all in this together serving a wonderful Lord.

Quiz- Answers to Whose Hand

1. Uzza’s  I Chron. 13:9,10.

2. Paul’s  Acts 28:3-6.

3. Peter’s mother-in-law.  Matt. 8:14,15.

4. The high priests’s servant’s.  John 18:19-22.

5. His daughter’s  Luke 8:41-56.

6. The Prodigal Son’s.  Luke 15:11-22.

7. A blind man’s  Mark 8:22-26.

8.  Peter’s.  John 18:10.

9. God’s  Ps. 145;16.

10.Abraham’s  Gen. 22:10-12.

11.Eve’s  Gen. 3:1-6.

12.Judas’.  Matt. 27:3-5.

13.Joseph’s.  Gen. 41:42.

14.Moses’  Ex. 14:19-22.

15.Jesus’.  Matt. 27:29.

Pastor Koenig