Pulpit Messages Christianity and Lite

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22588, 17 March 1948, Page 3

Pulpit Messages Christianity and Lite

(Contributed by Ministers* Association.)

TEXT Therefore being; justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into tiiis grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”—Romans, 5,1, 2. Easter’s Assurances “In a day of uncertainties, doubts and fears the Easter season speaks of triumphant certainties and abiding assurances. We are apprehensive when we read the papers and note the dangers confronting the world of men. But when we read the Bible and read the immortal story of the most triumphant tragedy in history the balance is restored. For here we can read of love, so amazing, so divine, issuing as forgiveness of sins, power over self, peace in the midst of tribulation and confidence to live fully the abundant life. S 6 we have our doubts allayed and our fears quietened. “Let us recall some of the great assurances that Easter gives. The loving interest God displays in His children is seen clearly in Christ’s willing acceptance of death with the shame and horror of the cross for our sake —He who knew no sin, became sin for us.’ Christ was not an unwilling victim of cruel men, but a willing offering of Himself for mankind. Easter gives us definite assurance that the power of love can triumph over all the evil in the world even as His love continued unbroken through the agony of the Cross and the veil of death. We are certain, too, of the fact of personal forgiveness if we fully believe that ‘He died to make us good,’ and that ‘by His stripes we are healed.’ To all men everywhere Christ has stripped the grave of its horror. He said; 'ln my Father’s house are many mansions,’ and also ‘the gift of Eternal life is for all.' ’’ —Contributed by Rev. J. Kingsley Fairbairn, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

The Bible in Europe German Bibles are to be printed in Britain because the Nazis destroyed the plates from which the Bibles were usually printed. That piece of news from the British and Foreign Bible Society is part of the plan to spend £200.000 on providing Bible s for Europe. All over the continent there is a great shortage of Bibles, and those printing and distributing them are disturbed because a generation of young people are growing up without possessing the most precious Book in the world. Some of the Bibles for Germany have already been reproduced by photography, and the tvpe for another 150,000 copies is now being set. It is expected that over a million copies of the German Scriptures will be printed in Britain. Today there are many problems to be overcome in Bible production, and even when the books are printed there comes the most awkward problem of all—binding. Bibles need the most permanent binding. To overcome the difficulties in the production and distribution of Bibles the Bible Societies have formed the United Bible Societies with an office at Geneva. Some of the £200,000 which the British Bible Society is spending on new Bibles will be spent in Sweden, where there is more paper than in England. The American Society is watching Bible distribution in Latin America and in the Pacific. In order to show unity in Bible production the title page of ihe Bible will bear the imprint. “The United Bible Societies,” instead of the name of the individual society.

News and Notes At the first meeting of the Gisborne and district Ministers’ Association, held in the Y.M.C.A., opportunity was taken of welcoming Paster Henderson to the fellowship, With Easier fast approaching, youth camps are the order of the day, and local camps arc being arranged by the Presbyterian Churches at Manutuke, where Presbyterians from Wairoa to Tokomaru Bay will be uniting. The Baptist Camp this year will be at Patutahi. where the guest speaker will be ihe Rev. L. H. Jenkins, 8.D., principal of the New Zealand Bantist College. Young people from the Methodist Church will be journeying to Hastings to unite with Hawke’s Bay Bible Classes, and the Salvation Army Young People will be at Napier returning the visit of last year.