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Logos Ministries Incorporated
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Volume 7, Number 2 September 1999 HE IS THAT KIND OF GOD
God communicates well. He has a burning desire to fellowship, to engage in ongoing communications with humankind, the capstone of His creation. David, in the Psalms he wrote, spoke repeatedly of his desire to communicate with his God and of God's burning desire to share intimately with him. God not only wants to relate with us; He wants us to understand something about that relationship. He not only wants to share His grace with us; He wants us to grasp at least something about this tireless grace which is beyond human comprehension. God wants to protect us by His omnipotent power; but His even greater desire is that we understand, as much as humanly possible, this limitless power and its relationship with us. One of the unique features of intelligent personality is the overwhelming desire to understand and to be understood. This is just one of the features of man being created in the image of God. There is a dilemma involved. God is infinite. Man, however, though made in God's image, is finite. The commonplace understanding for God is totally beyond the grasp of finite man. Thus, God availed Himself of a means whereby He could express the infinite in finite terms. It will not make humankind's understanding infinite, but it will at least give him a glimpse of the greatness of his God. God developed a host of different ways to describe the infinite in finite terms. God communicated with finite man through visual illustration carefully recorded. In I John 4:8, the venerable apostle said, "God is love." In that statement by itself, I have no means whereby to grasp exactly what the apostle tried to convey to us. Skeptics have said this is a definition of God. That is impossible because the infinite God is beyond definition or total human understanding. Pastors have said this is a definition of love. The fact is that John has presented us with a true statement that we have no facility to comprehend completely. The old adage is absolutely true – Scripture interprets Scripture. When Jesus cried out from the cross "It is finished!", He not only ushered in the redemption of our sins. He also, drew back the veil the Holy of Holies beyond the Holy Place to present to us just a glimpse into the meaning of the apostle's powerful statement. The simple message printed on a T–shirt is absolutely true. It is a picture of Jesus with arms outstretched on the cross. The caption reads, "God loves you this much!" Again, this is the message of the opening chapters of Genesis when God went seeking Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. In the recording of the purpose of God's creative activity, He also gave us a glimpse into His heart; into His eagerness to share our company and fellowship. This whole issue is particularly important because God is changeless. As God longed to fellowship with Adam and Eve, so He longs to share the fellowship of those who place their trust in Him. It is never appropriate for us to say that we are all alone because He is always with us, seeking our company and longing to offer us a growing disclosure of who He is and what He longs to be for us. That is just the kind of God He is! Next time – "There is going to be a wedding!" In His grace, Bill Cooper FROM HERE TO THERE We have not been given a closing date, but the house is built, the finish has been applied to the floors and the carpet has been laid. The light fixtures are in place. It will take only about one week's work to finish up. That does not mean that the closing will take place in a week, but it will not be long. We are looking at a moving date of September 15. Ruth and I are busy packing our belongings. All of my books (20 boxes) are packed with the exception of the ones that I use every day. We are getting each room ready to dismantle so that we can move just as soon as everything is concluded. Our new address will be as follows:
Our e-mail address is unchanged: "YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT..." As indicated earlier, there will be a number of assignments for Bill in the time between now and when the next newsletter is sent out. OCTOBER 11-22 – On these dates I will be teaching at an OMS International seminary in India. This course will deal with what the Old and New Testaments teach us about God. During the stay in India I will also speak in their chapel services on three occasions as well as addressing the resident faculty on three other occasions. There will also be a three day youth gathering at which I will be the guest speaker. NOVEMBER 8-12 – On these days, I will join with the education director of OMS International in a trip to Haiti. We will fly to Port au Prince. We will then take another plane to Cape Haitian where the seminary is located. During the days in Haiti, we will meet with the president and faculty of the seminary to make recommendations for increasing the curriculum from a two year program to four years. This is particularly important because the government regards this seminary as the best ministerial training school in the country. We want to provide the very best training possible for the ministers in that difficult mission field. As one might expect, my area of major concern will be the courses provided in Bible study. I will also be making recommendations concerning the way the Bible courses are taught. I will not be there over a weekend, so will not be involved in preaching in any of the churches. These are all the assignments I have for the remainder of 1999. I would deeply appreciate it if you would remember these assignments in your time of prayer. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to make the very best plans for Haiti as well as being led by the Spirit in the teaching in India. ANOTHER PRAYER NEED The first assignment in the new year will be in Indonesia. I am scheduled to leave on January 3, 2000. From what we have heard, the preparation for Y2K in these countries may not be all that adequate. In talking with missionaries who serve there, they tell me that "the air transport system in Indonesia is modern and well maintained. Their record is as good as other Asian countries." There is not a great deal of assurance in that report. We will need guidance to know whether we should fly out before the New Year begins or if it is safe to wait until the third of January, which is when we would normally fly out. You might make this an item for prayer as well. It may not seem all that important to some, but it is a first priority to us when you pray. We are traveling in a foreign land where we do not know the language. We have already taken medical precautions, but there are no guarantees. In poverty stricken countries, a person from America can be an appealing target. In several instances, I will be teaching people who do not speak English. This means everything must be translated – a less than scientific endeavor. To say the least, we depend upon your prayers. Thanks so very much for your faithfulness. CHRISTMAS IS COMING Why don't you do your Christmas shopping early? We believe that you will find at least one book on the list that will help you find an exciting gift for your friends and relatives who want to know more about the Scripture. |
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