Unfortunately, this is the way many try to understand the Bible – spending a lot of time looking at the details, but without having the big picture as a point of reference. They read the same familiar passages over and over, realizing that they must fit together in some way, but find it daunting and perplexing to try to move much beyond this. Or going back to the puzzle analogy, some have even concluded that the pieces don’t really fit together to form a single picture, but are really just parts of many different, unrelated pictures. This can all make it virtually impossible to understand and appreciate the fact that God has a plan that He has been sovereignly and faithfully executing throughout history.

I am very thankful that I came to realize this through the book What on Earth is God Doing? Satan’s Conflict with God by Renald Showers and the course he taught (based on the book) at the Word of Life Bible Institute in 1986. The book and course together had a profound impact in shaping my understanding of the Bible because they allowed me to see how all the pieces fit together to form the big picture. This laid a foundation for both my studies and my teaching over the last 25 years.

In 2000, I began teaching a course I called “Conflict of the Ages: Satan’s War Against God,” which began with an introduction to dispensationalism and then took Dr. Showers’ basic theme and approach and developed them within the context of dispensationalism. I have since taught this course seven or eight times and have always been excited to watch as many students started to see the big picture of the Bible and how it all fits together.

I will be teaching a similar course, “God’s Plan throughout the Ages,” in about a month, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It will be one of two courses that will be taught during the next School of Prophets conference which will be held January 30 to February 3 at the Willow Valley Inn. The course Dr. DeYoung will be teaching is the Book of Daniel These are being offered as graduate-level courses in the School of Prophets master’s and doctoral programs, but are open to anyone who would like to take them for credit or just audit them.

There is still room for those who would like to attend. For more information you can go to the Lancaster Conference website by clicking on the conference ad to the right or this link: www.schoolofprophets.org/lancaster.

If you have been considering enrolling in the School of Prophets, these courses offer a great opportunity to get a jump start on the program with 6 credits in just 20 class-hours (along with the reading and course paper).

Great news! The Lord has provided $2450 of the $2500 that we were hoping to put together for this trip. We are very thankful to Him and to those who have given toward this project. It is a great encouragement – and allows us to continue this very important part of the ABI ministry. So a heart-felt “Thank you” is due all those who generously gave to this project!

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Teaching Ministry in Review
(over the last 16 months)

I know that one question people often have about the ministry of ABI concerns what my personal ministry involves. Well, among many things, it involves a whole lot of teaching – and preparing courses to teach.

As I started adding up the teaching opportunities the Lord has provided since just last January it was more than I had even realized! By the end of my trip to Ukraine and Hungary over the next three weeks, in just 16 months, I will have taught a total of 21 courses – with 10 of them being new ones that needed to be developed.

(New courses in blue)

Grace College: Prison Extension
- Survey of the Old Testament
– Systematic Theology
– Global Perspectives
– Spiritual Development

Community Bible Church
- Systematic Theology
– Faith and the Will of God (adults)
- Faith and the Will of God (teens)
- Conflict of the Ages
- Signs, Wonders and the Charismatic Movement
- Old Testament Survey

Word of Life Bible Institutes
- Critique of the Charismatic Movement (Ukraine)
- Roman Catholicism (Hungary 2010)
- Roman Catholicism (Hungary 2011)
- Critique of the Charismatic Movement (Hungary)
- Exposition of Matthew (Korea)
- Current Theological Trends (Philippines)
- Exposition of 1, 2 Timothy and Titus (Canada)
- World Religions (Ukraine)
- Conflict of the Ages (Hungary)

Prophecy Today, School of Prophets
- Eschatalogical Options

Whew! I think you can see just how important and strategic your involvement in ABI actually is. Your partnership – your prayers and gifts – is what makes this possible. You are making an eternal difference in the lives of many of the next generation’s leaders around the world.

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The 50-50 Project

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, our financial support has not kept pace with the growing level of ministry. The low level of support coming in to the ministry necessitated a $1000 reduction in my salary in March to $1500 per month.

To try to bring our support to a level that would allow us to sustain the ministry at the current level, I have put into place a plan that I’m calling the “50-50″ project because the total of the numbers from 1 to 100 is $5050.

I still have a lot of ideas and a lot of vision for where the ABI ministry could go with the right team behind us. So, we’re hoping to add 96 new ministry partners who will commit to give a monthly support amount corresponding to one of the squares in the above table – with the goal of having the entire table filled by the end of this year.  (If several people choose the same number, I will work out the average around the number.)

Over the last couple of weeks, we have added a new supporter in the $100 per month slot. Perhaps you could also consider joining with us as a ministry partner. We trust that with each additional financial supporter we will also be gaining a much-needed prayer partner.

If you would like to be a part of the ministry in this way, please take just a moment to send me an email with the amount you would like to give on a monthly basis – and I will keep the results updated with each ABI update.

Click here to send me an email: djames@biblicalintegrity.org

I look forward to hearing from many of those who regularly receive these updates.

In His Care,

A few weeks ago I posted an ABI blog outlining the tremendous international ministry opportunities the Lord has set before us. I noted that as each trip gets closer I will send additional updates and see if there might be those who would be interested in giving toward one or more of these important missions trips.

In order to be able to maintain ABI’s international ministry we need the help of the many friends who receive the ABI updates and who believe in what we are doing. The focus of this blog update is my upcoming trip to South Korea and the Philippines.

To date, about $1500 of the needed $2300 for travel and expenses for this trip has already been given and we hope that you might consider helping us cover the remaining $800 by the end of October (I leave for S. Korea on October 21). A possible scenario might be the following: 1-$200 gift, 2-$100 gifts, 5-$50 gifts, and 10-$25 gifts. And even a number of $10 gifts would go a long way in helping us reach the full amount.

If you would like to partner with us for this or a future trip, please just send me a quick email at dave@jamesjournal.org, so I can keep our total of gifts and pledges updated on the ABI website. Information concerning where and how to send your support can be found on the ABI Support page.

South Korea: Word of Life Bible Institute

Last month, after many years of planning, the Word of Life Bible Institute in Korea is now open! The ongoing story of Word of Life in that part of the world continues to be a testimony to the faithfulness of God and his servants. Because of their location on the visa-free Korean island of Jeju they can receive students from anywhere in the world.

During my 2-week stay, I will be teaching the Gospel of Matthew to students from 5 different countries, as well as preaching and ministering in other ways.

Steve Nichols, the regional Director for WOL in northeast Asia writes:

Over 60% of the world live in Asia and over half of these have yet to hear the gospel.  This fall WOL Bible Institute opened a new campus on Jeju Island in Korea. This site is only a two hour direct flight from Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei and Hong Kong.

For this first term there are 23 guys and 10 girls from Korea, Japan, China, the United States and Canada. Most of these students are seriously considering and preparing for where the Lord would have them serve in future ministry.

Top Bible teachers come in each week as guest lectures to teach and train them to “rightly divide the word of truth” so they will be able to influence and make a great impact to reach the unreached and train a new generation of Christian leaders in this part of the world.

This is an historic and important year for WOL Korea for many reasons, not the least of which is that it begins laying the foundation for sending trained leaders back into the Peoples’ Republic of China. It is a special privilege and  honor to be a guest teacher for this class – and you, too, can have a strategic role in this unique ministry opportunity.

Philippines: WOL Bible Institute, Pastors Conference on Hermeneutics

Word of Life Philippines began in 1973, with the Bible Institute opening its doors in 1981. Since then, many hundreds of students have studied the Word of God to reach this diverse nation of over 7,000 islands.

After my two weeks in South Korea, I will be traveling to WOL Philippines to teach the course, “Current Theological Issues.” There is a saying concerning religious trends in Christianity that says, “As go the schools, so go the churches.” But in today’s world with quick travel and instantaneous communication everywhere, we can now see that, “As goes the U.S., so goes the world.” I was invited to teach this course specifically because the churches in the Philippines are being increasingly impacted by the many negative theological influences coming out of America.

In addition to this 15-hour class, ABI will be joining Word of Life as it hosts a two-day pastors conference on biblical hermeneutics: “Rightly Dividing the Word.” One of the great evangelists of this generation, Wendell Calder, will open the conference. ABI cofounder Paul Barecca and I will be teaching 3 sessions each for the remainder of the conference.

I will be returning to the Philippines in January to teach a course on Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methods in a new masters-level program that is being started by Overseas Instruction in Counseling (OIC). I will be sending an ABI update concerning that trip in about a month.

Unlike those in the U.S., overseas ministries need for guest teachers to come as fully-supported short-term missionaries. Therefore, we are seeking additional strategic partners to join our support team specifically for the international ministries of the ABI.

I encourage you to look over the international ministry opportunities listed below and prayerfully consider being involved with a specific ministry trip or even supporting the ministry of ABI on a monthly basis. Most of the noted ministry opportunities are already scheduled for sometime in the next 10 months, some are tentatively scheduled for every year and for some we are just waiting for the time when we have the funds to confirm them.

With over over 1000 personal Facebook friends, over 670 ABI Facebook group members, over 470 ABI Update subscribers and over 100 ABI blog subscribers (some are in all four groups), we hope to be able to easily cover the needed support for the international ministry opportunities each year. No gift is too small.

Our goal is to make sure all support is applied according to each supporter’s wishes. In the event that funds given for a specific trip exceed those needed, we will apply them to a similar trip or direct them to the ABI general operating fund.

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WOL Korea New BI

S. Korea / Philippines:  October 25 – November 12, 2010

I will be teaching for two weeks at the new WOL Bible Institute in South Korea, followed by a week of teaching at the WOL Philippines Bible Institute. In addition to teaching with Word of Life in the Philippines, ABI cofounder Paul Barreca and I will be ministering together in a 2-day pastors conference on the topic of “Biblical Hermeneutics,” which will also be hosted by Word of Life.

Length of trip: 3+ weeks
Total support needed: $3000
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010): $1800 has been pledged for airfare by our sending church

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Canada:  November 22 – December 3, 2010

I will be returning to the Word of Life Bible Institute at Owen Sound, Ontario to teach the Pastoral Epistles for two weeks, for the second year in a row. This BI is an extension of the WOL BI in Schroon Lake, NY.

Length of trip: 2 weeks
Total support needed: None – WOL Canada pays an honorarium and travel expenses

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Manila, Philippines

Philippines: January, 2011

I will be returning to the Philippines again in January, 2011. I have been invited by Dr. Wayne Vanderwier, Founder and Executive Director of Overseas Instruction in Counseling (OIC) to teach Biblical Hermeneutics in the inaugural module of classes in the first graduate-level degree program in biblical counseling to exist in the Philippines – a program established by Dr. Vanderwier.

Length of trip: 2 weeks
Total support needed: $2400
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010):  0

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WOL Hungary BI Opening '09

Hungary / Ukraine / Romania: May, 2011

This past May, I was in Europe for 3 weeks of teaching at the Word ofLife Bible Institutes in Ukraine and Hungary. I have been invited to return to both schools again next spring. I have also been asked to consider teaching at the Word of Life Discipleship TrainingCenter in Romania, if possible. (This is scheduled to be an annual trip.)

Length of trip: 3 or 4 weeks (to be determined)
Total support needed: $2500 – $3200
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010):  0

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: 2011?

A couple of months ago, I received an email from one of the students I taught at the Asian Christian Academy seminary outside Bangalore, India in 2002.He is now a missionary in United Arab Emirates and has invited me to conduct a series of seminars in an area of apologetics. A specific date for this ministry has not yet been set.

Length of trip: 1-2 weeks (to be determined)
Total support needed: $1800 – $2200
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010):  0

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Buddhist Procession, Myanmar

Myanmar (former Burma): 2011-2012?

Another Asian Christian Academy (India) seminary graduate, whom I also taught, has continued to stay in touch with me after returning to his home country of Myanmar. He has invited me to teach in his country, as the Lord allows in my schedule and provides the finances. Myanmar is a limited access country, with the ministry by foreigners limited to urban areas.

Length of trip: 1-2 weeks (to be determined)
Total support needed: $2600 – $3200
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010):  0

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Nepali Children

Nepal:  2011-2012?

Another Asian Christian Academy (India) seminary graduate, whom I also taught, has continued to stay in touch with me after returning to his home country of Nepal. He has invited me to teach in his country, as the Lord allows in my schedule and provides the finances.

Length of trip: 1-2 weeks (to be determined)
Total support needed: $2000 – $2400
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010):  0

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Asian Christian Academy

India: 2011-2012?

I have taught twice at the seminary which is part of the Asian Christian Academy ministry outside of Bangalore, India. I have a standing invitation to teach there as the Lord allows in my schedule and provides the finances.

Length of trip: 2 weeks
Total support needed: $2000 – $2400
Support given or pledged (as of June 21, 2010):  0

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Again, if you are interested in becoming a strategic partner with ABI in its international ministry in any way, please send me an email at djames@biblicalintegrity.org or visit the support section of our website.

In His Care,

Between classes on Monday evening, a young man (Cole), an offender,  came into the room to ask about the possibility of me mentoring him in preparation for the ministry. He said that in 16 years he would like to be doing what I am doing – teaching the Bible at the college level.

I would have guessed him to be in his late twenties and seemed like the nicest guy you would ever meet. He looked sharp (as much as you can in prison garb), was obviously intelligent and could have been a student at any Bible college or seminary. He already has his associates degree through the Grace College program at the prison and is ministering there as much as he can. One of his ministries is teaching Bible Study Methods, using Howard Hendricks’ book in Sunday School.

So, we talked about how it might work out for me to mentor him and in the course of the conversation, he mentioned that he had been in for 14 years – which sort of floored me, given how young he looked. Then I asked him how much longer he has left before he gets out – and then he said that his sentence is for – are you ready for this?  – life + 150 years. I was stunned – and still am.

It hit me hard that given the direction of my life 25 years ago, how easily it would have been for me to have made just a couple of worse choices than I was already making that could have put me in the same situation. I don’t yet know what he did – but I do know that all it takes is being in the wrong place, with the wrong crowd, doing something stupid because you’re drunk – and in a moment you have destroyed your life.

It is only by God’s unfathomable grace that he reached down and caught me before I fell harder and deeper than I had already. There’s no real reason why Cole and I shouldn’t be in a reverse situation.

I don’t know what will happen to Cole, as he did mention “16 years” – so maybe there is still a chance for parole. By then he will probably be 50.

And I don’t know the story of any of the 39 men I have in my two classes. Some of them have already been in so long that they have never seen or heard of some of the technology I’m using in class like the laptop and projector or the PowerPoint and Bible study software. Since this is a both a medium and maximum security facility, it could be that some of them will never leave.

Please pray for Cole, the men in my classes and for me in my ministry to them. Also pray that our ministry in our church and through ABI will make a difference in this generation – to reach people with the gospel and disciple them in the truth of the Word of God – and that somewhere along the way, we will make a difference in a young person’s life to keep them from the kinds of decisions that will ruin their lives.