Christian Students

You are Invited!

Welcome Dinner & Talk

• Saturday, January 14, 2012 @ 3:00pm (Home cooked meal & refreshments included!)
  Subject: "God's Goal & Our Destiny"

At "The Old Barn Community Centre", upstairs rooms 1 & 2, 6308 Thunderbird Blvd. (adjacent to Salt Spring Coffee and Thunderbird residences)

You are invited to a welcome dinner and talk. The topic explores the mystery of mysteries concerning God's goal and His design for us. Meet and hear from fellow students. Come and enjoy the a time together. All are welcome.

A Foretaste:

The Bible is a book of mystery, containing at least five main mysteries—God, the universe, man, the church, and the future. Any thoughtful person would be puzzled by these five mysteries. Many have wondered, "Does God exist? Who is God? What are God's attributes?" The universe is a mystery, for its dimensions are immeasurable. Man is a mystery in more than one sense. Corporately, human beings throughout the earth are busy doing various things, but very few know the real meaning, the purpose, of human existence. Individually, each person is a mystery. Even husbands and wives do not understand one another, nor do parents understand their children. The church is a mystery as well, especially in its definition and purpose. Finally, the future of the universe, mankind, the church, and even God is a mystery. The answer to all these mysteries is in the Bible. The Bible reveals the mystery of God, the mystery of the universe, the mystery of man, the mystery of the church, and the mystery of the future. Within the Bible, Romans 8 is the mystery of all the mysteries, for it particularly unveils and explains these five mysteries.

In the New Testament there are not only the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John but also the gospels of Acts and Romans. In Romans 1 Paul tells us that he preached this book as the gospel to the Romans, the Gentiles. This book is concerning the complete gospel of God, beginning with forgiveness of sins, passing through sanctification, transformation, and the constitution of the Body of Christ, and eventually arriving at the living of the church life in the churches.

Romans 8 is the center of Paul's gospel, which is concerning the Triune God dispensing Himself into the tripartite man. Hence, in this chapter Paul mentions the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (vv. 9-11). God is the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—for the purpose of dispensing Himself into man. We human beings are tripartite, having a spirit, soul, and body. Our mind occupies a great part of our soul. Romans 8 tells us that the Triune God first enters into our spirit (v. 10), then saturates our mind from our spirit, that is, enters into our soul (v. 6), and then enters into our body, giving life to our mortal bodies (v. 11). In this way, our tripartite being—our spirit, soul, and body—is filled with God. This is the center of Romans 8 and of the entire book of Romans as well. This is the gospel of God.

Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, that is, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages ~ Romans 5:25

But has now been manifested, and through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith; ~ Romans 5:26

To the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ~ Romans 5:27