Picture taken in the home of Myron and Ruth doing the first meeting on January 8,09

Meeting #4, January 29,09

There were no notes taken for this meeting.
The meeting was held in the home of Esther Shirk. Those present were Ric and Kathy F, Myron and Ruth H, Dan Moyer and Esther.

Points 7-10 on your sheet titled 'Sovereignty of God' were discussed. Considerable time was spent on $10; Salvation for man, but no salvation for angels. Why? Was it fair for God not to make a plan of redemption for the fallen angels, and if not, why not?

The discussion on February 5 will be upon the points on the 'A World in Chaos' sheet.
The next meeting will be on February 5 in the home of Esther Shirk.

Meeting # 3

The group met in the home of Ric and Kathy Fogie for our third meeting. Those present were Jay and Rachel bowman, Esther Shirk, Dan Moyer and Myron and Ruth Hostetter
The evening discussion centered around Points 4-6 on the topic, "Sovereignty of God"

#4. The Place of your birth:
Dan ... Here in the USA we live in a society that values its comfort and leisure. We are spoiled and fearful to go where we do not have the "comforts of home."
The group spent some time discussing the words, 'comfort' and 'fearful' We decided that both are hindrances to mission work. Can we truly go to a mission field where we have little comfort? Would we be fearful to go somewhere where our lives would be in danger? Whit about our children on the mission field?
Ric... Some countries have a nationalized religion, for example, Muslim countries. Being born in one of these countries would force you to abandon the religion into which you were born and 'convert' to Christianity. This would be very offensive to the national religion. Russian Orthodox for example.
Dan ... Talked about Paul on his visit to Mars Hill where he explained the "Unknown God"

#5 & #6 Race and Social strata
We combined these two since in some aspects they relate to one another.
What does race have to do with your place of birth?
Where you are born often has to do with your race. The USA prides itself on being "the melting pot" of the world.
This is not typical of other countries.
Genocide between races in places like the Sudan would mean that if you were of a lesser or weaker tribe you would
be in jeopardy of loosing your life because you were in the 'wrong' tribe.
Rachel ... When witnessing we must stress the 'eternal rewards' of becoming a Christian.
A discussion followed on that point. How can we best 'sell' a trade so that we can earn the right to 'share' our
Christian beliefs?
Ric ... In some countries Christian missionaries must enter the country with a trade or business to share with the people.
If someone asks you about your religious beliefs you may share but you cannot proselytize.
We must meet physical or practical need of the people before we can proselytize.
Kathy ... What are our priorities? Here in the USA we are rich compared to the poorer nations of the world like
Haiti, the Sudan etc. There it is a matter of survival. Stealing is a way of life.
Myron ... before we condemn stealing in someone who is starving we need to provide work or food and then share
Jesus. How can we condemn a father or mother who steals a piece of bread to feed a starving child? Talked about
children living in the city dumps around the world and the terrible life they have.
Dan ... people who have a desperate physical need are more open to the gospel. Rich, intellectuals are often close minded.
Jesus Film discussio. Myron and Ruth want to show the film in Mexico.
* Question, which is more effective:
1. Enter a village where there has been no previous 'seed planting' to show the film.
This novelty will bring a general crowd of curious onlookers. You hand out tracts and do follow up work.
2. Have someone like Hector do some groundbraking and then show the Jesus Film.
When this happens, the local people might have already become biased against the person who has tried to
evangelize and stay away from the showing of the film. This would mean that the general population would
not come because it was only a 'religious' thing.
We had a lively discussion on the pro and con of the two approaches.
The meeting ended at 8:30 followed by 30 minutes of refreshment and social time.
Next Meeting for Thursday January 29 in the home of Esther Shirk.

Sovereignty of God / Week #2

“… for such a time as this!” … Responding to a World In Chaos
Sovereignty of God as it Relates to You
Uniquely You

You are special!
Esther 4:14 / Job 1:19-22

How God made you unique: Things you had no control over at your birth

1. The generation into which you were born ( date and time )
“In the fullness of time”….
Gal. 4:4 Acts 2:1, Rom. 11:25, Eph. 1:10;
On your specific date of birth, more than 200,000 others were born somewhere in the world
In your specific century of time, hundreds of millions will be born.
However, You will know only a small fraction of them.
You will only be intimate with a handful of that fraction.
These ‘intimate’ people will influence you greatly
However, famous people worldwide such as leaders, etc will also influence you, people like Hitler, Stalin, Jonas Salk ( polio vaccine ) the Beatles, President Obama
2. Your parents, and family heritage

Sarah and son Isaac, ( Gen. 21:1-8 )
Manoah & Wife -Sampson, ( Judges 13:1-25 )
Hannah / Samuel, ( I Samuel 1:1-11 )
Susannah and Charles and John Wesley
3. Your gender
To the guys, … ever wonder why you weren’t born a girl?
Differences: Think of what these differences mean to you….


Discussion On Points 1-3
1. Timing is important, indeed crucial
Time is based upon the circuit of the heavenly bodies of the cosmos
Myron posed the question: If you could chose, what generation would you like to be born?
Esther … In the time of Jesus or Job
Dan … Noah will be knows in heaven as the ark builder.
What will I be known for?
2. Family and Heritage
Dan … Moses and Family, Joseph and family
Heritage is vitally important because of God’s love. God chose the family into
which you would be born because He loved you and wanted you to part of
that heritage. Even when our heritage seems rotten, there is a good purpose in
where you are because of God’s love.
Dan shared openly about struggles with his father and how he found victory.
James … Romans 3:1
Myron … love is good but what about God’s love in a tragic situation?
Kathy … Romans 8:28-30, Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6,
Rom. 9:8-22, potter and the clay
Myron posed the following case study:
Two couples who each adopt 2 Russian boys ages 3-4
The boys of one couple are fine
The boys of the other couple are born with fetal alcohol syndrome
All of these boys have two heritages, their natural birth Russian heritage
and the heritage of their new parents.
But there is a vast difference.
Question: How can we as Christians help the boys with their dysfunctional
birth heritage?
Kathy: respite care, prayer against spiritual strongholds, need a mentor for the children.
James … deal with the sin of the birth parent
Dan … they must be bathed in love
3. Gender - cross gender dressing / sodomy
Jake … Today I saw a transvestite on the HACC campus. I felt revolsuion
Dan … we must love
James … I feel like throwing up when I see one
Myron posed this question: how are we going to love when we feel revolted?
Dan … we are all guilty of a sinisim,
Myron … so we all have our individual lust or craving or dissatisfaction
And God expects us to control it and live righteously anyway.
Conclusion: We are to love the sinner while we hate the sin
and try to convert thesinner to God’s truth. We must be wise and loving in our confrontation
but we cannot compromise God’s truth on the matter. This takes much grace and prayer.
A very good evening of discussion
Those present were:
James Strickler, Rick and Kathy Fogie, Esther Shirk, Dan Moyer, David Fry, Jacob diets and Myron and Ruth
Next meeting on January 22 in the home of Rick and Kathy

First Meeting of 2009

KFB Study January 8,09

The first Koinonia Fellowship Bible Study of 2009 met in the home of Myron and Ruth Hostetter on Thursday evening, January 8th.
Myron was the moderator for this session. He gave a brief monologue covering the purpose of why we were meeting. The goal, he said, was to make our Christianity practical in helpful ways to the community around us. He opened with Esther 4:14, … “for such a time as this”, challenging us with the fact that we have been chosen by God to serve in these chaotic times.
How are we to respond to a society in chaos? With fear? Instead he gave us Luke 21:28 as the antidote to fear mongering.
A copy of the following sheet was then given to everyone.

A World In Crisis – Chaos
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Lu 21:28)
Some Topics to be considered for Discussed in the Coming Weeks
• Cash withdrawal from your bank unavailable or severely regulated
• Food shortages
• Housing shortage
• Lawlessness on the rise
• Medications cost skyrocketing, or not available
• National I. D. Cards / tracking chip inserted at birth / personal I.D. number
• Oil prices of $5.00+ per gallon
• Religious freedom, Erosion of personal freedoms / marshal law
Christian and home-schooling choice severely regulated or illegal
• Suicides: increase in Anger, Depression, Hopelessness
• Technology … how will it change our lifestyle? Cell phones, ipod, etc.
• Other …Fill in YOUR topic of interest.

Discussion:
John Strickler opened with a relevant question. How specific should our preparation be?
Can we be specific? Should we not rather focus upon our relationship with Christ?
John gave the example of Daniel and the three Hebrew lads not knowing what their
challenge would be but nevertheless being able to respond to the lions den and
the fiery furnace.

This lead to a lively discussion. Trust John to be a catalyst!
Responses to John’s questions:
Rick / Kathy … salvation must come first, our relationship with Christ is all important, faith/works
go together … specifics come out of our relationship with Christ
Donald … Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
We should have an ability to plan, then adjust to our plan.
Dan … the ant prepares for winter, Noah built an ark for the coming flood, God gave us
Matthew 5,6,7, specific instructions for the end times, last day’s scenario,
Jesus said the laborers are few.
Myron ..What are laborers to do?
Jake … we need to help others when we see a need.

Donald then shifted the focus of the evening by zeroing in on the matter of a National I.D. card
or an implanted chip.
Ric gave information and examples of how National security or tracking technology is already
available and in some cases being used. Explained the difference between the Internet
and the Intranet. He explained it in the following way. The public uses Internet; Intranet is a governmental system that is closed and secret, used only by authorized personnel with a “need to know.”

Both Ric and Donald pointed out that information chips have already been implanted and are
being used for various purposes. Used for marketing purposes and inventory tracking.
Also used to track children as a security method.
Donald asserted that it’s already ‘global’.

Question? What is the mark of the beast?
If a chip is implanted in a baby at birth, is this the, ‘Mark’?
Must there be specific intent on the part of the implanter stating that this implant
is a sign that we have rejected our Christian faith?

Kathy … I.D. cards and implanted tracking chips o.k. However, if they’re specific reason is to
indicate we reject our Christian faith we cannot receive them.

Group consensus on global I.D. cards and chip implantation:

People must know and be able to chose or reject; card, implantation or mark, that is
issued by a controlling, anti God movement for the specific purpose of causing us to rejecting our belief In Christ. The avowed purpose for the I.D. chip or mark must be to receive the “mark of the beast.”
A believer must be able to say ‘no’ to card or chip. Thus a baby receiving one at birth
Cannot make a spiritual decision and is not accountable for having one implanted. Since this is true, a chip implanted at birth cannot be the ‘Mark’.

Though a global I.D. card or chip implantation may be invasive of our privacy, and may
be used for tracking purposes of some kind, this is not necessarily the mark of the beast
and as law-abiding citizens, we must obey the law.

Myron offers this dissenting viewpoint:
Since the Bible talks about being unable to ‘buy or sell’ without this ‘mark’, be it I.D. card
or chip implantation, does it not make any such device The Mark of the Beast by its very
nature?
Re 13:17* And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Perhaps more prayer and study need to be done before a decision is made about what the ‘Mark’ consists of.
It was certainly a very interesting evening with lively discussion of various viewpoints.

Discussion topic for week 2. / Myron handed out a sheet on the topic, “the Sovereignty of God”
Next meeting will be in the home of Myron and Ruth on January 15th, Lord willing.

Those attending this meeting were:
Ric and Kathy Fogie, David Fry, Dan Moyer, Esther Shirk, John Strickler, Donald Sauder, Jacob Dietz and Myron and Ruth Hostetter