How to Successfully Bury the Past - SFC2218

SPEAKER A Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. SPEAKER B Would you like to better understand the Bible? How can you grow as a Christian and find personal peace? What happens at the second coming of Jesus? What is the relevance of Bible prophecy today? How do you identify a cult? What happens when you die? Here is your opportunity to find answers to these and many other questions by exploring 30 not only relevant, but life changing topics that await your discovery. Welcome to search for certainty. SPEAKER C I'm glad you could join us today. I'm your host Gayl Fong, and with me in the studio is Hana Nakagawa. Welcome, Hana. SPEAKER D Thank you, Gayl. SPEAKER C Our study today is how to bury the past successfully. Final words are extremely important. Parting words are usually significant. Picture a family gathered around a hospital bed, eagerly trying to catch every word of a dying loved one. Last words make a difference. Christ's last words were some of the most significant he ever uttered. His final command to his disciples was, go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. That's from Matthew, chapter 28, verse 19 and 20. Christ commissioned his disciples to instruct people in the principles of the Christian life. When they accepted the claims of his love and became disciples, the sign of their allegiance to a new life was baptism. The subject of baptism does raise many questions. How important is baptism? Is baptism essential to our salvation? Does it make any difference how a person is baptized? How many kinds of baptisms are there? Are sprinkling, pouring, and immersion all the same? Well, our lesson study today is going to answer these questions directly from the Bible. Hana, before we begin opening God's word, would you open with prayer for us? SPEAKER D Yes. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you Lord, for bringing us here to open your scripture and search you. Father, we invite your Holy Spirit to be upon us. Lord, lead us, guide us, and teach us, Father. And I pray, Lord, that you will speak to us. We pray all these things in Jesus name. Amen. SPEAKER A Amen. SPEAKER C Well, our first question we're going to have a look at is how important is baptism? So we're going to turn to the New Testament, to the book of Mark, the Gospel book of Mark, chapter 16 and verse 16. And Hana, if you're able to read that one for us. SPEAKER D Sure. It says, he who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. SPEAKER C So it's very important to believe and be baptized. That's right, according to this verse. Well, what did Jesus say to Nicodemus regarding the significance of baptism in the book of john. The Gospel of John, chapter three and verse five. SPEAKER D Jesus answered, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. SPEAKER C Wow. So here the significance of baptism is an entrance to the kingdom of heaven. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C Very significant kingdom of God. So that is very significant. Now, baptism is much more than a lifeless ritual then, Hana. It's a deeply spiritual symbol of complete, total commitment to Christ, the burial of the old life and the resurrection to new life in Christ. Well, how many methods of baptism does the Bible recognize in the Book of Ephesians, chapter four and verse five? And that's in the New Testament. And Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians. Thank you, Hana. SPEAKER D It says one Lord, one faith, one baptism. SPEAKER C Wow. There's only one way. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C That makes it very clear. So the Bible will actually help us to understand that correct way. There is one Lord, the Saviour, Jesus Christ. There is one faith, true Bible religion, and there's one true method of Bible baptism according to God's word. Well, how was Jesus baptized? We should look and see how the Savior of the world was baptized. As our example in all things, we go to the Gospel Book of Mark mark, chapter one, verses nine and ten. SPEAKER D It says, It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting and spirit descending upon him like a dove. Wow. That's beautiful. SPEAKER C So Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. A lot of people go over to Israel and they love to visit the places where Jesus walked. SPEAKER A Yes. SPEAKER C And some like to renew their vows of their faithfulness to God by rebaptism, even in the Jordan River, although there's no significance of the Jordan being the place chosen, other than John was baptizing there. And Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, and it tells us that he came up from the water. SPEAKER D Yes. SPEAKER C So he obviously went down into the water. Yes. So Jesus it's quite obvious, Hana, that Jesus was fully immersed by John in the Jordan river. And John's Gospel states that John was baptizing in this river because the Jordan River had much water. And you find that in John chapter three and verse 23. So maybe, Hana, you could read that for us. SPEAKER A Sure. SPEAKER D John, chapter three and verse 23. The Bible says this. It says, now John also was baptizing in iron near Salim because there was much water there and they came and were baptized. Much water there. SPEAKER C Thank you, Hana. So full immersion is the only method of baptism described in the Bible fully going under the water and coming up out. How did Philip baptize the Ethiopian eunuch? We turn to the Book of Acts. Acts, chapter eight and verse 38. SPEAKER D It says, so he commanded the chariot to stand still, and both Philip and Eunuch went down into the water and he baptized him. SPEAKER C So again, both Philip and the Ethiopian entered the water, and Philip then placed the Ethiopian completely under the water to symbolize correctly, death to the old man of sin, burial with Christ, and resurrection in Christ to a new life. The candidate must enter into the water, be completely covered by the water, and rise from the water. Baptism by immersion is the only biblical method. Now, when Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, what two significant things happened? We turn to the Book of Matthew. Matthew, chapter three, verse 16 and 17. SPEAKER D Yes. It says, when he had been baptized, jesus came up immediately from the water, and behold, the heaven were open to him. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Wow, this is beautiful. SPEAKER C It is Hana. So these two things that were happening, that the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Jesus, and then the Father's voice from heaven, this is my beloved Son. So the Holy Spirit here descending upon Jesus, was giving him strength for the temptations to come. And his Father spoke these words from heaven, this is my beloved Son, as you read, Hana, in whom I am well pleased, would have encouraged Jesus'heart for the ministry, the public ministry that he was about to undertake on behalf of mankind. Now, when people are baptized today, god gives them a new power for living and the assurance they are pleasing him. SPEAKER D Amen. SPEAKER C Does God give us a greater indwelling of His Holy Spirit to strengthen us at our baptism? Acts, chapter two, verse 38 and 39. SPEAKER D It says, then Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Verse 39 for the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. SPEAKER C Amen. So, Hana, when you were baptized, what was your experience? SPEAKER D Yes, I was actually baptized twice, first time in Baptist Church and second time in Whiteara Church, adventist Church in Sydney. Yeah, especially for the second time, I was studying the truth of the Bible and very much like given the new truth of the Bible, and it was not too easy. There was a struggle, but God has led me to make that decision and convicted my heart that this is the truth. So I gave all my heart to Him and decided to follow him. And that's when also I wanted to serve Him as well. So whoever be baptized, we become a missionary as well. We wanted to serve him. SPEAKER A Amen. SPEAKER C Did you experience the peace of God? SPEAKER D Yes, I did. Even though there was hard time. My family are not Christians, so they didn't understand. And I did have things I had to give up as well. And that was not easy, but I had a peace and joy that was nothing else can give me. So I praise God for that. And I still am so happy. That's the best decision that I have. SPEAKER C Ever what a wonderful testimony. Praise the Lord. It is. The most wonderful decision that we could ever make is to fully commit our lives to Jesus. SPEAKER D Yes. SPEAKER C What assurance regarding our past does Jesus give us at our baptism? We've got a couple of verses here to look up, but we'll first look up Colossians, chapter two and verse twelve. And Paul wrote the Book of Colossians. It's just a little book towards the back of the New Testament. SPEAKER D Yes. Colossian, chapter two, verse twelve. The Bible says, buried with him in baptism, in which you also were raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. SPEAKER C So we're buried with him in baptism. Symbolically. What about Romans, chapter six and verses three and four? SPEAKER D It says, or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death, therefore we were buried with him through baptism, into death. That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. SPEAKER C Amen. So here again, we're baptized into his death so that we may rise to a new life in Christ. SPEAKER D Yeah, this is amazing. It's kind of like sounds like a funeral, but also a birthday as well. SPEAKER C New beginning. SPEAKER D That's right, new birth. SPEAKER C Baptism is a symbol of spiritual cleansing. The water of baptism itself does not save us, but it does signify that we accept the blood of Christ, which does save us. Well, what are the conditions God desires us to meet before baptism? Are there any? Let's have a look at some verses. We'll go to the book of Acts first, Acts, chapter two and verse 38. SPEAKER D It says then Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. SPEAKER C So repentance. And it is God who draws us to repentance. SPEAKER D That's right. His goodness draws us. SPEAKER C Repentance is a deep sorrow for sin. It means a conscious desire to turn from those things that violate God's will and sadden his heart. Makes us feel very uncomfortable and sad. But there's hope. What about now if we read Acts, chapter eight and verse 36 and 37. SPEAKER D It says now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized? Then Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. SPEAKER C Wow. So this belief is more than simply an intellectual ascent to a particular creed. It is a heart commitment to Jesus and his word. It's a turning to him with all the heart, a belief that he is the Savior who alone can forgive sin and give victory in my life. Well, what about then? Matthew, chapter 28 and verse 19, it. SPEAKER D Says, go therefore, and make disciple of all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. SPEAKER C Amen. For although learning is a lifelong process, and one should never wait until they feel they've grasped all truth before baptism, it is necessary to understand basic scriptural truths before making such a significant decision. SPEAKER D That's true. SPEAKER C You need to know what you're baptizing into. SPEAKER D That's right. SPEAKER C Well, so there's repentance, believing, and then we need to be taught all things before we make that decision. Well, what is the spiritual significance of baptism? In Romans, chapter six, verses five and. SPEAKER D Six, five and six, it says, for if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slave of sin. SPEAKER C Amazing. What an amazing God we have. That through our surrendering of our lives to Him, through that commitment and going through the waters of baptism, which was the outward sign of what's happened in our heart as we experience this, that we will rise to that new life in him no longer to be a slave to sin. SPEAKER D Amen. SPEAKER C Baptism symbolises a death to sin and a resurrection to a new life in Jesus Christ living for Jesus, we are fully alive. Baptism by full immersion is the true symbol that we accept the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord through baptism. We now acknowledge we are walking in the newness of life. Well, baptism is a symbol of commitment to Christ. Does it also signify commitment to Christ's church, to his body? Let's read some verses here. Acts, chapter two, verse 41, 42 and 47 to begin. SPEAKER D Sure. It says, then those who gladly receive his word were baptized. And that day about 3000 souls were added to them, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Verse 47 it says, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. SPEAKER C Well, Hana, from those verses it definitely does tell us that it does signify commitment to the church. The church? Yes. SPEAKER D They were added to the Church 3000. SPEAKER C That was at Pentecost daily. Wow, that's massive, isn't it? And what wonderful fellowship they must have had as they came together and were sharing the joy of understanding that the Savior of the world had come. And now they could put all the pieces together from all the prophecies in the Old Testament there was joy and they could not contain it. And they had to share it. SPEAKER D Yes. SPEAKER C Thus the church was growing so quickly, as you said, Hana, daily. Daily, as the scripture says. What about in one Corinthians, chapter twelve, verse 13? And then we'll read also 27 and 28. SPEAKER D Sure. Verse 13, it says, for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Verse 27. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually. And God has appointed deeds in a church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that, miracles. The gifts of healing, helps administration, variety of tongues. So we join the body of Christ, which is the church, and we become the member of the body. SPEAKER C And there's different gifts there, Hana, that you were reading out. We don't all have the same gifts. God gives us, the Holy Spirit gives us different gifts, but we all bless one another. SPEAKER D That's right, we are different. But it's not like who is better or there's nothing like that. We need both like each gifts and God gives us. Grant us the gift as well. SPEAKER C Amen. So baptism in the New Testament was into the body of Christ or the Church. Now, if a person has been baptized once, should they ever be baptized again? Acts 19, one through to five, it says. SPEAKER D And it happened while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus and finding some disciples, he said to them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him, we have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. And he said to them, into what then were you baptized? So they said into John's baptism. Then Paul said, John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. Verse five. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. SPEAKER C So it's interesting. So right here in the Scripture, we have a group of faithful Christians who actually hadn't really understood about Jesus, but they understood about the need to repent. So in this instance, Paul re baptized believers who had been baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, but who had never heard of the Holy Spirit. As the truth about New Testament Christianity dawned upon their minds, they were re baptized as a symbol of following all of this new truth. There are some Christians who have a new, deep experience with Jesus as they discover new truths in the plan of salvation. Hana, like you were sharing in your testimony before. SPEAKER D That's right. I was given a new light. SPEAKER C They desire to become part of Christ's Church and choose to be rebaptised. Well, I know for myself, I was sprinkled as a little baby, so I was Christened, I guess you may say. But to be honest, I have no recollection of that. But when I was older, when I was a teenager, I made that decision for myself that I would like to be baptized as Jesus was. So it's very important, as we were looking before, the importance to have that mindset, to be able to repent that's right and make an intelligent decision. SPEAKER D Baby can't do that and babies can't. SPEAKER C That's so true. Well, I certainly didn't know what was going on. So what vital question does Jesus ask regarding baptism? And what command does he give? In Acts 22, verse 16, and now. SPEAKER D Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. SPEAKER C That's a good question. Why are you waiting? Why are we waiting? Well, what gracious, loving invitation does Jesus give us to accept the salvation he so freely offers? In Revelation 22 and verse 17, verse. SPEAKER D 17, it says, and the Spirit and the bride said, come and let him who hears say, come, and let him who thirsts come whoever desires, let Him take the water of life freely. SPEAKER C Don't you love that verse, Hana? SPEAKER D Amen. SPEAKER C He's just saying come three times. When something is when a word is mentioned three times like that in succession, it's very, very important. SPEAKER D Yes, he's inviting us very much so. SPEAKER C Jesus invites us to come to Him. Baptism is a symbol that we are coming without reservation. We are coming completely. We're coming in total surrender to his will as we come. He promises to cleanse us from our past and give us a new life. We become part of his family, the Church. Have you been baptized by immersion? Do you have the assurance that your guilt is completely gone? Is your past buried? Are you new in Christ? Well, before we make any decisions and think about decision, I just want to have some share a few quick facts on Bible baptism. And this is quite interesting that baptism is mentioned more than 90 times in the New Testament. It must be vitally important that's quite a lot of times now, Hana, we read how Jesus set an example for us in his own baptism. But Hana, if you wouldn't mind reading another verse for his example from the book of First John. First John, chapter two and verse six. SPEAKER D Sure. First John, chapter two. SPEAKER C Two and verse six. SPEAKER D Sure. The Bible says, he who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as he walked to following. SPEAKER C The steps of Jesus. Now, Hana, just a little question on that. Did Jesus need to be baptized? Had he done anything wrong? SPEAKER D That's a good question. No, because he lived a perfect life. He didn't need to have this remission of sin. He didn't sin. SPEAKER C He was perfect. He was sinless. So he did it as an example for us. SPEAKER D So that we will follow his example. SPEAKER C Yes. All throughout his life, he lived that humble life. Humble life to teach us the way to heaven by following in his steps. The New Testament greek word for baptism is baptizo. I may not be pronouncing that correctly, but which means to immerse fully. It does not mean to sprinkle like I was first sprinkled as a baby. The New Testament Church. Now, this is quite interesting. Baptized people, when they had repented of their sins, believed in Christ and were instructed in the faith, as we discussed earlier in the study. But, Hana, just to reinforce that again, let's read Acts chapter two, verse 38 to 41. SPEAKER D Sure. It says, Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for he promised. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afraid of as many as the Lord our God will call. Verse 40. And with many other words, he testified and exalted them, saying, be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly receive his word were baptized, and that day about 3000 souls were added to them. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER D Powerful. SPEAKER C It is. I know we read that verse earlier, but it's such a strengthening passage there. It's interesting to note, too, Hana, that ancient churches throughout Europe contained baptistries in which Christians were baptized by immersion. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has a Baptistry. And I have seen pictures of ancient churches, not that I've ever been to Europe, but where there are baptismal fonts in these churches and in the ancient ruins in some of these Christian cities where the early Christian church began. SPEAKER D Wow. I need to check it out. SPEAKER A Yes. SPEAKER C Also, baptism by sprinkling was not accepted as officially valid until decreed by the Council of Ravina in Ad. 1311. So that's an interesting point. Before that, it was not an official way or not an officially accepted way of baptism. True biblical baptism was always by full immersion, and Jesus is our example in all things. Well, the question why not make this decision today? Why not make this decision? Well, I have a couple of points to consider in the decision that you may like to choose. The first one is loving Jesus completely. I desire to testify of my faith in him publicly. I choose to follow the example of my Lord in Bible baptism by immersion. Maybe that's something you'd like to consider as you're listening in today, or maybe that you have been baptized by immersion, but you've drifted away and desire to be rebaptized, that may be something that you would like to consider. There's no greater joy but walking with Jesus and following in his steps. I've really enjoyed this study today, Hana. SPEAKER D It was a beautiful study and thinking. SPEAKER C Of all that Jesus has done for us and the example that he has set us and the joy that we have in uniness of life with Him. And it's been wonderful to have you listening with us wherever you may be. And we pray that you will come and join us again. But until then, let us just pray and close off our study today. Loving Father in Heaven, lord, you see us, you know us, you understand us. And there are some that are considering in their minds and hearts today that they would like to be baptized just as Jesus was. We pray Your Holy Spirit lead them to that full commitment and that full joy and peace of following you, their Lord and Savior in the waters of baptism to newness of life. And there may be others that are reconsidering that they have left their relationship with you that wandered away, but today they are reconsidering that they would like to be reconnected with you. Or perhaps they've only been baptized as a baby, or perhaps they have not had opportunity to follow the convictions of their heart. We ask Lord, that you will open the way for them and bring them that wonderful joy and peace as they make that decision to follow Jesus. Thank you for loving us first, setting us an example in all things. And thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit which guides us into all truth. And we thank you because you love us. We ask this for the pardon of all our sins. In Jesus name, amen. SPEAKER D Amen. SPEAKER C Well, may God bless you and go in peace. SPEAKER A Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path, and a Iight unto my path. You're the light unto my path. SPEAKER E If you have questions or comments about any of the programs you've heard, you can call three 3ABN Australia Radio within Australia on 024-97-3456, or from outside of Australia on Country Code 612-497-3456. Our email address is [email protected] that is radio at the number 3abnaustralia.org.au Our postal address is 3ABN, Australia, Inc. PO. Box seven five two. Morisset, New South Wales 2264, Australia thank you for your prayers and financial support. SPEAKER A Sake me to the water. SPEAKER F To be baptized bury me with Jesus. SPEAKER A The crucified. SPEAKER F Plunge me in the fountain. SPEAKER A And may I rise with open eyes. SPEAKER F Take me to the water to be baptized. What a joy and blessing to be baptized as a testimony of a work. SPEAKER A Inside. SPEAKER F Jesus blood has cleansed me and. SPEAKER A To do Christ I've come. SPEAKER F To the water be baptized. Bury. Me with Jesus jesus crucified plunge me in the fountain. SPEAKER A May I rise with open eyes. SPEAKER G Take me to the water up next, Marleta Fong will sing. Always. SPEAKER A When you're feeling down and it just seems your world is falling all around. No need to fear. I will still be there to love you when your friends are gone and it just seems like you be fighting all along. I'll try. I will be there to love you even though sometimes you it hurts to be alone. But I know that one day all the pain will be behind us. No more sadness. We'll find out. We'll find out it won't be long. We'll be together. You just keep holding on as in that day you hear me say I love you all. We'll be together and we'll be going home until that time when we meet face to face where we just think about the miracle. But till then, know this, my friend I love you all. SPEAKER G Coming up next, I will sing of my redeemer by Ben everson. SPEAKER F I will sing of my redeemer and his wondrous love to me on the cruel cross he suffered from the curse to set me free sing o, singo singo sing of my reason with his bloody purchase purchase bloody purchase. Me on the cross he sealed my pardon, my heart and paid the debt and made me free. I will tell the wonder story how my loss stayed to save in his boundless love and mercy either ransom Freely gave sing OC my Redeemer with his bloody purchase bloody purchase me on the cross he sealed my part the dead and made me free I will sing of my redeemer and his heavenly love to me he from death to life hath brought me Son of God with him to be single with his bloody purchase money purchase me on the cross my heart he sealed my cross my heart and paid the debt and made me free. Paid the debt and made me free. SPEAKER A And made me free. SPEAKER G Welcome to our series You're Not Alone, in which Allen Sonter, for many years a missionary educator in the islands of the South Pacific, tells stories that help us to know that God is always watching over us wherever we are. This episode is entitled God Can Help You Fix Anything. SPEAKER H At the beginning of 1957, I was asked to head up the 7th day Adventist School on the island of Abimama in the Gilbert Islands, which are now called Kittypus. And my wife and I arrived at the island on a small interisland trading boat. We were met by a big, muscular tongan with a broad smile who introduced himself as Henry Moala, second in charge at the school. After we collected a few suitcases and hand luggage, henry led the way to a beat up old Morris truck. We threw. Our bags on the back and Henry hoisted himself into the driver's seat while my wife and I squeezed in on the passenger side. We were then off to the school, about three kilometres away. We would return to the ship later for the heavy boxes and crates. We hadn't gone far when Henry said, this truck has no brakes. I try not to use it any more than I have to, but I'm very nervous driving it. We'd almost reached the school when there was a sound like a gunshot. The old truck lurched to an unsteady stop. We all piled out to find that the driver's side front tire had blown out, making a long tear in the side wall. The tires were old and perished from the tropical heat and we had no spare on board. We walked the short distance of the school and took a jack back to the truck. After removing the wheel, we rolled it back to the school workshop, such as it was, an open thatch roof structure, and I carefully extracted the tube. A 15 centimeter gash along the side made me think that tube had ended its useful life. But we don't have another inner tube, Henry groaned. How are we going to get your things from the wharf? At this point, it looked as though God would need to intervene in some unusual way if we were to complete the transfer of our boxes from the wharf to the school. So I prayed, Lord, you know this problem and would you please show us what to do now? Immediately my mind went back to a time in the late 1930s when, as a small boy, I'd been taken by my parents from Nelson to Dunedin in south New Zealand in an old Model T Ford Motor caravan. We had so many blowouts that eventually my father had no spare tube and we were stranded miles from any garage with no way to get help. My father then collected dried grass from beside the road and stuffed the tire as full as he could get it back on the wheel. That stuffed tire took us quite some distance until we came to a garage. The only problem I recall about the incident was that the grass tended to move about in the tyre, so we had a quite bumpy ride. Now, the Lord brought this experience back to my memory and also pointed out that there were plenty of coconut husks all around us, left over from the copper making activities that go on all the time in abamama. Coconut husks are the raw material that koia is made from and are tough and fibrous. Let's collect some coconut husks, I suggested to Henry. We can stuff them into one of these old tyres and that should get us at least a load or two from the wharf. Henry was a bit uncertain about this new kind of inner tube, but he and some of the schoolboys soon had a pile of husks waiting for their new role as inner tube for the truck. I stuffed the husks in as tightly as I could and then fitted the tire back on the rim. We took the repaired wheel back to the truck, fitted it and let the jack down. There were whoops of delight all around. When the tyre looked just as good as the others, I thanked God for the idea and we were ready to go again. Henry confided that he wasn't too comfortable about driving the truck, especially without brakes, so he insisted that I take over the task. Fortunately, Abermama is a coral atoll and the road is perfectly flat. Fortunately, also, the handbrake did work reasonably well, so I cautiously started out on my first drive in the old truck. During the afternoon, we managed to bring the remainder of the cargo from the ship, but by the time we brought the last load, the coconut husks had moved around in the tire, making the ride very bumpy indeed. It was obvious that husks were not a permanent solution to our problem, so there were two problems to fix the brakes and the inner tube. I asked God for help and began looking around for some way of fixing the tube. There was an old torn inner tube in the shed and a partly used tube of bostic contact glue. But could a 15 centimeter gash be repaired with bostic? I cut a large patch from the old tube and glued it over the gash. In the damaged one, it seemed to stick fairly well, so we found an old tire that seemed to be in better shape than the rest and fitted the repaired inner tube and tire onto the rim. Cautiously, we pumped it up to see whether it would hold. It did and served without trouble until we were able to get a new tube. Then I turned my attention to the brakes. I should say here that my previous experience at mechanical work consisted of nothing more than repairing my push bike and of replacing one rocker cover gasket in my Morris Miner in New Zealand over a year earlier. But after asking God to help, I tackled the brakes. When I dismantled the master cylinder, I found the trouble to be that the rubber washer was so worn that it allowed the fluid to leak past replacement parts would have to come by ship from Melbourne, and that would take many weeks. Looking carefully at the worn rubber part, I noticed that if its outer edges could be held firmly against the wall of the cylinder, the fluid might not be able to escape. So I found the lid of a tin can and cut it into a disc with fingers protruding all around the circumference. It was made big enough to fit inside the rubber washer with the fingers pushing the outer edges of the washer against the cylinder wall. This device was then inserted into the cylinder and the whole thing reassembled. And it worked. We had brakes again. I'm sure that God gives us the ideas we need to fix things when we ask Him to. Sometime after the tube and brake incident, I decided that the school needed a lawn mower. The soil of the atolls is almost pure coral sand, but there is a little humus and if it rains often enough, which happens periodically, a coarse grass does grow over the ground. It looks rather untidy if not trimmed, and the islanders cut it with long machetes. But I thought the school students time could be better used in other ways if we had a lawnmower. So I took stock of our resources. There were some pieces of angle, iron and sheet metal lying around that could be made into a frame. In the workshop were a couple of old wartime Briggs and Stratton motors, about 5 guessed. The bearings in one were worn and useless, but I hoped the other could be made to run again. There was an old circular saw spindle on the floor that could be pressed into service to mount a mower blade on, and a pair of old steel concrete mixer wheels, plus a pair of discarded baby pram wheels which could make the contraption mobile. Finally, a leaf from a jeep spring drilled in the centre could be mounted on the saw spindle as a blade. So to work I went and the result was, believe it or not, a lawn mower. Not unlike one of those old hater mowers that cut many an acre of lawn around the Pacific islands in the days before Victor Honda and Rover got into the act. Well, the mower did a noble task for some time. But one day disaster struck. I was busy in the workshop while a student was using the lawn mower some 50 meters or so away. Suddenly, from the direction of the mower came a sharp metallic screeching. I thought that the blade edited some concrete or a piece of metal and expected to hear the mower start up again. But soon the student came into the workshop and said the mower has run out of petrol and it won't start. I knew the mower couldn't be out of petrol as it had been filled only a few minutes earlier. So I went to investigate. I fitted the starting rope to the pulley and pulled firmly, expecting to feel the resistance of the compression. But the pulley turned freely. Something was seriously wrong. The motor was soon in the workshop and when it was opened it was indeed a sorry sight. The big end bearing had overheated let go. And the inertia of the spinning blade kept the crankshaft turning as the connecting rod and piston fell downwards. The result was that the piston and rod had become a mass of small pieces of metal in the bottom of the engine. Inquiries revealed that the student had been holding the mower on angle by pushing down on the handles and the oil had not reached the big end as it should. What to do now? Again, a prayer to the God who was always there brought the needed help. After cleaning up the engine, I could see that the damage had been limited to the piston and connecting rod. But incredibly, the crank pin was not badly scored. An examination of the spare engine revealed that its piston and connecting rod were in good condition. But there was no big end bearing shell in place. My colleague, the Pacific Islands veteran of many years experience, Walter Ferriss, looked at the bearing and said, I've got a jeep bearing shell that I think I can cut to fit that bearing. Let me see what I can do. So it was that an hour or so later, walter Ferriss came in with two halves of a bearing shell that fitted pretty well around the crank of the Briggs motor. Jeep bearings were much bigger in diameter than Briggs big ends, and these cut down shells had been formed into the tighter curve by hammering them into the seats. What was needed now was some way of grinding the two halves of the shell into shape against the crank pin so that the correct clearance could be made. Valve grinding paste would be no good because the particles were too big, creating too much clearance. But God was there again with the needed ideas. Why not toothpaste? The particles are fine enough. It would just take patience. So I spread toothpaste on the faces of the shell, set it in place over the crank pin and gently tightened the bolts until I felt resistance. Then I worked the rod back and forth to grind in the shell. This process was repeated again and again until the bolts could be tightened right up without any binding of the shell on the pin. And the motor gave many months of trouble free service. I was not alone out on that small atoll. And whoever or wherever you are right now, you're not alone either. God is just a prayer away and he's waiting for you to realise your need of him and call to him for help. SPEAKER G You've been listening to our series, You're Not Alone stories told by Allen Sonter that help us to know that God is always watching over us, wherever we are. If you have any comments or questions, send an email to radio at three Avianaustralia.org au or give us a call within Australia on zero two four nine seven, three three four five six. May God bless you, and remember, you are not alone. SPEAKER C You have been listening to a production of Three ABN Australia radio.