BDCMINISTRIES

BDCMinistries--The Website of Bruce and Geneva Collins

Greetings dear friends,

I’m Bruce Collins. I am an evangelist and teacher of the Bible. I became a child of God by faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ on November 24, 1963 and have tried to serve the Lord in various capacities since then. I am presently a self-employed minister of the Gospel. I do not work for an organization but I try to serve the Lord in the best way that I can wherever He leads. That means that my wife and I have our financial needs met by the Lord as we do not have a salary from any church or organization.  We believe that the Gospel is free so we have never made a charge for our services.

I am available for Bible studies, conferences, Gospel meetings, children’s meetings and camp work. I have traveled throughout much of the United States and Canada in my service for the Lord. My wife helps me, and we attend the Bethany Bible Chapel in Cedar Falls, Iowa. They have encouraged us by commending us for this work.

My wife, Geneva and I live in Waterloo, Iowa. We have four children. One of them is married and has provided us with two grandchildren.

This web site has a weekly meditation that I hope will encourage you. It has links to literature and organizations that I think are helpful. You can also listen to my weekly radio program here.

Yours because of Calvary,

Bruce Collins
3828 Memory Lane
Waterloo, IA 50701-9351

319.230.9140
collinsbd@hotmail.com

INDEX:

If you would like to read a classic Gospel Tract called GOD’S WAY OF SALVATION go here

For another classic Gospel Tract called God is Satisfied! Are You go here

For Important Personal Scriptures go here

For an open letter to my friends and neighbors go here

For the story of how I was saved go here

For the story of how my wife was saved go here

For the story of Merlyn VandeKrol–You Have About a Year to live! (a friend who died from cancer) go here

For the Rest of the Story–Merlyn’s Wife Karen go here

For answers to questions that I have been asked go here

For a women’s perspective on head coverings go here

For a manual on how to preach the Gospel that has been used with camp counselors go here

For an OVERVIEW OF THE BIBLE AND SOME PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION go here

For a PROPHETIC CHART go here

For a published article on FAITh, What is it? go here

For the story of the George Street Evangelist go to George Street

For links to other helpful websites go here

For the On-Line Blue Letter Bible go here

For the On-Line Bible Studies Tool go here

Bruce and Geneva

The Mystery of Prayer
 
(John 17:20-21 NKJV) “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
(Acts 2:1 NKJV) When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
(Philippians 2:2 NKJV) fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
(1 Corinthians 11:18 NKJV) For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
 
Was the Lord's Prayer Answered?
In John 17, the Lord prayed for the same unity among believers that existed between the Father and the Son.  In Acts 2, that unity existed 50 days after the Lord was raised from the dead.  That same unity is seen in Acts 15 where the church in Jerusalem was united and in agreement as they considered the need for Gentiles to keep the Jewish ceremonial law.  However, it is obvious that Judaizers were already causing problems in some Gentile churches.  The Philippian church had fairly good unity with the exception of two women who seemed to have trouble working together.  But the Corinthian church. . . now they were breaking bread together but in a totally divided way.  Some were following one preacher, some were following another, and they weren't being considerate and sharing their food at their feasts of charity which were supposed to be the Lord's supper.  
 
Encouragement for Us
Some of us get discouraged when we ask the Lord for something and we don't get it.  We may have thought our prayer was in the will of the Lord and according to Scripture.  We may even have shared our prayer with other prayer warriors and we may have gotten "no" for an answer.  I personally do not consider "no" to be an answer to prayer.  Here the Lord has prayed for something that He did not get.  There was nothing wrong with the Lord or His prayer.  So I guess I shouldn't be discouraged if the answer to some of my prayers is no. It apparently doesn't mean that I shouldn't have prayed, or that something was wrong with me when I prayed.  It just means that in our dispensation, Satan is alive and well and manages to oppose the answer to a godly prayer.
 
The visible church (those who call themselves Christians today even though they may be Christians in name only) has long been divided into sectarian groups.  Leadership, doctrine and differing views on salvation, separation and discipline are some of the main reasons for these divisions.  The Bible says that a divided local church is a carnal or immature church.  Every time a church has a split, every time a new church is planted in locations where many churches already exist, unity is obviously missing.  
 
I would like to see congregations that look more like Philippi than like Corinth or the Galatian churches.  I would like to see churches where pleasing the Lord is more important than "growth."  I would like to see churches where we love God and as a result we love our neighbors.  We should be willing to perish if need be (as Esther was) in order to save our brothers and sisters.  That kind of church would at least be unified with the Lord and with His Father.  I think it would be attractive to the unsaved.  
 
I doubt that the Lord's prayer in John 17 will ever be fully answered on this earth until the Lord comes and raptures those who are truly His own.  Then the church will be one even as the Lord is one with the Father.
 
Bruce Collins
 
Meditation for the week of June 13, 2021

Archived Meditations

RADIO PROGRAMS:

For Archived Radio Programs go here

For Archived Meditations go here

 

THREE MUSTS:

Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' (John 3:7 NKJV)

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-15 NKJV)

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 
(Acts 4:12 NKJV)