The EncouragerVolume 10 Issue 3

Salvation God’s Way

Our salvation is not based u p o n o u r i d e a s o r p o l i t i c a l l y c o r r e c t guidelines. It is solely based upon our acceptance of God’s chosen way, which is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - Gal. 2:16. It involves our repentance of trusting everything else, and only trusting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for payment for our sins - I Cor. 15:1-4. You cannot add Jesus Christ to your collection of saviors, He is the only Savior, and it is by His blood that our sin debt is paid - Col. 1:14. Jesus Christ is still the only way of Salvation - John 14:6

Eastern Shore Bible Baptist Churchof Galena, Maryland

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”Ecclesiastes 3:1

Often, while reading this verse, we focus on the mention of time. That there is a correct time for everything. The verse also states that there is a time to every purpose, which means that our lives should be full of purpose.

I have many times asked myself, “what am I doing?” and “why am I doing this?” I usually have these thoughts whi le tak ing a shower, spending 5 minutes washing up, and the next 20 minutes standing under the water contemplating the issues of life!

Having talked to pastors and preachers for the last 35 years,

I have discovered that there are a lot of purposeless activities going on. Some pastors have told me they make useless visits just so they can stand in the pulpit and say how many visits they made that week, while others go to the donut shop at 7:00am just so they can say how busy they are and how they are never home.

I n l o o k i n g a t m y o w n ministry, I want to be able to say that I earn my paycheck, and that I put my time, effort, and heart into the ministry. But there has to be more to this than just saying we “survived” another week, and I was able to get, and that the church family didn’t just clock in for a few hours this past Sunday, and so we made it through another week.

In each of our personal lives, in our families, and in our church, there is one general truth that must be established: Things don’t just happen. We

Sunday Service Schedule

9:30am Sunday School

10:30am Morning Worship

6:00pm Evening Worship

Wednesday Service

7:00pm Prayer Meeting and Bible Study

H a v i n g A P u r p o s e

byPastor Steve Hays, D.Min

May - June 2013

must purpose in our hearts for things to take place, or it will not work.

It doesn’t “just happen” that you read your Bible and pray, nor does it just happen that you are faithful to church. It doesn’t just happen that a church can survive being Bible believers in a politically correct world, nor does it just happen that a church of 150 - 200 people just get along with no church politics or personal agendas being fought over.

It does not “just happen” that we witness, are friendly and welcoming to visitors, and people go out of their way to make events happen a t church. All of this takes a purpose.

I do not want us to have activities in order to be able to say we are a “busy” church. Neither should we try to replace the parents in raising children. Yet, GOD FORBID, that we sit still and do nothing more for God because we are satisfied to just survive.

My deteriorating health is not going to be an excuse for me, or the church, to not purpose in our hearts to do something for God. Our lack of buckets of money just sitting around is no excuse to just “get by”, and we simply need to find a cheaper way to get some thing done, or prioritize what are

the most important things to do. That is the introduction, and it brings me to the first point:

I. A Purpose must be Important - Proverbs 23:7

Our purpose will define who we are. It will be something that is reflected in every aspect of our lives. The fact that I am a conservative, patriotic, American male who places great value on the Constitution of our country is reflected in everything in my every day life. Likewise, my being a Christian Bible believer needs also to be reflected in that same way. As our purpose is, then “so is he”.

Many times the thought of an overall picture of our lives is r e s e r v e d f o r f u n e r a l arrangements and headstones, but we actually need to think about it even when we are young. What do you want your life to reflect? What difference do you want to make in this life? Do we just go through life paying bills and thinking we are successful if one day we can retire on a pension? Or do we want to go through life [and it doesn’t matter what your job is or how much it pays] making a difference in the kingdom of God?

So we had service last week, so what? We took up a little

bit of money, and we sang and I preached. Is there a purpose that really matters? Yes, there is. We sang to the glory of Jesus Christ in a world that has turned their back on Him and refuses to give Him the glory for anything. We were a testimony to an unbelieving world that there are still those who believe what God said. I preached on “hope”, and that there is hope in Jesus Christ for a lost and dying world that has watched its hope being swallowed up in terrorist attacks, a failing stock market, and politics that have gone insane. That bit of money we took up pays for Bibles, tracts, and missionaries that we support all over the world, and thousands heard the gospel in many different languages this past week because our church met and made a difference.

Even our young people, who have grown up in our church, will never forget that they knew a group of people that actually believed that Bible stuff. They watched their parents make sacrifices and tough decisions, and they also watched them enjoy the peace and contentment of God. No matter what happens in their lives, they will never forget they saw a group of people who actually had a purpose for their church and their way of life.

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Recently we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior. Easter, or Resurrection Day as a Christian would call it, is a great time of reflection, h o p e a n d f e l l o w s h i p . D u r i n g t h a t t i m e w e consider the events of the crucifixion week. We re-read about the triumphal entry, Christ’s preaching and ministry in Jerusalem, the last supper, the prayer in the Garden, the betrayal of Judas, the mock trial, Jesus standing before Pilate, the angry mob, and the crucifixion. The story could not be complete without the resurrection of Jesus Christ giving us the final victory over death, hell, and the grave. Amen! Forty days later, after He had completely fulfilled His e a r t h l y m i n i s t r y , H e performed one more miracle by ascending in clouds and made His way to heaven.

Since the ascension the world has never seen the Savior. He accomplished the purpose for which He came to earth and until the

appointed t ime for the Rapture and then the Second Coming there is no need for His return to it. Jesus Christ informed His disciples, who wondered how they could function without Him, that another would come in His place. He would represent the Savior and continue with them in the ministry of the Gospel. They had no way of knowing the magnitude of the one who was coming and that he was none other than the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. The old testament involved the ministry of the Father. The Gospels record the ministry of the Son. And the new testament thrives as a result of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the central force that drives the mission o f the new tes tament Church. So much so that the Lord was anticipating His own departure so that the Spir i t could come. Jesus told the disciples in John 16:7, “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter

will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” The plan of the Godhead was for the Spirit of God to operate in the lives of believers. He does so in many ways and we get an understanding of Him through the description given by Jesus about Him.

First of all we see the1. Compassion of the Spirit. Jesus ca l l ed H im the Comforter. He is to “abide wi th you for ever. . .he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” -Jn 14:16,17 He is very close to the saint and understands all that he is going through. He desires a personal walk with the believer, not a distant relationship.

We also recognize the2. Knowledge of the Spirit. Jesus told them the Spirit would teach them all things and bring whatever Jesus said to their remembrance - v26. To be able to teach everything, you need to first know everything. And you have to admit, to remember everything someone else

by Pastor Rob

The Work of the Spirit

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said and repeat it is pretty good.

We have the3. Testimony of the Spirit.The Holy Spirit will not exaltor promote Himself. He testifies only of Jesus Christ - John 15:26, and will not speak of Himself - John 16:13. His priority is to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ as stated in John 16:14, “He shall glorify me:”It is important that we remember to keep the proper order of life, which is Jesus first.

We admire the4. Integrity of the Spirit.Jesus called Him the “Spirit of truth” - John 16:13. He is nothing like satan who NEVER tells the truth. Jesus said in John 8:44 that there is no truth in the devil because he is a liar and the father of lies. The Holy Spirit speaks only truth because everything He says comes from God’s word. He has no other motive than to give truth and to “guide you into all truth” - John 16:13. He can be trusted completely.

We are challenged in the5. Warfare of the Spirit.Knowing that the Spirit of God speaks only the word of God we can not help but stand in the battle for truth

as well. As it says in Ephesians 6:17, the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. The sword is our only offensive weapon. Because it is truth, it is the only thing that can repel the attack of satan. Jesus himself said to satan, “It is written.” It stands to reason why the devil would implement so many counterfeit bibles. He has weakened the authority of God’s word within the Body of Christ. H e h a s g i v e n t h e m defective weapons with which to fight against him.

We follow the6. Moving of the Spirit.In John 15 and 16 Jesus was trying to encourage the disciples that although He would no longer be with them and would not be leading them personally, they could have confidence in the Comforter who was to come. Jesus assured the disciples that the Spirit would lead and guide them and to trust His moving. They obviously learned to do just that. The book of Acts details their many adventures as they traveled f r o m p l a c e t o p l a c e preaching the Gospel and planting churches. The books of the new testament written after the ascension prove the Holy Spirit lead and godly men followed.

There are many other works of the Holy Spirit which He accomplishes in our dispensation. Such as:

- Regenerating the believer.John 3:3-5, Titus 3:5

- Indwelling the believer.1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19

- Sealing the believer.Ephesians 1:13,14; 4:30

- Empowering the believer.Romans 6:6; 8:2Galatians 5:16

These are wonderful works done by the Holy Spirit for the Church. We are greatly blessed by His ministry to us. But we must never forget that as well as ministering to believers, His desire is to draw other lost people to Jesus Christ. John 16:8 says, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of r ighteousness, and of judgment:” His objective for the unsaved is that they understand their need of the Savior, forsake their own righteousness for s a l v a t i o n , j u d g e themselves, and t rust Jesus Christ. Only then can they escape the final judgment.

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ESBBC HappeningsBy Cindy Hays

Spring Cleaning & Work DayThanks to all who came out to clean and do

maintenance on our church building.

ESBBC Upcoming Events

Vacation bible schoolJuly 29 - Aug. 2

6 - 8 pm

MISSIONS INTERNATIONAL DINNER AND MISSIONS SUNDAY

JUNE 29 - INTERNATIONAL DINNERPlease start planning what kind of international food you would like to bring. We will have dinner at 5:30 pm.

June 30 - Missions SundayOur guest missionary will be Matt Leathley - Missionary to Congo and South Africa. Make plans to join us and hear about this work we have supported for several years.

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Ben Pretzler. Ben and Jessica were married at ESBBC on

May 27th.

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Ta k i n g G o d ’s W o r d a r o u n d t h e w o r l d .Miss ions

By Cindy Hays

Something that has stuck out to me these past months while reading the missionary letters is the opportunities they have had to witness to people while going about their daily lives. That is just how our Christian witness should be. We have heard that from the pulpit many times. We don’t have to wait until there is a special visitation time or anything. The Mooberry family, missionaries to Brazil, recently made cookies for their new neighbors, and ended up with a chance to witness to them. The Smiths in Estonia have been attending language classes and made a couple of contacts and were able to witness to them.

John Byrer, while working as a plumber, was assigned a 17 year old to work with him. While driving to jobs he was playing Christian music. This young man was saved after many discussions with Bro. John. And, he also lead his friend and his aunt to the Lord. What an encouragement to just live our daily lives for the Lord and use the opportunities to speak up for Him.It is also an encouragement for us to continue supporting our missions program. The support is used for these missionaries to stay on the field and to have the funds needed to spread the Word of God where we cannot go.

Recently during one of our church services I began thinking about all of the great songs we sing. These old time hymns have been a blessing to me over the years. Many of us have grown up singing them over and over every Sunday. It seems that sometimes I find myself just singing and not really thinking about the words. As we were singing “Abide With Me” a few weeks ago. I began thinking about the words I was singing. The words “Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness” really made me think about those of our church family who are suffering with illnesses and bearing the burdens that go along with it. Yet, as

believing God and his Word, we know it is all in His hands and so it doesn’t have to be a weight, knowing we can cast our burden on Him. “And tears no bitterness” ... as someone who has leaky eyes frequently.... I also realize that my tears can be tears of rejoicing in knowing that God is in control and one day all will be made perfect and right. Perhaps there is a hymn that has been a blessing to you, or you would like to research the background of a hymn. I would invite you to join me in writing this column. Please let me know if you are interested.

Encouragement........... from the hymnsBy Cindy Hays Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,,, Eph.5:19

I have often thought about our church ministry here and our purpose [not just mine, but the whole church family’s]. It seems that we do see people get saved along the way, and for that I am very thankful. But a lot of our ministry has been about us being the good Samaritan.

Many folks have found us who were beaten and broken by the disillusions of religion, and lost the joy of their salvation that David spoke about in Psalm 51. [This is not to say we are a dumping ground for everyone who gets upset, or doesn’t get their way, with their church. Believe me, if you don’t want to be right with God and don’t believe the Bible is the word o f G o d , m o v e a l o n g somewhere else!]

We as a church have a purpose, and that is to be a testimony that there are still those who will stand with God no matter what. I realize that some of you may feel you don’t do much, but your faithfulness helps me be able to do my job. Your presence is an encouragement to many others, and your witness is invaluable. To actually see Christians who are happy they are saved and serving Christ is immeasurable as a testimony to the world in this age.

II. A Purpose must be Instigated - Dan. 1:8.

Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not eat of the king’s meat. It might seem trivial and a bit of nonsense to us to make such a big fuss over this, but to Daniel is was everything. Daniel was gearing up for a fight that would be his entire life; he was not going to give in to the pressure or the popular fads of the day. Daniel was going to trust God.

Our purpose in this life has to be instigated now, before the command to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, and before we find ourselves facing the lion’s den. The mouth of the lion’s den is no place to try to find your purpose, as it is definitely too late for much thought then.

As parents, we need to purpose in our hearts that we are going to raise good adults. I didn’t want to raise my children to be children all their lives. I wanted them to be good adults someday, and make a contribution to society and the kingdom of God. That starts in a high chair, not the electric chair.

As Christians, we need to purpose in our hearts that we are going to be faithful, whatever the cost. That doesn’t come when the big

battles come our way, it begins when the little things come into our lives [like the king’s meat], and we stick by our principles and Bibles anyway. Those little things are more important than anything you would ever imagine. I overheard someone say recently that they were tremendously encouraged over something one of the church ladies had done. That particular church lady had no clue that she had done a n y t h i n g s p e c i a l o r impressive, but it had quite an effect on this one certain woman, as well as having a ripple effect among some others.

III. A Purpose must be Inspired - Psalm 127:1

God has to be in the purpose. People purpose all kinds of things, and accomplish them. Some purpose to be famous, to be rich, to be … whatever. All these things will someday pass away, and their purpose will be just so much dust.

Our purpose needs to be something for God and by God.

Surviving will get us through this life, but a godly purpose will show up in the eternal life to come.

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13984 Gregg Neck Road Pastor Steve Hays, M.Min,D.Min.Galena, MD 21635 Assistant Pastor Rob Manaraze410.648.6744

Reaching the World, Beginning with the Homew w w . e s b b c . o r g

S a n c t i f y t h e m t h r o u g h t h y t r u t h , t h y w o r d i s t r u t h . J o h n 1 7 : 1 7

Fellowship of the SaintsWe have had a lot of visitors coming to our services lately, and it has been a blessing. We need to see this as an open door; An opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, be a testimony for Christ, and generally just practice what we preach.

Get up! Move your feet! And greet! Not all of our visitors stay, and for various reasons, but the ones that do will always remember how they were treated when they first came to our church.

The EncouragerA ministry of

Ea s t e r n S h o r eBIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH

Standing for theIncorruptible Word of God

AV 1611

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