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Wading River Baptist Church P.O. Box 438, 1635 Wading River-Manorville Road, Wading River, NY 11792

(631) 929-3512; 929-6022 www.wrbc.us office@wrbc.us

All Things New Fast away the old year passes,

Hail the new, ye lads and lasses . . . (“Deck the Halls”)

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).

By the time you read this, the world will have toasted in the New Year, complete with their customary debauchery (called “parties”), champagne, dancing, noise-making, and other expressions of glee. Why all this happiness? What’s so special about the calendar changing from Decem-ber 31 to January 1? Nothing, really. The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west; we still have to eat, sleep, go to work, care for our families—in short, to do every-thing we had to do before. In truth, there’s really nothing new about the new year. As it unfolds, we will be faced by essentially the same responsibilities, challenges, joys, and hardships we experienced in the year just passed. There are variations of course, but on the whole, life is pretty consistent, and for many people that means consis-tently unpleasant and unfulfilling. So why the momentary ecstatic celebration?

The reason is not hard to explain; it lies in the human quest for fulfillment and meaning. As someone has observed, most people live lives of quiet desperation. There is a perennial longing that today will be better than yesterday, and that the good tomorrow brings will exceed the monotony of today. So even if it is fleeting, New Year’s Day is a day of hope.

Part of this longing for something bet-ter is bound up in our desire for something new. This, too, is a basic human desire, built into all of creation. As our bodies age, accompanied by all of the discomforts that go with advancing years, we long for the impossible dream of finding that elusive “fountain of youth,” knowing, of course, that we will never do so. We get tired of

living in the same old house, especially when we look carefully at the signs of wear and tear, sighing within ourselves over the work and expense we will incur in main-taining it. A new baby is the source of ela-tion until we have to face the stark reality that the new child can be every bit as ob-noxious as his/her older siblings! Driving a new car always provides a temporary high—until it too begins to collect its share of nicks and scratches and small, but irri-tating, dents, or until our neighbors buy one even newer. The truth be told, the new quickly becomes the old, and so the longing for something else new rises in our souls again, only to repeat the frustrating cycle.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that “the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Rom 8:22-23). The universe itself, here personified, longs for a perma-nent renovation; our dying bodies long to be renewed.

Scripture informs us that in spite of the present state of decay, there is coming just such a day of renewal. After the di-vinely executed holocaust that will judge this sinful earth, the heavens will pass away, “and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pet 3:10). And then there will appear “a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away” (Rev 21:1). In witnessing the splendid appearance of the New Jerusalem in his magnificent apocalyptic vision, the

Apostle John hears the Lord himself de-clare, “Behold, I am making all things new” (v. 5). This time, however, “there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (v. 4). Why? Because “the first things have passed away.” This is reason for authentic hope!

There is one serious caveat in all of this, however. Not everyone will enjoy the blessing of this new heaven and new earth which will be perpetually and eternally new. Outside of the New Jerusalem are “the dogs [sexual perverts] and the mur-derers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying” (Rev 22:15). Simply stated, those who have never been transformed by the grace of God—those who have never believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior—will be excluded. These have never been made new through faith in Christ. The new heaven and new earth are for new people. And who are they? New people have experienced the new birth. Again, consider God’s Word: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17).

Thus, as you begin this new year, are you a new creation in Christ? Has the old life passed away—are you enjoying the new things God gives as part of His gift of eter-nal life? Are you anticipating the eternal glories of heaven? If not, why not call upon the Lord today? Happy New Year!

⎯ Pastor Ron Glass

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Getting Acquainted with Joe Best

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In the early part of 2010, during the winter season, Pastor Glass received an email in-quiring about Wading River Baptist Church

(WRBC). It was from a couple living in St. Louis, Missouri, who were intent on mov-ing to Long Island as a result of a transfer for the husband, a staff sergeant with the U. S. Army. WRBC is a praying church, and as a result these two believers were added to the prayer list. Prayers began to mount for this couple, strangers from across the land. They needed to sell their house in St. Louis and find one on Long Island near their number one priority⎯a church that preaches the truth of the Word. They were put in touch with Anna Fiore, a realtor who attends the church, and a bond began to form between this couple and the WRBC.

One by one, prayers were answered and the house in St. Louis was sold by June; the wife obtained a job at the Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead in July; friends were made with George and Judy Ehmann, who opened their hearts and home to the couple while they were finaliz-ing arrangements for a rental; temporary housing was found in Ridge (also in July); and by August, the couple had moved into the rental. By November, the couple closed on a house in Manorville; this enabled their final move in mid-November through the help of a handful of volunteers from the church.

It has been an amazing journey that all began on a computer, a journey that cul-minated in the entrance of this couple through the doors of the WRBC. This cou-ple, Joe and Martie Best, have been attend-ing the WRBC for perhaps five months now. In this relatively brief period of time, Joe and Martie have already become mem-bers and have begun to take an active part in the fellowship and service of the church. Not only does this article serve as a profile, first for Joe Best (next month: Martie Best), but outlines God’s grace and purpose in designing His will and direction for the church as well as for Joe and Martie Best specifically.

Joe Best was born on January 19 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to parents Joe Best, Sr. (best known as Mac) and Dolores Best. His father was the owner/operator of

a family-owned business handed down through the family from Joe’s grandfather, Jo-seph E. Best. The store, Ben Frank-lin Five & Dime, was located in Woodville, the county center of Wilkinson County, which itself is located in the southwest cor-ner of Mississippi and about 25 miles away from the Mississippi River. Woodville was a small town of maybe 2,000 people about 125 miles north of New Orleans, which is where Joe’s mom was from.

Even the county in which Joe lived in his early years was very rural with only about 12,000 people. With a little bit of imagination, especially for those who have lived a few decades more than others, a picture fr0m the past comes to mind straight out of Mark Twain’s writings.

His mom was first of all a mother to three children: Ellen (Joe’s older sister), Joe, and Susan (Joe’s younger sister). Sec-ondly, she was employed as a clerk in the county office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, from which she retired after 30 years of service.

Joe’s mother was from New Orleans, a predominately Catholic city, and conse-quently she was raised a Roman Catholic. Joe, in his early years, was greatly influ-enced by his mother’s Catholicism. Joe did, however, attend the Episcopal church with his father on a regular basis; both parents agreed that it was important to attend church regularly.

Joe attended the Christian Academy High school where he played basketball on

the high-school team and played the saxophone in the high-school band. For a few years, Joe was also a boy scout.

Most Christmases were special in the Best household. As a result of Joe’s father working in the retail business, Joe can viv-idly recall the challenge it was to work in his store⎯especially during the Christmas season. Both he and his sisters worked hard and appreciated the uplifting Christ-mas attitudes of the customers. He also remembers his father being happier at Christmas time compared to the rest of the year.

His grandfather and father ran the family business for over 50 years. Joe was presented with an opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps when he expanded his

business to make room for his son. How-ever, in accordance with God’s ultimate plan and purposes, Joe did not continue in the family business. His dad closed the doors for the last time in the late 1980’s.

Before deciding to enlist for active duty in the Army in 1985, Joe worked as a Tom’s Snack’s delivery driver for a short time; managed a small Seven Eleven type store; and sold insurance for Metropolitan Life Insurance.

It was during these years that Joe was married and was blessed with a daughter, Shelley (now 31); but sadly, this marriage ended with divorce.

After entering the Army and dealing with the di-vorce, Joe began searching for answers and the mean-ing of life. It was Warrant Officer Tannenbaum, a Jew-ish Christian, who invited him to attend a Baptist church. It was there that Joe opened his heart to God and to Christ; his inward faith was followed by a public pro-fession. It was also at this time that Joe was baptized at Walstone Baptist Church in Fayetteville, NC, just outside of Fort Bragg.

It was a great day for him and in his heart he knew that it was the most impor-tant day of his life, when God called him to be one of His own. Joe is still searching for answers, but now he knows where to find the answers⎯in God’s Word.

After being discharged from the Army in 1992, Joe moved back to Mississippi to serve on inactive duty until 1997. At the

same time, he at-tended the University of Southern Missis-sippi, where he earned an Associate’s Degree. It was there that Joe met a lady by the

name of Martie McGowen who was also attending the University. A strong rela-tionship grew which was centered upon their unification in Jesus Christ and they were married on October 15, 1995.

As Joe’s inactive duty came to an end in 1997, he volunteered for active service again. He has since served in Fort Knox, KY; St. Peters, MO; and now at U.S. Army Hospital in Shoreham, NY. Professionally, Joe is a Senior Human Resources Non-Commissioned Officer who holds the rank of Sergeant First Class. Joe’s job involves the safekeeping of personnel records and filing paperwork on behalf of the soldiers in the unit he serves. By the year 2012, Joe continued on page 3

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will have accrued 27 years of military ser-vice (20 of which were in active duty). Joe trusts that he will be in a position to retire soon.

Together, Joe and Martie have three children: Shelley, 31 years old, who is mar-ried to Cameron (this marriage has pro-vided Joe and Martie with three wonderful grandchildren); Rebekah, 27, who lives in Winter Park, FL; and Nathan, 22, who re-sides in St. Louis, MO.

As far as his free time goes (beyond what the U. S. Army and Martie are con-

tinually vying for), Joe likes to relax and “veg out” in front of the TV, allowing him the fast track to some shut-eye. When he does have some free time, he enjoys play-ing games or cards; Joe entertains hopes of

someday pursuing a game of golf or tennis. But this we can say for sure⎯Joe can grill a mean steak!

Joe reflects a gentle silence but that is just a military discipline. His heart is in the right place knowing the Lord as he

does. He believes that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” as his favorite Bible verse (Romans 8:31) states. He knows that ultimately, our Father in heaven brought them to the WRBC; he knows that a warm welcome was felt in the early days upon their arrival at the WRBC; and he knows that it was the kindness shown to them that brought them to the decision to join the WRBC. Joe is grateful for all the prayers and we at the WRBC are grateful for Joe.

⎯ Joan Tyska

Missionaries of the Month – Samuil and Ella Likhtman

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Many prayers have been answered for Samuil and Ella Likhtman as they continue with their faithful ministry in Petach Tik-vah, Israel. One answered prayer was their rehabilitation following their car accident in August 2010. Not only are the Likhtmans and their granddaughter, Mi-chelle, doing well, but they have a new car

to replace the old one that was beyond re-pair.

Another answered prayer within their church, Light of Life Congregation, con-cerns the youth of the church. Football (soccer) games are arranged between the church’s youth and the secular Israelis. The athletic activities are followed by an opportunity to share freely about God’s grace in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.

Other outreaches include hiking trips around the country, offering occasions for fellowship and personal evangelism to un-believers; the distribution of tracts in both the Hebrew and Russian languages; the organization of special Bible studies; and the education of church leaders (in He-brew) in how to build a sermon. In Janu-ary, they will be welcoming Sam and

Miriam Nadler, friends from the Word of Messiah Ministry, as they conduct a two-day seminar.

As we continue to pray for Israel and specifically for Samuil and Ella Likhtman, there are two girls, Dasha and Veronica, from the congregation that are battling cancer. The doctor is very encouraged by how well the treatment is progressing. Please keep them in prayer for God’s will in the remission of the cancer afflicting these two girls.

Samuil and Ella Likhtman “continue to thank the Lord for the great privilege to pray for each other and for the wonderful eternal unity that He made possible in His Son.”

⎯ Joan Tyska

The Ninth Commandment When we hear the ninth commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16 NASB), should we say it means we ought not lie, and leave it at that? All right, you know my answer because if I thought the answer to be a simple yes, I would not have written this article. This commandment encom-passes others. In practical terms, I believe this to be a difficult commandment to un-derstand, let alone obey. I will try to ex-plain what is required of us by the above commandment and to give practical ways for us not to stumble over it.

We all know the harm that can be done if we act on something that turns out to be false. What if the person giving us a report is ignorant or believes he is speaking the truth? Is he exonerated? Here is an example. A man says, “Go ahead and dig. There are no lines there.” It turns out he was wrong, and the machine operator knocks out power to a whole town! The

man did not attempt to deceive anyone, so he did not lie. However, is he blameless?

An honest reading of the ninth com-mandment should inform us that there is more to it than lying. Presumably, the ma-chine operator in our example is a co-worker of the man; we are reminded that Jesus gave a broad definition of “neighbor” in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). Consequently, there would be no reason not to consider co-workers as our neighbors. What the man said was proven to be false; thus he gave a false wit-ness that caused harm. The operator acted on the man's word. Does this mean that it is sin to be wrong, so we must know every-thing? I believe the keys to obeying this commandment are language, wisdom, and sense (which does not seem to be so com-mon these days).

If we are to attempt to obey the ninth commandment, we would do well to un-derstand the third which reads: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in

vain, for the LORD will not leave him un-punished who takes His name in vain” (Ex 20:7). There are multiple names for God given in the Pentateuch (Genesis through Deuteronomy⎯the five books of Moses). Would it not make sense here to use the name “I AM” (Ex 3:14), because it is the name God told Moses to use when he was about to lead God's people out of Egypt? This would imply that we ought not use a form of “to be” haphazardly because we may be taking the Lord's name in vain. We should be able to explain why the thing we referenced is true. I would rather say “stop using the word ‘God’ in a swear phrase” and call it a day. Oh, if it were that easy to satisfy what is required of us!

I remember an off-the-cuff conversa-tion in high school with my Spanish teacher in which the jist of it was that in her country, they say “I saw him in the other room;” but we say, “He is in the other room.” I did not take much away from her class, but at least I recognized the profound continued on page 4

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difference here. The first statement re-mains true, but the second statement is likely to become false as time passes. If we are careful to qualify our statements, we can better honor God by refraining from falsehoods. “I don't believe there are wires there,” “according to the town...” and “I don't know” are perfectly valid answers if that is all we can attest to.

So is that it? Not quite. We have ne-glected the word “bear.” Should we hold on to stuff that is not true? I don't think so. We would do well to throw up anything we believe is false. Better yet, we should not swallow it in the first place. This is where the machine operator may come in. Does he have reason not to believe what the man told him? If the man has a record of being incompetent, careless, or loose with the facts, did the machine operator have a duty to not carry the falsehood and to seek guid-ance from others?

Paul commended the Bereans because they did not swallow everything he said without checking it out (Acts 17:10-12). We have a responsibility to make sure we have checked out things (not just Scripture) be-fore we pass them on to others and before we believe what others say to us. Should we believe ourselves to be so spiritual that when a thought crosses our minds we say it is “a word from the lord” without checking it out against reality? I find this attitude infuriating and a great hurdle to overcome when presenting the gospel! If we fre-quently give our friends and co-workers information that they check out and find to be wrong, why should they believe us when we talk about the things of God? If they find that we are trustworthy and that pretty much everything we say turns out to be true, we may be able to overcome the “fruitcake” label in some people's minds.

It is hard to bring falsehoods into con-versations if all we believe is true and we

do not give definitive statements about things we do not know about. How do we go about this? Two things come to mind. The first thing is we ought not take part in gossip (Prov 18:7-8; Prov 20:19; Rom 1:28-32)! God takes gossiping seriously because I believe it is a way we take God's name in vain. By passing along gossip, we can un-wittingly aid people in maliciously ruining reputations (Ex 23:1-3). Secondly, we should forbid ourselves from getting into frivolous arguments (1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 2:16; Titus 3:9). The truth can become secondary if egos get bruised and it be-comes more important to win the argu-ment. Is God glorified in this? I believe this barely scratches the surface on this topic. I hope I have given you some food for thought.

⎯ Carl Chapman

Classics to Contemplate “The Crisis and the Process”

from Victory in Christ by Robert C. McQuilkin, Part 3

Editor’s Note: From time to time, we hope to bring you excerpts from largely forgotten works on the spiritual life, works from previ-ous generations that need to be read and pon-dered today. Robert C. McQuilkin (1886-1952) was a popular conference speaker and from 1923-1952, the first president of Colum-

bia Bible College (now Columbia International University) in Columbia, SC. This is the first half of the fourth chapter of a little booklet containing his personal testimony as to how he found spiritual

victory in his life. Chapters 1 and 3 were pub-lished in the November and December 2010 issues of The Beacon, respectively. We will publish subsequent portions in the months to come.

“A crisis, followed by a process,” is the way the be-loved Bible teacher, Dr. Grif-fith Thomas, described the life of victory. It is of vital importance to understand the relationship between a crisis experience which marks a transformation of a Chris-tian’s life, and the process that follows. I am, therefore, adding two brief supplemen-tary messages to my personal testimony. First I shall try to answer the question as to how this crisis experience in my own case affected the Christian life and service and growth that followed. Then, I shall try to

answer the question as to what is the Scrip-tural teaching concerning an experience in the life of a Christian, and how it is related to the many apparently contradictory teach-ings concerning the Spirit-filled life, the baptism of the Spirit, perfectionism, and sanctification.

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Toward the end of that blessed mis-sionary conference in which I met the Lord in a new way, the chairman asked me in his cheerful way whether I had received a bless-ing. To say that I had received a blessing seemed to me an entirely inadequate way of describing what had taken place. I do not recall my exact words, but I exclaimed somewhat after this fashion: “A blessing? No! I have received the blessing I have been hungering for for years.”

The chairman had a great gift for strik-ing illustration, and he said this: “Well, you know, young people come to conferences year after year. They fill up their vessels and go back to their churches and young people’s societies. After a few weeks or months, the water gets low, and their vessels are empty. They look forward to the summer conference and the expected refilling. Then one year they come to the con-ference and something hap-pens. They sink a well of their own!”

He had described perfectly what hap-pened in my case. Our Lord said: “Whoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well (or spring) of water springing up unto eternal life” (John 4:14). I realized that I had sunk a well of my own. I knew that the experi-ence was not something to be depended upon. There was need of abiding in Christ. But “the resources of the Christian life,” as someone has said, “are just Jesus Christ.” Those resources are exhaustless.

The secret of con-tinuance in victory, therefore, is to go on as we have started. We yielded to Christ and trusted Him. We go on in the Christian life, yielded, and trusting, moment by moment. This is the normal life attitude for every Christian. From another viewpoint, we yield and trust for this mo-ment. This is the only moment we have. And in this moment we are either trusting or we are not. A choice Christian business man who was a blessing to all with whom he came in contact attended Victorious Life conferences year after year. Finally he ar-ranged for a conference in his own home church. At the close of the conference, I mentioned to him that he seemed to enjoy the conference. “Enjoy it! This has been the most wonderful week of my life. I have continued on page 5

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heard this message over and over again. I have read many books on the subject. But never till this week did I learn the secret of entering in. One of my favorite hymns is, ‘Moment by Moment I’m Kept by His Love!’ But it was the ‘by moment’ part that got me. This week I suddenly faced the fact that in this present moment I was either trusting Christ to supply all my need or I was not trusting Him. I was in a corner, and I made the decision that I have delayed making for years, and life is all changed.” Now that first clear realization of this truth does con-stitute a crisis. But we are to go on, mo-ment by moment, abiding in the Lord.

The Bible had become a new book to

me. I had learned a new secret of the prayer of faith. But all of this would avail nothing unless prayer and Bible study be-came a regular and a vital part of life. The measure of blessing through the years has, therefore, varied according to the measure of faithfulness in Bible study and prayer. It has varied also because of other important things, but Bible study and prayer are es-sential to a normal, healthy Christian growth, and essential also to abiding in Christ.

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I do not want to give the impression that there has been a constant feeling of joy or exultation in Christian living. Joy is deeper than feeling. Christ was the Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. On the road to Gethsemane He gave His peace and joy to the disciples. We are to fellowship with His sufferings. Many times Christians may be in heaviness through manifold temptations. At such times we are tempted to discouragement and to anxiety. The question is, What do we do in that moment of discouragement? Do we meet it in faith, or in unbelief? Many times I have come to the Bible and so far as feeling is concerned have been as dry as a stick. But in the new life I am not walking by feeling but by faith. The Bible is the Word of God and in faith I come expecting the needed message regard-less of feeling.

Another thing that we were taught was the need of instant confession of sin when conviction came. This life is not presented as a life of sinlessness. There was a new sensitiveness to sin, and a consciousness of

things that displeased the Holy Spirit which before were not recognized. There was a new sense also of the reality of forgiveness. When the confession was sincere, there was the joy of entering into His cleansing and into His sufficiency to give victory.

Again and again, when facing an op-portunity for service or testimony, the dis-couraging thought came that with the fail-ures I had made, I should be careful about witnessing to the Lord’s victorious power. But each time the question came, What about this present moment? Am I truly yielded to the Lord? Is He meeting every need? Thus the testimony was an ever fresh and real testimony, because it was a testi-mony to the sufficiency of Christ, not of my own record of faithfulness.

Another secret of continuance in vic-tory is growing in grace and in the knowl-edge of the Lord. We do this, of course, through prayer and Bible study and through our Christian service and through all our experiences. But we do it also by recogniz-ing that the Lord has much more for us than we have ever entered into. We should expect that every day will show a growth in the things of God. God’s plan is not a mere negative conquering of failures, but a posi-tive going on in the Lord.

Equally with prayer and Bible study as a necessity for continuing in the victorious grace of our Lord, is faith-filled Christian service. Every Christian is called to witness to others. Every Christian may be a soul-winner. Nothing is more conducive to Christian growth than eagerly seeking to win others to Christ and to a life of service. His plan is: “Be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). The se-cret of keeping on is “always abounding,” not discouraged when we do not see imme-diate results.

Christian fellowship, and faithfulness in the worship of the Lord, is another means of grace. There was no such thing as a free-lance Christian in New Testament times. We are joined to Christ, but we are also joined to other Christians. We belong to the Body of Christ, composed of all true believers. But we should also be united with a local company of God’s people. This is God’s order, and the New Testament plan. Christians need to have the fellow-ship, and they need to worship regularly, and they need to be under discipline in their Christian life.

It will be seen that these suggestions concerning the continuance in a life of vic-tory are simply the Bible instructions which all true Christians are to follow in their

daily living. Naturally the question arises, What is the relation between this decision that we have called a crisis, and the process of living the Christian life?

There are devoted Christian leaders who tell us that God’s true way of holiness is no short-cut of a sudden step of faith, but is through faithful prayer and Bible study, Christian service, and the attending upon all the means of grace. They agree that many who teach a special blessing, whether it is called sanctification, or the baptism of the Spirit, or entering into victory, are blessedly used of the Lord. But they main-tain that the blessing in such lives does not come from the supposed crisis, but from their faithfulness in following God’s plan of abiding in Christ.

The question of the Bible doctrine on this matter will be taken up in the next chapter. But here let us notice the practical fact that there are multitudes of earnest Christians who are carrying on to the best of their knowledge all of these means of grace, and yet they do not have joy and peace, they do not have the victory in prayer and Bible study, or in Christian service. They need a new attitude of faith in all of their Bible study and prayer and service. They need a crisis in their lives. Let us note the further fact that many great Christian leaders, as well as thousands of little known believers testify to a crisis that marked a transformation in the life. Hudson Taylor, of China, is one who has witnessed most clearly to such a crisis in his life, as related in “Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret.”

We have already noted that there are a number of doctrines set forth to describe a vital change of this sort in the life of a Christian, such as the doctrine of entire sanctification, of the baptism of the Spirit, of the fullness of the Spirit. There is also a variety in the teaching concerning the evi-dence as to whether a Christian has entered into the experience. However, it is signifi-cant that all teachers agree on the condi-tions, or shall we say, the human condi-tions, necessary to entering into this new life. These conditions are surrender and faith, which may be viewed as two things, or viewed as the two sides of one committal to the Lord. The normal Christian attitude is that the believer should yield himself to the control of Christ. But there are two objec-tions made to the teaching of a once-for-all surrender for a new life of victory. One objection is that no Christian is fully sur-rendered at any time. The other objection

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is that the Christian is constantly making new surrenders after his acceptance of Christ as his Saviour.

We must admit that from one stand-point the Lord Jesus is the only human be-ing that was ever surrendered in an abso-lute way to the control of the Spirit. But from another very practical standpoint, there is such a thing as absolute surrender for the Christian. That is, in this present moment the Christian knows whether it is

his will to have the will of Christ in is life or not. Since all Christians know from experi-ence that it is possible not to be yielded to the Lord there is a definite step of making that full committal. It means something in present living when God commands, “Yield yourselves unto God.” When a young woman is married she commits herself to her husband, in that relationship. It is an absolute, not a relative thing. She goes on living the married life reckoning on the fact

that she is joined to her husband, and sepa-rated from all other men in that relation-ship. So a Christian is joined to the Lord, and he reckons himself separated from all that is contrary to his life in Christ. This as an attitude is an absolute thing. Yet many Christians, for one reason or another, do not have this as a steadfast attitude. They need a crisis, or decision.

To be continued in the February 2011 issue of The Beacon.

A Month in Review

Short narrations introducing each of the eight musical pieces were read by Chris Hallstrom, Dennis Tyska, and Joan Tyska.

Vacations, hanging of the greens, office make-overs, and getting reading for the Christmas holidays kept the church calendar active and busy this past month.

Thanksgiving, though, was a quiet time of expressing our gratitude to God for the blessings He has so graciously be-stowed upon us over the past year. Many within our church family were away on Thanksgiving vacations, including Pastor and Maureen Glass who enjoyed a visit with their children and grandchildren in Greenville, SC.

It is without saying that the fellowship continued on into the afternoon as the

bond of love was felt in every corner of the fellowship hall. They say one picture is worth a thousand

words, so let the pictures speak loudly of the love shared.

Coordinating technician Jim Perry fine-tuned the orchestrated recording of “Night of the Father’s Love,” most neces-sary for such a production; all too often the technical contribution to such a wonderful musical presentation is overlooked.

As Pastor’s office was not being occu-pied, the Bellards and the Chapmans took advantage of this time to paint and give the office a most welcomed make-over⎯a true thanksgiving blessing.

⎯ Joan Tyska After the service, everyone was invited

downstairs to the fellowship hall for a lunch buffet that the deaconesses had pre-pared. It was a time of great socializing and reaching out to guests. One particular guest, Ray Wigdal, a dear friend of the Perez family, serves as a missionary to China. Ray had many stories to share of his love for his nine adopted Chinese chil-dren. He has taken them in, providing for their material needs as well as nurturing them in the Word, teaching them how to pray, and educating them through a cur-riculum from Bob Jones. Occasionally, Ray pastors a local church in this foreign land for those in need of the Lord’s love.

At the same time, the church began to take on that special Christmas look as our ever faithful deaconesses and volunteers decorated the church after the service on November 28th.

Also on November 28th, Peter Albrecht filled the pulpit for Pastor Glass while he was on vacation and preached the sermon, “Joyful Thanksgiving: The Prescription for Peace” (text: Philippians 4:1-9). The ser-mon served as an addendum to Pastor Glass’s series on the Three-Self Christian (self-denial, self-sacrifice, and self-control) which concluded on November 21st.

On the Lord’s Day, December 12, 2010, the WRBC Choral Ensemble pre-sented the musical arrangement, “Night of the Father’s Love.” Many weeks of prepa-ration under the patient direction and en-couragement of George Ehmann all came together for 35 minutes of some of the fin-est music to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.

Most outstanding were soprano Sarah Chapman’s solo, “The Coming of the Lord,” and tenor Carl Chapman’s solo, “Seeking the King.”

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JJaannuuaarryy 22001111

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 9:45 AM

Sunday School

11:00 AM Morning Worship Service

3 4

5 8:00 AM Ladies Prayer

– Joan Tyska (727-5998)

7:00 PM Prayer Meeting and Exposition of Psalms

6 7 6:30 PM AWANA

8

9 9:45 AM

Sunday School

11:00 AM Morning Worship Service (brief business mtg. to follow)

10 11 7:00 PM Board of Deacons Meeting

12 8:00 AM

Ladies Prayer

7:00 PM Prayer Meeting and Exposition of Psalms

13 14 6:30 PM AWANA

15 1:00 PM

Senior Saints Luncheon – “Prayer Power”

16 9:45 AM

Sunday School

11:00 AM Morning Worship Service (choir resumes)

17 18 19 8:00 AM

Ladies Prayer

7:00 PM Prayer Meeting and Exposition of Psalms

20

21 6:30 PM AWANA

22

23 9:45 AM

Sunday School

11:00 AM Morning Worship Service

24 25 26 8:00 AM

Ladies Prayer

7:00 PM Prayer Meeting and Exposition of Psalms

27 28 6:30 PM AWANA

29

30 9:45 AM

Sunday School

11:00 AM Morning Worship Service

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JJaannuuaarryy Bible Quiz Questions 1) What was Barnabas’s given name?

2) Antioch, a city of southern Asia Minor in Phrygia, was where the disciples were first called Christians. True or false?

3) Who was the first judge of Israel?

4) What was the name of the city that was spared destruction at Lot’s request?

5) Who was the wealthy tax collector who was converted to Christ?

Bonus: The heretical teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh, but only seemed to have a body and to suffer and die on the cross, is called _______?

― Felix Acerra

DDeecceemmbbeerr Bible Quiz Answers 1) Athaliah, mother of King Ahaziah (2 Kings 11:1-3).

2) The Rechabites. They refused to drink the wine set before them (Jeremiah 35:1-6, 12-16). This test was commanded by God as an object lesson contrasting the disobedience of Judah to His commandments.

3) By the Apostle Peter, on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:30).

4) “Because of your hardness of heart” (Matthew 19:8).

5) The names of the 12 tribes of Israel (Exodus 28:17-21).

Bonus: The literal meanings of Urim and Thummim are lights and perfections, respectively (Exodus 28:30).

Submit the answers and Bible references to: office@wrbc.us TThhee BBiirrtthhddaayy CCoorrnneerr January 1st – Kaitlyn Hallstrom January 4th – Jackie Hallstrom January 10th – Bill Mallman January 11th – Judy Ehmann January 19th – Joe Best January 22nd – Leo Stein January 25th – Alice Teufel

TThhee AAnnnniivveerrssaarryy CCoorrnneerr January 10th – Pastor & Maureen Glass

PO Box 438 Wading River, NY 11792

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Our Purpose 1. To glorify God through sharing the good news of salvation by God’s sovereign grace through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. To nurture believers through a strong program of Christian educa-tion, youth ministries, and expository Biblical preaching.

3. To provide an opportunity for Biblical worship, service, and fellow-ship.

4. To extend our ministry through-out America and around the world through participation in home and foreign missions.

WRBC is affiliated with the Conserva-tive Baptist Association of America and the Conservative Baptist Mission to the Northeast.

Wading River Baptist Church

• For the Exaltation of God in All Things

• For the Proclamation of Faith in Christ

• For the Transformation of God’s People