Encourager Newsletter Nov-Dec 2017

November - December 2017

Volume 14 Issue 6

The Encourager Eastern Shore Bible Baptist Church of Galena, Maryland Sunday Service Schedule 9:30am

Sunday School

10:30am Morning Worship 6:00pm

Evening Worship

Useless Cliches by Pastor Steve Hays, M.Min,D.Min

Wednesday Service 7:00pm

Prayer Meeting

and Bible Study

Salvation God’s Way Our salvation is not based upon our ideas or politically correct 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

A cliche is defined as a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. It is most oftentimes a useless phrase that is employed when one has nothing else to say. It would be the equivalent of getting your “education” from social media today.

Shamefully, Christians can also be partakers of this type of thinking. The first Bible College I attended greatly discouraged me with what I ended up being told was “cliche theology”. By this I mean that every time I asked a question, I would get a cliche for an answer [e.g. “as the twig is bent, so grows the tree”].

Now that is great as long as you are training to write “Poor

Richard’s Almanac”, but not so good for the actual ministry of preaching and teaching.

The Bible uses many phrases that describe this type of speaking, and it is always a warning not to do so: whether it is a warning against “vain repetitions” in prayer, or “much fair speech” in temptation. We are warned against the “rudiments of the world” and given examples of the wicked use of the talent of oration.

So as Christians, and as a minister of the Word of God, it is our duty to try to give a sound answer in time of need.

This sound answer needs to be a sound Biblical answer based on sound Biblical doctrines and principles.

Recently, I have read several arguments about certain doctrines from theologians, both for and against the specific topic. What I noticed right away was the first defense of their position was

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to quote various famous preachers who publicly made statements that would agree with them. And this was the case on both sides of the argument.

Now, I do want to follow the Biblical command to be “lovers of good men”, and I do appreciate the brethren, but in no way am I going to take their words as my final authority in anything.

Consider this; the world thinks that if they can get a famous person to publicly state a position on any given topic that shares their own viewpoint, then they have succeeded in proving their point. Utterly ridiculous! Yet Christians do the same when they use the personal opinions of a famous preacher to try to prove their pet doctrines.

The Scriptures still say that “the just shall live by faith”, and faith is still believing what God said. Which simply means that we believe what we do, act as we do, and generally live like we do simply because we are following what God said. The Apostle Paul did say that we are to “be ye followers of me”, but he also qualified that statement by adding, “even as I also am of Christ” [I Cor. 11:1].

Many of the saints simply leave off the second half of the verse and it gives a

cultish mentality to the congregation.

There is nothing wrong with making sure the preacher is preaching the Word of God. Ditching the cliches might not make us sound quite as eloquent or part of the elite who tend to mimic each other [I Cor. 2:1], but it certainly gives us an opportunity to testify as to what God said about a subject or topic.

With the preachers sorted out, let’s consider our interaction with each other. We can also be a bit heartless and cruel in our “ministry” of comfort. I have shamefully walked away from a conversation more than once in my life thinking, “I did not do a very good job of comforting that time”.

I realize a lot of ministering to folks in their situations is “thinking on your feet” and we don’t always say things exactly as we wanted when we replay them over in our minds. But if we can get some principles in our head beforehand it would certainly help.

One principle we need to practice is that of empathy. It is being able to put yourself in that persons place and try to feel the sorrow they go through.

No, we cannot always know how someone feels in heartache, grief, or

pain, but we can know they are hurting.

This is the reason we sometimes do not say anything and we merely “weep with them that weep” [Rom. 12:15].

But think about the cliches we sometimes incorporate in our effort to have something to say.

Many times when someone is discussing their health problems with me, they have said, “but I know you have gone through a lot more than I have”.

P e r s o n a l l y, I t h i n k m y problems are annoying to me and an inconvenience to the church, but I can still function so it is OK for now. But think about it: if you have an ingrown toenail, and a ministering saint points out that someone else had their foot amputated so you need to be happy, it still does not make your toe stop hurting. I don’t want my ministry to become a comparison of “who suffers more?”. If one of the saints is hurting, I want to be able to have some sympathy for them regardless. No one suffered as our Lord did [Isa. 52:14] yet he still cares for “all” of our heartaches, griefs, pain, and sorrows no matter how small or trivial they may seem [I Peter 5:7]. continued on page 7

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The Reformation’s 500th Year

by Pastor Rob “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me.”

This quote is attributed to Martin Luther, the German Reformer. The Protestant Reformation is celebrating its 500 year anniversary. Martin Luther, the founder of the Reformation, was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church who had gotten in trouble with the leadership after he had written his 95 thesis and nailed it to the door of a church in Wittenberg, G e r m a n y. H i s t h e s i s condemned the Catholic Church for its corrupt practice of selling “indulgences”, (which is selling forgiveness of sins). In the year 1518, Luther was summoned to defend his thesis before an assembly. After 3 days of fruitless debate his beliefs were labeled heresy. He again was summoned to stand before another council. this time before the Diet of Worms (Diet meaning a formal meeting, and Worms a city in Germany). The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V summoned Luther to appear and answer charges of heresy.

Luther would not recant of his “heretical” beliefs

nor change his convictions of Scripture, and at the end of the meeting he articulated his resolve. For taking his stand he was promptly excommunicated by the pope.

As a result of these events, the Reformation movement began, and in turn, the Lutheran Church and other protestant belief systems. The grip of the Catholic church on the world throughout the Dark Ages was lessoned and revival began. The elements of doctrine in which Luther conflicted with the Roman Catholic church, are sound.

They align with beliefs others outside of the Catholic Church held throughout the Dark Ages. Many Christians, such as those from which the Baptists stem, were never part of the Catholic Church and had no allegiance to the Roman popes or their religious system. Thousands were martyred for their faith.

A few of Luther’s core beliefs on which the true church of Christ stands are: I. Sola Scriptura / Scripture Alone.

During those years of Catholic rule and spiritual oppression, owning a copy of the Bible was next to impossible and often illegal.

The Bible was not available for the common people to read. They had to rely on the religious hierarchy to tell them what God said. That gave the Roman Catholic Church dominance, and of course, lead to massive corruption of the doctrines of God. Luther himself had never had access to a Bible. During his time studying to be a monk he was lent a Bible for a year only.

Upon reading it for the first time, he found great discrepancy between the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Scriptures.

Through reading Scripture, he began to understand the doctrines of God. Questions n o w h a d a n s w e r s . Tw o questions which tormented him were, “Who can say what is true?” and “How can we reconcile who we are with who God is?” Both of those questions, and many more, Luther found in the pages of Scripture. He experienced great rapture when the Lord revealed to him the true plan of salvation and he believed.

Never again would he rely on the self proclaimed leadership of a faulty religious order to dictate to him what he should trust. God freed him from that bondage by revealing to to him the workings within the living word of God. He

page 4 recognized that Scripture interprets Itself - 2 Tim 3:16.

He now possessed the Truth John 17:17. Scripture must never be replaced with religious tradition. He took his stand in that the Scriptures are the final authority and all other information must be interpreted in light of it.

II. Sola Fide / Faith Alone.

Roman Catholic teaching of justification was that faith must be partnered with works.

The believer must have faith in Christ but produce good works before God would justify the sinner. He must also partake of the sacraments. Even after that God could remove His justification based on a sinner’s bad conduct. The Catholic Church also implemented the paying of indulgences which is paying for forgiveness of sins.

Luther discovered and boldly proclaimed that justification is granted through faith - Rom 5:1. Works are not a requirement. God imputes the righteousness of Jesus Christ upon the believer solely by faith, and after believing the gospel for salvation the just live by faith - Rom 1:16-17.

III. Sola Gratia / Grace Alone.

Catholicism also taught, and teaches, that for justification, grace plus merit is needed.

God will extend grace to a sinner but the sinner must provide merit worthy of that grace.

However, God’s word teaches otherwise. Luther read, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph 2:8,9.

It was clear to him that God (who is a merciful) extends His grace to a lost sinner simply by his faith in Christ.

There are no works involved to get saved and no merit required to remain saved. A sinner is justified upon the merits of Jesus Christ and therefore, righteousness and justification are a free gift of God only through Jesus Christ.

IV. Solus Christus / Christ Alone.

Martin Luther knew the Catholic teaching that indeed we are saved through Christ and His righteousness, but personal justification must include a measure of personal righteousness.

Again Luther found in Scripture the opposite to be true. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is part of the Godhead and was involved in creation (Jn 1:1-3). Also, that He was the personification of God the Father (Col 1:15-17).

His perfect righteousness provided the perfect sacrifice (Heb 9:11-15) and made it possible for sins to be washed away (1 Pet 1:19, Rev 1:5) Sinners could then be forgiven and made righteous in Him. “For there is one God, and one mediator

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” - 1 Tim 2: 5. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Acts 4:12. Nothing is required for salvation, justification and imputed righteousness other than the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The foundation for the Reformation movement was the knowledge that Scripture alone is the final authority and man can be made right with God and justified by God by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone. Those revelations helped sparked a revival, and gave birth to a movement to know what God said. Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German so that the people could have a copy of God’s word in their own language. In a matter of decades the Protestant Reformation was gaining momentum and the Roman Catholic Church, though undeterred, was losing some of her influence.

This movement was instrumental in preparing the ground for God to give the world the King James Bible in the year 1611. Because God’s word became readily available, revivals were sparked and worldwide missions began. Christians were not as easily duped and could, like Luther, know and stand on “Sola Scriptura.”

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ESBBC Happenings

By Cindy Hays

We had a nice time of fellowship at the 5th 4th Sunday Fellowship in October. We had a Fall Fest including some fun games with the families. A pumpkin drawing contest was done with 1st Place awarded to . There was a hands-free donut eating too‌ have you ever tried that? Then the kids took turns bobbing for apples. As always we had some great food and fun! We encourage you to come out and take part on the 5th Sunday of each month that has 5 Sundays. We have a casual time of fellowship and food. It is a good time to get to know your church family better!

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Missions 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 .

By Cindy Hays

Remember to be in prayer for our missionaries during the Holiday season.

This can be a very hard time as some of them are away from family and friends. If you are able, maybe you could send a card or note to encourage them over this season.

Most of them have a mailing address on their prayer letter.

Please remember to send early as it takes some

extra time to be delivered to different countries.

Thanks to each of you who have been able to help with the Back Pack Lunch ministry for the Galena Elementary School. Sorry about the confusion on the schedule at first. If you would like to help please see the new schedule in the foyer.

Holiday Calendar Saturday Saints: There is no November meeting. On Dec, 15th we will have a special Christmas Luncheon at Noon. We will also have our White Elephant Gift Game. Make plans to attend.

Ladies Christmas Fellowship: December 16 at 4pm - We will have a time of fellowship and a gift exchange. More details to follow.

Christmas Caroling: To be announced Christmas Cantata: We will present Christmas Joy on Dec. 24 during the AM Service.

Christmas Eve Service at 6 PM - We will have the Lord’s Supper and Singing Christmas Carols (This service generally lasts about 45 minutes to 1 hour so you can get home to spend the evening with your family.)

Encouragement from the Hymns

by Cindy Hays

Kind of a Christmas hymn! The message is humbling when we think of Jesus Christ coming down to earth from the splendor of Heaven, so that he could make a way for sinful mankind to join Him for eternity.

Ivory Palaces

My Lord has garments so wondrous fine And myrrh their texture fills; Its fragrance reached to this heart of mine With joy my being thrills.

Refrain: Out of the ivory palaces, Into a world of woe,

Only His great eternal love Made my Savior go.

His life had also its sorrows sore For aloes had a part; And when I think of the cross He bore, My eyes with teardrops start.

His garments, too, were in cassia dipped, With healing in a touch; In paths of sin had my feet e’er slipped— He’s saved me from its clutch.

In garments glorious He will come, To open wide the door; And I shall enter my heav’nly home, To dwell forevermore.

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continued from page 2

Yes, seeing the perils and struggles of others can change your attitude about your own problems, but it doesn’t make the pain, heartache, and grief go away. To the parents who lost a child, telling them to consider that Job lost all ten of his won’t be a balm on their hearts.

Giving them the absolute hope of a reunion in heaven with that child should certainly be a comfort to their grieving spirits [II Sam. 12:23]. Showing them that Job was still convinced of the righteousness of God is a step in the right direction to being able to carry on. But to offer a cliche that basically only says, “cheer up, it could always be worse”, is not really much help.

Simply put, letting the suffering know that you care will mean more than any nifty saying you can dream up or copy off of social media. I am not going to put up a vague few words to express my drama on the network every time I have a problem, and people clicking on the like button is not going to solve anything. But someone just briefly saying, “I am praying for you” will absolutely encourage my heart [especially if I know they actually do pray!].

Ye a r s a g o , I r e m e m b e r hearing a preacher say, “don’t

call me a minister, that sounds effeminate”. The problem is, that is exactly what the Bible calls us and it is what we are supposed to be doing. Not giving out platitudes of useless sayings, but giving real hope in time of need.

Many Christians really have lost their “ministry” and are nothing more than shallow tweets of truth.

Quite some time ago, when I was about to preach a Christian’s funeral service, someone spoke ahead of me and proffered the thought that our Christianity was just a “salve to put on wounded feelings”. I was very quick to reassure the people there that I was not offering something for their feelings, but hope for their souls.

That, yes we sorrow, but not as others who have no hope. That we have something that has passed through the tests of time, the trials of reality, that changes lives, hopes, courage, and even society. The stamp of our Christianity cannot be denied upon this world, and the fruits of Christian principles are seen every day in the freedoms we enjoy in this country.

In our ministry to others, let us make sure that we are offering something more than just empty words. The world says they “think about us”

when things go wrong and we need some help.

As Christians, we are able to come to throne of God and obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need [Heb. 4:16].

A lost or carnal mind would say there is no difference between the “thinking” of the world and the “praying” of the saints, but they also believe all of creation just popped into being from nothing. God has given too much prophecy in the Bible for me to believe it is not true. I have seen God change too many situations and people for me to believe He is not real. I have watched God work too many times to believe He does not care.

Our ministry to to let people know about this care. For the lost, that means we let them know how much God has done to keep them out of hell if they will only choose Him. For the saved, it means ministering to them with the words of God [I Thess. 4:18] and showing them God will never leave them nor forsake them, and God still cares, even when we cannot see Him. It is a great privilege for any of us to be called a minister of God. I pray I may be able to live up to the title.

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Fellowship of the Saints Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”

Sometimes the best we can do for someone is just simply take part in their joy or sorrow. That is a defining moment in love. You cannot be joyful in another’s blessing if you really don’t care for them. Likewise, you cannot weep with them if you have no care for them. We live in a society that is more geared toward jealousy or revenge.

It is easier when we remember that all of humanity is in the same boat [Rom. 3:23]. Then, we can rejoice when anyone of us is saved, and we can have empathy for those who suffer.

The Encourager 13984 Gregg Neck Road Galena, MD 21635 410.648.6744

Pastor Steve Hays, M.Min,D.Min. Assistant Pastor Rob Manaraze

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

A ministry of

Eastern Shore B I B L E B A PT I ST C H U R C H Standing for the Incorruptible Word of God AV 1611

Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.

John 17:17