Spring 2013 - Grace Bible Church

 “THE TORCH AND TRUMPET”
Shining the Light & Heralding the Message Judges 7:15-­‐21 Men’s Ministry Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 Grace Bible Church Spring Edition, 2013 North County, Escondido, Ca. Welcome to the first edition of, “The Torch and Trumpet”. We pray that the Lord would use this tool to build up His men as they walk together in fellowship and service to each other and to the Captain of their faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. We would like to highlight our first page with a devotional piece by Charles Spurgeon that we hope will serve to edify the reader and to explain the title and central purpose of our publication. “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.” — Judges 7:20
Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen jar, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the jar and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the jar which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine. Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jesus. Then there must be the sound, the blowing of the trumpet. There must be active exertions for the ingathering of sinners by proclaiming Christ crucified. Take the gospel to them; carry it to their door; put it in their way; do not suffer them to escape it; blow the trumpet right against their ears. Remember that the true war-­‐cry of the Church is Gideon’s watchword, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” God must do it, it is His own work. But we are not to be idle; instrumentality is to be used — “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” If we only cry, “The sword of the Lord!” we shall be guilty of an idle presumption; and if we shout, “The sword of Gideon!” alone, we shall manifest idolatrous reliance on an arm of flesh: we must blend the two in practical harmony, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” We can do nothing of ourselves, but we can do everything by the help of our God; let us, therefore, in His name determine to go out personally and serve with our flaming torch of holy example, and with our trumpet tones of earnest declaration and testimony, and God shall be with us, and Midian shall be put to confusion, and the Lord of hosts shall reign for ever and ever. THE S HEPHERD’S STAFF by Jim Newheiser From the desk and heart of our pastors Last year a friend gave me a book, Practicing Affirmation, by Sam Crabtree (who is on staff with John Piper). This book has had a great impact on me. Crabtree makes a strong biblical case for affirming each other. Paul almost always commends the churches to which he writes, even if they have faults which need to be addressed. The climax for the description of the virtuous woman is that her children bless her and her husband praises her (Proverbs 31:28-­‐31). Some of us are hesitant to offer too much praise, lest we appear to be pumping up self-­‐esteem leading to pride. Crabtree overcomes this concern by saying that we should offer “God-­‐centered praise of those who are not God.” We encourage our brothers and sisters as we affirm God’s work in them. Do you find that you are prone to correct or criticize what is wrong in your children, spouse, church and friends, while taking for granted that which is commendable? Crabtree says that offering affirmation is like making deposits in a bank, while correcting and criticizing is like making withdrawals. He also asserts that it takes about ten deposits to equal one withdrawal, and once you are significantly overdrawn people stop listening to your corrections. Crabtree observes a pattern in relationships (especially marriage) in which they begin with lots of affirmation and very little correction. These often evolve into more correction and less affirmation. I was greatly convicted and blessed by this book and pray that I will, by God’s enabling grace, become a more encouraging shepherd, father, husband and friend. Finally, I am truly thankful for our church. I am greatly blessed by those who serve God and His people so faithfully and in so many ways. THE WORKMAN’S CABINET by Ben Penaflor From the workbench and heart of our deacons As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 With the finalization of the GBC Budget for 2013, the Deacons would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to the LORD for His bountiful provision for the needs of our local body through the faithful giving and loving service of His people. We also appreciate the patience of all in bearing with us through all the dust and work as we complete the upgrades to our Chapel. While much of our focus has been on finances, building upgrades and maintenance we never fail to lose sight of the most important task of spreading the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we read in 1 Corinthians 15:58 we are assured that our labors for Him are not in vain and even the simplest of labors can be used to His glory. Our prayer is that The Lord would continue to use us and keep us humble, faithful and dependent upon Him as we look to assist the elders and encourage all of you in sharing in this most wonderful and blessed work.
“A Tale of Two Banjos” by Fritz Hinrichs This story begins when I was quite young. My brother Stephen was always the most financially astute of the five children in our family and in 1974, he decided to invest in the stock of the company my father worked for-­‐ Magma Power. Knowing the founder of the company, father took Stephen to Mr. McCabe to ask directly for the shares. Mr. McCabe was charmed by this 11 year-­‐old businessman and promised on a handshake to sell him 100 shares at $2.00 each-­‐ the market price. However, Mr. McCabe was 85 at the time and forgot his promise. When later asked by my brother about the shares, Mr. McCabe provided the shares at $2.00 even though they had already gone up to $4.00. Fearing as always that my older brother was going to get ahead of me in some area of life, I asked if I could be part of this deal as well. I was also provided with $2.00 shares and become an investor at age 6 completely unaware of the special privilege our family connections provided and the particularly unrealistic rate of return that I immediately assumed to be the norm. I quickly came to the conclusion that stocks were a great thing, though later in life, my enthusiasm would be dampened by more realistic outcomes. Over the next few years, the Magma Power stock continued to increase at an amazing rate. After a number of splits and mergers, at age 12 I sold out of Magma at $16 a share and invested in my new found love-­‐ the banjo. I purchased a Gospel model banjo from the Stelling Banjo Company. At the time, Stelling was located in Lemon Grove, California, just a little south of where we lived, so we visited the company and Geoff Stelling was very kind in letting me tour his operation and sat with me as I played the various banjos available. The Gospel was an instrument far beyond my skill as a musician but it was still a great joy to play on an instrument that encouraged my learning rather than hindering it. I was able to purchase a very nice Stelling Gospel banjo which I played in the worship band at church, as well as at many hoe-­‐downs, dances, and family gatherings. It was a constant musical companion over all of those years. However, this lovely relationship came to an abrupt end one quiet Sunday morning in October of 2005. Christy and I came home from church to find nothing amiss; however, we kept on having difficulty finding things. Being somewhat disorganized since we were in the midst of building our house and living in an outbuilding, we did not think much of this. Over the next few days, we kept on finding other things missing until it slowly dawned on us that we had been robbed. Most of the items that were missing were expensive, but not really of much sentimental value: cameras, a nail gun, etc. However, a few days later Christy put her head around the door of my office and said, "I think the banjo is gone." At that point, my philosophic detachment from material things was severely tested as my gut felt a strong tug that showed I really loved that instrument. Our souls are immaterial, but they can become attached to things as they are an expression of who we are. The things we buy and spend our time with show what are our interests and priorities are. Dante (the poet, not my son of the same name) expressed the fact well when he explained that thieves take for themselves a part of someone's soul when it is not their own. The Gospel banjo was an expression of who I was, what I loved, and it had shared my life history. We live in relation to material things-­‐ for better or worse. They have been given to us to enhance life. This was not a fact that I had previously understood clearly, but having a particularly precious item stolen from you, makes it obvious. “Bob the Bandit” Because it was difficult to accept the fact that some unknown individual had walked into our home and stolen our things, we gave this thief the name of "Bob the Bandit" so we could see him as a real person and pray for him. We often talked about "Bob" with our boys and used the incident to explain to them that though they live in a wonderfully peaceful and prosperous part of the world, there is evil and they must learn to resist that temptation or they, too, may cause grief to others. Our insurance company was able to give some money towards replacing this precious instrument, but before I could find one to purchase, our students got together and chipped in to buy me an even finer Stelling banjo than the one that had been stolen. I was surprised (and made speechless) by this gift at the start of our yearly E.T.S. Christmas Ball in 2005. The students signed the banjo and I had it engraved with two Latin mottoes: “Dona Nobis Pacem” (“Give us peace.”) and “Omnis Spiritus Laudet Dominum”( let everything that has breath, Praise the Lord) "Jay the Just" The police were never able to find my old banjo, but it turned out that the banjo would come back to me anyway. On June 29, 2009, a man named Jay Goddard in Bremerton, WA and found a deal at a pawn shop that was a little too good to believe. For $96.69 he found himself the amazed owner of a Stelling Gospel banjo. Jay was just starting to learn the banjo and was looking for a good starter banjo; instead he went home with one of the finest banjos available. However, his excitement quickly turned to confusion as "it just didn't feel right". Looking to resolve his pain of conscience, Jay called the Stelling company to find out if serial #2085 had ever been stolen. The company did not know, but had my phone number on file. Jay had a moral quiz before him. Do you give up a $6000 banjo that you purchased for $96.69 or send it back to the one from whom it had been stolen? Obviously the pawn shop had not been interested in knowing whether it had been stolen and the police had no way practical way of tracking it down. Yet, Jay had something going against his great deal-­‐ a conscience. Jay was faced with the classical moral conundrum faced by Gyges and Frodo: what do you do when you have the power to do evil with no fear of consequences? Many zealous followers of Lucretius and Darwin adamantly assert that all human action can be reduced to one form of self interest or another and some vague desire for the preservation of the species. In contrast, poets and musicians have always found inspiration in a less material world and seen man as continually drawn to a higher standard that is not so easily explained. Nobility, grace, understanding, compassion, and yes, love-­‐ all give quizimony to man's divine origin. When Jay Goddard packed up the banjo of his dreams and sent it back to me in Escondido, he chose to follow Frodo rather than Saruman, Aristides rather than Alcibiades, and the vast host of others like him who continually choose to do the right thing when neither the law is watching nor self-­‐
interest is served. I spoke with Bob Vernon, former chief of the LAPD, and after expressing complete amazement, he said he had never heard of anything like this happening in his 38 years in police work. Jay left a small metal tag in the case when he returned it with a greeting and a Bible verse that serves well to summarize this story and to be my future inspiration: Luke 6:31: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." So how does the story end? Well, now there is a young boy, not even 12 years old who sits next to his father learning to play the banjo. One musician with a banjo that continually reminds him of his duty to serve well those who love him, the other plays a testimony to his father's longstanding interest in the banjo and a big-­‐hearted man heeding the quiet call of conscience to do the right thing. Now I feel that I have been given a banjo by three friends-­‐ one fickle, one old and one new.
Poet’s Corner
"PURITY" By Allen Simonovich The rain that smote,
The same floats the boat.
Justice and righteousness kiss,
In matrimonial bliss.
God is good.
Exhortation to Prayer
What various hindrances we meet
In coming to a mercy seat!
Yet who that knows the worth of prayer,
But wishes to be often there?
Prayer makes the darken'd cloud withdraw,
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw,
Gives exercise to faith and love,
Brings every blessing from above.
Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel's side;
But when through weariness they fail'd,
That moment Amalek prevail'd.
Have you no words? Ah, think again,
Words flow apace when you complain,
And fill your fellow-creature's ear
With the sad tale of all your care.
Were half the breath thus vainly spent
To heaven in supplication sent,
Your cheerful song would oftener be,
"Hear what the Lord has done for me."
William Cowper
Proverbs for the Peculiar by Allen Simonovich • Persecution thinks that it jams the transmission of the Gospel. Balderdash!!! It amplifies it! • Man's injustice cried, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him" God's justice cried, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him" • There are no "hot-­‐house plant" Christians. They need strong winds, potent frosts, powerful storms and driving rains. This is the "controlled environment" that is perfect for their growth. “The Book Room by Chuck Klotz “War of Words”-­‐ by Paul Tripp This is a brilliant book. Paul Trip provides a thorough explanation of the biblical goal of speech, and the way of achieving God’s purposes in our conversation. While this book concentrates on our spoken word it will also help us in all of our relationships with people: in the work place, with neighbors, family, parenting (in fact this would be an excellent book for family’s to read aloud together). The gospel is woven throughout the book and serves as a wonderful way to show how it is relevant and essential to everyday life. “Every Good Endeavor” -­‐ Tim Keller In a work world that is increasingly competitive and insecure, people often have nagging questions: Why am I doing this work? Why is it so hard? And is there anything I can do about it? Tim Keller has taught and counseled students, young professionals, and senior leaders on the subject of work and calling for more than twenty years. Now he puts his insights into a book for readers everywhere, giving biblical perspectives on such pressing questions as: • What is the purpose of work? • How can I find meaning and serve customers in a cutthroat, bottom-­‐line-­‐
oriented workplace? • How can I use my skills in a vocation that has meaning and purpose? • Can I stay true to my values and still advance in my field? • How do I make the difficult choices that must be made in the course of a successful career? With deep insight and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about our work. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-­‐interest. The Citizen’s Podium
To argue for gun control to protect innocent life while defending abortion at all costs is
political manipulation at it’s disgraceful worst.
CALIFORNIA January 18, 2013 – As the gun control debate heats up following Sandy
Hook, even the national fiscal crisis is taking a back seat. To a certain level, demanding
strong action of some kind after an unthinkable tragedy is understandable. It resonates
with widespread belief in the preciousness of life and the need for justice. But using the
deaths of young children to limit the rights of law abiding citizens to protect themselves
from violence or out-of-control government while having no desire to protect unborn
children is duplicitous at best, and dangerously malevolent at worst.
No public policy battle illustrates more clearly the differences between competing
worldviews than issues of life and death. For moral relativists, circumstances of life are a
convenient tool for ideological and political warfare. By contrast, the conservative
worldview provides a basis to consistently understand life’s preciousness in all stages of
development and maturity.
Consider Sandy Hook. To blame this tragedy on guns trivializes the real issues. What
about: glorification of violence in movies, video games, music and even “if it bleeds – it
leads” news reporting? What of the broken mental health system; or the “gun free” zones
that only protect the murderer? Ignoring the obvious isn’t from ignorance; it reveals
coldness incapable of seeing beyond personal political gain. How else could Obama
imply our second Amendment rights are expendable to save a single life, yet vigorously
defend the aborting of tens of millions of babies (and even the barbaric partial birth
abortion) for any or no reason at all? This relativistic worldview shows a level of
hypocrisy unworthy of leaders at any level of governance.
By contrast, the conservative Biblical worldview cherishes the value and dignity of
human life from conception to natural death. Weak or strong, young or old, each person
deserves to be protected, cared for and nurtured. Biblically, everyone comes into
existence bearing the very image of God (Genesis 1:27; 1 Corinthians 11:7) as a gift
(Psalm 127:3) fashioned uniquely from conception (Psalm 139:13-16). The unborn are
human from the beginning of their existence and are never just a piece of tissue. In fact,
sonograms of babies several months after conception are easily recognized as a child
even by a preschooler. This worldview doesn’t make pregnancies resulting from rape or
incest any less emotionally traumatic. It does, however, believe the child deserves to live
since it isn’t responsible for the sinful actions or unfortunate circumstances of others.
Obviously murdering innocent schoolchildren is wrong, but shouldn’t taking of innocent
unborn life be just as wrong? An expediency based worldview can just as easily declare
the physically or mentally challenged are unworthy of life; or the old and frail as
undeserving of medical care to free up resources for younger lives with more potential.
This irrational, selective treatment of life in some ways actually mimics the mass
murderer who chooses which victims will die.
Forty years ago an ignoble Supreme Court declared the unborn as nothing more than
property. Since then visual media has played a dominant role in glorifying violence in our
society. Though susceptible people may embrace a culture of death, self-serving
politicians are even more dangerous when they decide which lives are valuable based
on a morally bankrupt worldview. The juxtaposition this year of political expediency with
Sanctity of Life Sunday creates an even sharper contrast between a self-serving
worldview and one that protects human life undeserving of death at the hands of a
doctor, a deranged killer, or a violent criminal.
To play a game with life, and use young children as shields against criticism from
second Amendment advocates is not just hypocritical; it’s cowardly, manipulative and
unworthy of our respect.
This article was published in “The Washington Times—Communities” and was written by
Frank Kacer
Dates to Remember: Men’s Breakfasts Men’s Prayer Gatherings 5/11 4/24 6/8 Cancelled due to Family Camp 5/29 7/13@Gehmans 6/26 8/10@Gehmans 7/31 Men’s Campout Revived in 2013 Dates and Location TBA!!!