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Fundamentalist<br />
<strong>Always</strong><br />
<strong>Abounding</strong><br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
COLLEGE MINISTRY<br />
INTERNSHIPS<br />
Last fall the staff encouraged our<br />
students to pray about participating<br />
in summer ministry opportunities.<br />
Recognizing each student faces his own<br />
unique financial and personal situation,<br />
our plan was to deal individually with<br />
the students and the service possibilities.<br />
Through this a large percentage of students<br />
participated in some aspect of ministry<br />
apprenticeship this summer. Some were<br />
in a position to invest the entire summer;<br />
others were able to serve for a week or<br />
two.<br />
Many students served as camp<br />
counselors in states such as Indiana, Ohio,<br />
Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Others<br />
spent time working alongside missionaries<br />
in Mexico, Thailand, Belize, Zambia,<br />
Korea, and Cambodia. Several students<br />
received extensive missions training at the<br />
In this issue. . .<br />
Discipleship<br />
FBC Alumni<br />
Purity<br />
The Model for Manhood<br />
Current Trends<br />
Who Rules My Music?<br />
AIM conference, hosted by Fundamental<br />
Baptist World-Wide Mission, in Memphis,<br />
Tennessee. Others accompanied our own<br />
youth evangelist, Eric Ramos, as part of his<br />
summer VBS team.<br />
Some pastors placed their own students<br />
into a summer internship at their home<br />
churches, where their responsibilities<br />
included VBS, bus route, teen camp<br />
counseling, missions trip, etc., along with<br />
weekly Bible classes and visitation. Some<br />
students also joined other local churches<br />
as ministry apprentices. In addition, three<br />
college ensembles ministered in churches<br />
during the course of the summer, traveling<br />
across the country from California to<br />
Maine.<br />
The experience students gained<br />
through this investment of their time<br />
is invaluable. We look forward to the<br />
opportunities they will have next summer<br />
as well.<br />
“. . . be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” I Corinthians 15:58
At Fairhaven Baptist College, our<br />
defense of the King James Version<br />
is uncompromising. In May, Dr. David<br />
Sorenson, a long-time pastor and<br />
defender of the King James Bible, taught<br />
a two-day seminar to our students and<br />
faculty. He is an expert who has written<br />
extensively on this issue.<br />
With his permission, we present<br />
Quick and Powerful, his three-hour lecture<br />
series on the foundational truths that<br />
undergird our belief in the King James<br />
Bible. The DVD format is suitable for use<br />
in homes, churches, schools, or other<br />
places of ministry.<br />
Ordering Information:<br />
1-800-SEE-FHBC<br />
bookstore@fbcmail.net<br />
bookstore.fairhavenbaptist.org<br />
1 Internships<br />
CONTENTS<br />
9 The Model for Manhood<br />
4 Purity<br />
by Pastor Steve Damron<br />
7 FBC Alumni<br />
Joy Dunbar (‘10)<br />
8 Current Trends<br />
College Campus Lunacy<br />
10 Discipleship<br />
by Dave Olson<br />
12 Who Rules My Music?<br />
by Dr. Jeremiah Mitchell<br />
14 Mark Your Calendars<br />
©Published by Fairhaven Baptist Church. For correspondence or changes in subscription information, write:<br />
Fairhaven Baptist Church, <strong>Always</strong> <strong>Abounding</strong> - The Fairhaven Fundamentalist, 86 East Oak Hill Road, Chesterton,<br />
IN 46304, U.S.A. For more information, call (800) SEE-FHBC. Page 15 image credit, designed by freepik.com.<br />
2 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 3
CHRISTIAN LIVING<br />
Purity<br />
Pastor Steve Damron<br />
“But in a great house there are not only<br />
vessels of gold and of silver, but also of<br />
wood and of earth; and some to honour,<br />
and some to dishonour. If a man therefore<br />
purge himself from these, he shall be a<br />
vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet<br />
for the master’s use, and prepared unto<br />
every good work. Flee also youthful lusts:<br />
but follow righteousness, faith, charity,<br />
peace, with them that call on the Lord out<br />
of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:20-22).<br />
Purity Comes Through Preparation<br />
The words used in our text are<br />
“prepared unto every good work.” What<br />
do we mean by preparing ourselves to be<br />
pure? There should be a specific plan—a<br />
purpose to do this.<br />
We have a Bible that can help us<br />
prepare for the battle of purity in our<br />
lives. We must develop a Biblical plan of<br />
Scripture memory, Bible reading, fasting,<br />
and praying. Paul told us that the weapons<br />
of our warfare are not carnal. We must<br />
strengthen ourselves in the Word of God<br />
by reading and memorizing its contents.<br />
We must become skillful with the weapon<br />
that God has given us. How much time do<br />
you spend reading and memorizing the<br />
Word of God? This will tell you if you are<br />
really serious about overcoming some vice<br />
in the area of purity.<br />
We also have the Holy Spirit available<br />
to guide us into all truth and to teach us<br />
what we need to know. I would challenge<br />
you to look up verses on the Holy Spirit.<br />
There is a lack of Biblical understanding in<br />
His ministry and His work in the believer’s<br />
life. I have talked with many young<br />
people struggling through depression,<br />
disappointment, or despair in some area<br />
of their lives. They are trying in their own<br />
strength to defeat these foes. The Holy<br />
Spirit can daily lead and guide you, and<br />
He desires to be a comforter. The word<br />
“comforter” indicates one who comes<br />
alongside. The Holy Spirit wants to be your<br />
partner in the battle for purity. The third<br />
person of the Godhead wants to engage<br />
the enemy side by side with you. Victory<br />
can be had with a warrior such as this.<br />
Too many Christians do not prepare for<br />
the battle of purity. They march aimlessly<br />
toward the battlefield unarmed, not ready<br />
for battle—no armor to guard against the<br />
fiery darts of the wicked. How foolish!<br />
There was once a wise, old man walking<br />
through the forest with a young scholar by<br />
his side. The old man suddenly stopped<br />
and pointed to four plants close at hand.<br />
The first was beginning to peep above<br />
the ground; the second had rooted itself<br />
pretty well into the earth; the third was a<br />
small shrub; while the fourth and last was<br />
a full-sized tree. The old man said to his<br />
young companion, “Pull up the first.” The<br />
youth easily pulled it up with his fingers.<br />
“Now pull the second.” The youth obeyed,<br />
but not so easily. “And the third.” But the<br />
boy had to put forth all his strength, and<br />
use both arms, before he succeeded in<br />
uprooting it. “And now,” said the man, “try<br />
your hand upon the fourth.” But lo! the<br />
trunk of the tall tree, grasped in the arms<br />
of the youth, scarcely shook its leaves,<br />
and the little fellow found it impossible<br />
to tear its roots from the earth. Then the<br />
wise, old man explained to the scholar the<br />
meaning of the four trials. “This, my son,<br />
is just what happens with our passions.<br />
When they are young and weak, one may,<br />
by a little watchfulness over self, and the<br />
help of a little self-denial, easily tear them<br />
up; but if we let them cast their roots<br />
deep down into our souls, then no human<br />
power can uproot them. The Almighty<br />
hand of the Creator alone can pluck them<br />
4 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
out. For this reason, watch well over the<br />
first movements of your soul, and study by<br />
acts of virtue to keep your passions well in<br />
check.”<br />
It is vital that we put our flesh in check<br />
immediately. When we allow our passions<br />
and lusts to become stronger and stronger<br />
through years of relenting to them, they<br />
will eventually control our lives. We must<br />
battle the flesh personally and daily in our<br />
lives. Resist the devil; flee from fleshly<br />
lust; and keep the world at arms’ length.<br />
By developing a plan to<br />
fight and resist at an early<br />
age in your life, you will be<br />
developing godly habits.<br />
You may not have a<br />
problem with pornography;<br />
but you may have other secret<br />
sins such as debt, covetous<br />
spending, or even overeating.<br />
How to overcome a secret<br />
sin:<br />
1) Confess your sin to another person<br />
(James 5:16).<br />
2) Stand in His forgiveness (I John 1:9).<br />
3) Flee temptation; fill up with God<br />
(II Timothy 2:22).<br />
4) Walk in His power (Galatians 5:16).<br />
Purity Comes Through Determination<br />
Notice what Paul tells Timothy. He is<br />
to be active in fleeing certain things. All<br />
of the words in our text teach the idea of<br />
determination—determination to purge<br />
oneself, to prepare to be clean and stay<br />
clean, and to flee from sin. The context<br />
gives the idea that I am setting a plan in<br />
place to protect my purity, even to flee<br />
things if necessary.<br />
A well-known merchant had a placard<br />
nailed to the desk in his office. It said,<br />
“WHICH? Wife or whiskey? The babies<br />
or the bottles? HEAVEN OR HELL?” To<br />
the question of a visitor, he replied, “I<br />
Too many<br />
Christians do<br />
not prepare<br />
for the battle<br />
of purity.<br />
CHRISTIAN LIVING<br />
wrote that myself. Sometime ago I found<br />
myself falling into the habit of drinking an<br />
occasional glass with a friend. Soon my<br />
stomach got bad, my faculties dulled, and I<br />
had a constant craving for stimulants. I saw<br />
tears in the eyes of my wife and wonder<br />
on the faces of my children. One day I sat<br />
down and wrote that card. As I looked at<br />
it, an awful revelation burst<br />
upon me like a flash. I nailed<br />
it there and read it many<br />
times that day. I went home<br />
sober that night and have<br />
not touched a drop since.”<br />
Satan has geared modern<br />
technology to offer Internet<br />
sites and videos and DVDs<br />
that fit with his perfect plan<br />
of ruining young men and<br />
women in the privacy of their homes or on<br />
the privacy of their phones. His plan is to<br />
get all men and women entangled in some<br />
form of impurity. No longer does a grown<br />
man or teen need to go into some seedy<br />
adult bookstore to view X-rated materials;<br />
the so-called adult entertainment industry<br />
now pumps the filth right into the<br />
devices in our hands. We must have the<br />
determination to flee from these things.<br />
Put filters on your computers; get checks<br />
put into place for surfing the Internet; and<br />
get some accountable reporting to those<br />
who love and care for you. We live in a<br />
technology age that offers some amazing<br />
advantages, but anything left unchecked<br />
in human hands will find an evil use. This<br />
is in the nature of man; we have a sin<br />
nature. Don’t let the good that technology<br />
can bring be used by the devil to ruin your<br />
purity.<br />
Spurgeon tells of a lady who was trying<br />
to hire a coachman. Two or three called to<br />
see her about the situation; and, in<br />
(cont., pg 6)<br />
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 5
CHRISTIAN LIVING<br />
Purity<br />
(cont.)<br />
answer to her inquiries, the first applicant<br />
said, “Yes, Madam, you could not have a<br />
better coachman than myself.” She replied,<br />
“How near do you think you could drive to<br />
danger without an accident?” “Madam, I<br />
could go within a yard of it, and yet you<br />
would be perfectly safe.” “Very well,” she<br />
said, “you will not suit me.” The second one<br />
had heard the question upon which the<br />
other had been rejected and; therefore,<br />
he was ready with his answer, “Danger!<br />
Madam, why I could drive within a hair’s<br />
breadth, and yet be perfectly safe.” “Then<br />
you will not suit me at all.” When the third<br />
applicant came in, he was asked, “Are<br />
you a good driver?” “Well,” he replied,<br />
“I am careful and have never met with<br />
an accident.” “But how near do you think<br />
you could drive to danger?” “Madam,” he<br />
said, “that is a thing I never tried; I always<br />
drive as far from danger as ever I can.” The<br />
lady at once replied, “You are the kind of<br />
coachman I want, and I will engage you<br />
at once.” Get such a coachman as that<br />
yourself to guide your own heart and lead<br />
your own character. Do not see how near<br />
you can go to sin, but see how far you can<br />
keep away from it.<br />
2 0 1 6 - 2 0 1 7<br />
F airhave Baptist College N<br />
Ensembles<br />
Contact us for<br />
scheduling<br />
information<br />
6 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
Joy Dunbar (‘10)<br />
“Ate Joy! Ate Joy!” My<br />
Filipino boys at the<br />
provincial orphanage<br />
have spotted me<br />
coming down the<br />
drive, and I smile as<br />
I walk to meet their<br />
pounding bare feet.<br />
When we collide, I scoop them up one at a<br />
time to say hello with a tight squeeze and<br />
a kiss. They are dirty and ragged, but I love<br />
them fiercely! They look forward to the<br />
Saturday morning ministry to hear stories<br />
of a Savior who loves them, will save them,<br />
and has a purpose for their lives.<br />
The unconditional love and security I<br />
take for granted is a result of the Biblical<br />
upbringing I received from my parents.<br />
Comprehending God’s love and character<br />
has always been easy due to the example<br />
of my dad who has been a pastor for<br />
forty-seven years. My mom grew up in<br />
a preacher’s home, and she has always<br />
shown me how to serve the Lord as a godly,<br />
Christian lady. Life in the ministry is the<br />
only life I can imagine, and the blessings<br />
far outweigh the difficulties.<br />
As a teenager I rebelled inwardly<br />
against my parents; but when God brought<br />
me to Bible college, He had a plan for me.<br />
I fought against attending Fairhaven; but,<br />
even in my backslidden state, I knew when<br />
I was beaten. I had planned to attend for<br />
the minimum degree of two years in the<br />
secretarial program, but the Lord changed<br />
it to four when I switched my major to<br />
elementary education. I never wanted<br />
to be a teacher, but God knew what<br />
I needed. For the first few months<br />
of college, I felt the Lord working<br />
on my heart, changing me through<br />
His Word and the godly focus of the<br />
school. I vividly remember the day I<br />
surrendered, and I have never wanted<br />
to go back on that decision.<br />
FBC ALUMNI<br />
I enjoyed teaching and realized the<br />
Lord had given me an ability for it, but<br />
after graduation, I went to work in retail.<br />
It was the only job I could find, and it<br />
was discouraging. Eventually, I got a job<br />
working with children at a community<br />
center; but finally found permanency as<br />
an administrative assistant—ironically. For<br />
three and a half years, God used that job to<br />
improve my organizational and office skills.<br />
When missionary friends, the Suteks,<br />
asked me to start and administrate an<br />
A.C.E. school for them in the Philippines,<br />
I had no idea how God would use all the<br />
experience He had been cultivating.<br />
My year on the mission field in Cagayan<br />
De Oro, Philippines, was certainly an<br />
adventure! It was only the Lord who made<br />
it possible, and His hand was evident in<br />
every detail from the beginning to the end.<br />
He used that year to do a mighty work in<br />
the hearts and lives of my students, the<br />
teachers, and especially me. I do not know<br />
what my next adventure will be; but I know<br />
the Lord is always preparing me for it, and<br />
His will is perfect.<br />
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 7
EDUCATION<br />
Current Trends<br />
In his article, “College Campus Lunacy”<br />
(CSNEWS, August 23, <strong>2016</strong>), Professor<br />
Walter Williams addresses “official<br />
college practices” taking place on various<br />
campuses this fall. After describing<br />
“identity-based housing” at Hampshire<br />
College and “racially-segregated classes”<br />
at Moraine Valley Community College, he<br />
exposes “nonsense” in the classrooms:<br />
“Adding to campus lunacy are classes<br />
such as ‘Lady Gaga and the Sociology<br />
of the Fame’ at the University of South<br />
Carolina. Cornell University’s physical<br />
education department offers a class titled<br />
‘Recreational Tree Climbing.’ At Georgia<br />
State University, the English department<br />
offers a course called ‘Kayne vs. Everybody.’<br />
At Tufts University’s Experimental College,<br />
one can take a class called ‘Demystifying<br />
the Hipster.’ Skidmore College’s sociology<br />
department offers ‘The Sociology of<br />
Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and<br />
Media.’ Frostburg State University’s<br />
physics department offers ‘The Science of<br />
Harry Potter,’ where it examines some of<br />
the tale’s magic. Georgetown University<br />
offers ‘Philosophy and Star Trek,’ arguing<br />
that ‘Star Trek is very philosophical’ and<br />
adding, ‘What better way, then, to learn<br />
philosophy, than to watch Star Trek, read<br />
philosophy, and hash it all out in class?’<br />
That these and other nonsense classes<br />
exist may reflect several things. There is the<br />
notion of shared educational governance,<br />
wherein presidents and boards of trustees<br />
have little say-so about what passes for<br />
college education. The faculty runs the<br />
show. Students may be academic cripples<br />
and require such nonsense. Those are<br />
the most optimistic assessments. Or such<br />
academic nonsense may indeed reflect<br />
that presidents, academic administrators,<br />
faculty members, and students actually<br />
believe that such classes have academic<br />
merit.”<br />
Clearly state-backed education is<br />
often not very educational, which begs<br />
the question, “Who makes the final<br />
decisions at state-funded, accredited<br />
colleges?”<br />
8 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
The Model for Manhood<br />
Dr. W. A. Stanton<br />
Dr. Stanton was the pastor of Shady<br />
Avenue Baptist Church in Pittsburgh,<br />
Pennsylvania, for 23 years (1890-1912).<br />
During the first 14 years of his pastorate<br />
at Shady Avenue, 860 people had been<br />
received into the membership. His church<br />
was noted for its missionary spirit and<br />
“vigorous” Sunday School.<br />
“Unto a perfect man, unto the<br />
measure of the stature of the fullness of<br />
Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). The unit value<br />
for manhood is ‘a man.’ That was Paul’s<br />
idea. The crying need in the world today<br />
is to put manhood above material success<br />
and to keep on doing this until all attain<br />
unto a full-grown man. God put a model<br />
VOICES FROM THE PAST<br />
man on the earth, but never as yet a model<br />
city.<br />
The four ideals of manhood have been<br />
the Roman ideal, presenting the man of<br />
physical power; the Greek ideal, the man<br />
of mental power and intelligence; the<br />
Hebrew ideal, the man of justice; and<br />
the Christian ideal, combining the others<br />
and adding to the man of physical power,<br />
mental development, and just ideas—the<br />
man of Christlikeness. We have in Christ’s<br />
manhood the climax of the manhood of<br />
the ages. This is clearly emphasized in<br />
the New Testament—that we become like<br />
Christ.<br />
Don’t forget about the Preaching, Speech, and Music Competition!<br />
Visit the Empowered Youth website (ey.fairhavenbaptist.org) for registration and competition details.<br />
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 9
MINISTRY HELPS<br />
Discipleship<br />
Dave Olson<br />
The best thing that we can do for<br />
new converts is to instruct them how to<br />
follow the Lord. Sadly, many churches<br />
have no discipleship program in place<br />
to help their people train new believers.<br />
The result is that many newly saved<br />
people fail to grow in their relationship<br />
with God and needlessly live defeated<br />
lives. Discipleship must be more than<br />
a “good idea.” We must be committed<br />
to it. Over the past few decades, many<br />
Baptists put the emphasis on winning<br />
people but neglected discipleship. It is no<br />
wonder so many churches have dwindled<br />
in size and strength. Let’s consider several<br />
elements of discipleship from the acronym<br />
D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.<br />
Difficulty—Although salvation is free,<br />
the cost of discipleship is quite high.<br />
Jesus said, “And whosoever doth not bear<br />
his cross, and come after me, cannot be<br />
my disciple” (Luke 14: 27). A disciple must<br />
bear his own cross, and that speaks of pain<br />
and death to self. Another verse in the<br />
same passage requires a disciple to forsake<br />
all that he has. These can be daunting<br />
steps for baby Christians to take, and they<br />
need help and encouragement. Paul knew<br />
how difficult it was for new believers and<br />
spent much time “confirming the souls<br />
of the disciples, and exhorting them to<br />
continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22).<br />
Importance—Discipleship is more than<br />
just a good idea. It is imperative. One<br />
of the main duties of every Christian is<br />
to pass on their faith to others. Timothy<br />
was instructed, “And the things that thou<br />
hast heard of me among many witnesses,<br />
the same commit thou to faithful men,<br />
who shall be able to teach others also” (II<br />
Timothy 2:2). Believe it or not, a Christian<br />
who wins one soul per year can be more<br />
valuable than someone who wins one<br />
soul per week. How? The person who<br />
wins one soul per week for twenty years<br />
will win a total of 1,040 people. However,<br />
the individual who wins one soul per year<br />
but trains each one of his converts to do<br />
the same thing will reach 1,048,576 in<br />
the same twenty-year period. As you can<br />
see, discipleship is a vital part of the Great<br />
Commission.<br />
Speed—We must have a sense of<br />
urgency to follow up on new converts.<br />
If we do not teach them, Satan will. The<br />
Scriptures are full of warnings about false<br />
prophets who “lie in wait to deceive”<br />
(Ephesians 4:14). We must not forget<br />
that “Satan himself is transformed into an<br />
angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing<br />
if his ministers also be transformed as the<br />
ministers of righteousness” (II Corinthians<br />
11:14-15). A young believer who is not<br />
grounded in the truth can fall prey to the<br />
many charlatan preachers on the Internet,<br />
TV, and radio. Many of the bestselling<br />
books in Christian bookstores are written<br />
by compromisers and heretics. If we do<br />
not take the necessary time to answer the<br />
questions of a new believer, he will find<br />
answers elsewhere. Therefore, we must<br />
move quickly!<br />
Command—Jesus commanded us to get<br />
involved in discipleship. He said, “Go ye<br />
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing<br />
them in the name of the Father, and of the<br />
Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them<br />
to observe all things whatsoever I have<br />
commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).<br />
Failure to instruct new believers after they<br />
get saved and baptized is disobedience<br />
to Christ’s command. In order to fulfill<br />
the Great Commission, we must not only<br />
10 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
win souls but also disciple them. Don’t<br />
think that working with a new convert is<br />
less rewarding than winning a soul. Just<br />
as watching each stage of development<br />
of a child brings joy, so does watching<br />
baby Christians grow into strong, vibrant<br />
servants for Christ.<br />
Instructor—A disciple is one who receives<br />
instruction. That means he must have<br />
a teacher. Every believer is expected to<br />
mature enough to teach others. The writer<br />
of Hebrews expressed disappointment<br />
with those who failed to grow sufficiently<br />
to teach others. He said, “For when for<br />
the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have<br />
need that one teach you again which be<br />
the first principles of the oracles of God;<br />
and are become such as have need of milk,<br />
and not of strong meat” (Hebrews 5:12).<br />
I wonder how saddened our Lord is when<br />
we fail to take seriously His command to<br />
disciple new believers. Don’t forget—“ye<br />
ought to be teachers.”<br />
Patience—Very few people become<br />
great Christians overnight. It takes time<br />
for people to learn God’s Word, and you<br />
will discover that people learn at different<br />
paces. Some may seem to grow quickly<br />
while others seem to take what seems<br />
like forever to take a few steps. You will<br />
become frustrated and disappointed at<br />
times, but be faithful. Though some may<br />
fall back into sin, your patience can help<br />
restore them to fellowship with God. “And<br />
the servant of the Lord must not strive;<br />
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach,<br />
patient” (II Timothy 2:24).<br />
Lessons—You may be asking, “What do<br />
I teach a new convert?” Jesus gave us<br />
the answer in Matthew 28:20—“all things<br />
whatsoever I have commanded you.”<br />
Discipleship must consist of more than<br />
a couple of verses about assurance and<br />
baptism. Try to set up a time each week<br />
to have a Bible study. Find or develop<br />
some lessons to use each week when you<br />
meet with a new convert, but learn to be<br />
flexible. Sometimes you will have to scrap<br />
your lesson and handle a crisis that the<br />
new believer is facing.<br />
End—When is your job finished? After<br />
you have taught your fellow believer<br />
“all things.” In other words, your goal<br />
should be to equip each one to walk with<br />
God so effectively that they will be able to<br />
teach others to do the same. Even after<br />
your weekly Bible studies are over, take<br />
time to check up on them and be available<br />
to talk.<br />
(Dave Olson is the Director of Missions at<br />
Fairhaven Baptist College.)<br />
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 11
MUSIC<br />
Who Rules My Music?<br />
Dr. Jeremiah Mitchell<br />
In the first couple of verses in Proverbs<br />
23 the Bible says, “When thou sittest<br />
to eat with a ruler, consider diligently<br />
what is before thee: And put a knife to thy<br />
throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.”<br />
This is just simple advice about human<br />
interaction: in the presence of a ruler,<br />
you must curb your appetite–control it!<br />
Don’t be consumed with what you crave.<br />
Be alert to what the ruler wants and to<br />
what is going on in his court. Don’t be so<br />
concerned with what you want that you<br />
forget what the ruler wants. This reminds<br />
us of what we tell our children when we<br />
go to someone’s house, “Don’t you dare<br />
eat like you’ve never seen food before!<br />
Remember, tonight is not about you! We<br />
are going to be gracious to our hosts! Pay<br />
attention to what interests them!”<br />
So, how can this be applied to music?<br />
I believe there is a helpful principle here<br />
that can be applied in many areas, music<br />
included. It is human nature to defend<br />
what we like. The underlying reason<br />
people defend improper music is because<br />
they like it. They excuse it by thinking that<br />
God can enjoy the words while I enjoy the<br />
beat–we can both be happy! As we know<br />
from the Bible, we will either please God<br />
or self, not both. There must be a decision!<br />
Whom will I please? Revelation 4:11<br />
makes it clear that I exist for His pleasure,<br />
not He for mine.<br />
Recently a fellow church member<br />
and I were doing a Bible study with some<br />
men at a correctional facility. Since there<br />
is no piano in the room where we meet,<br />
we often begin with a God-honoring<br />
chorus, sung without accompaniment,<br />
and then we spend time in the Scriptures.<br />
Other church groups also meet with the<br />
men. Some of these will bring quite an<br />
assortment of electronic musical gear<br />
in order to crank out some “Christian”<br />
rock. I knew the topic of Christian music<br />
needed addressing, so one night we began<br />
teaching on the “new song” that God gives<br />
believers and how it is set apart from the<br />
world. Since the men really liked the way<br />
the rock beat made them feel, we knew<br />
they wouldn’t like this topic, but we were<br />
still surprised by the amount of resistance<br />
we received. These men, with whom<br />
we had enjoyed fellowship around the<br />
Scriptures, turned on us in defense of the<br />
beat they craved. We couldn’t believe the<br />
Bible verses they had ready to defend their<br />
desires. One man said, “In John 4, Jesus<br />
said that God wants to be worshipped in<br />
truth, and this means that we must be<br />
true to ourselves as we come before Him<br />
in worship.” We explained to him that<br />
the Bible was saying nothing of the sort–<br />
that there is desperate wickedness in the<br />
heart of man (Jeremiah 17:9). From the<br />
Bible we learn that what God wants will be<br />
very different than what man wants and<br />
that the truth of God’s Word is the basis<br />
of proper worship. Another man assured<br />
us that in his studies he hadn’t found<br />
one place where the Bible prohibited the<br />
“rock” beat. We explained that since the<br />
Bible doesn’t expressly prohibit a number<br />
of things (such as heroin), we must learn<br />
to apply Bible principles to these areas.<br />
They were stunned for a moment as they<br />
thought this through. For a moment we<br />
thought we were getting somewhere,<br />
but in the end they decided that feeding<br />
fleshly cravings with drugs was nothing like<br />
feeding fleshly cravings with sound. They<br />
appeared desperate not to be reasonable,<br />
and it was this desperation that caught<br />
my attention. They were ready to rush<br />
headlong down any line of thought that<br />
12 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
protected their Christian contemporary<br />
music. You see, in prison men are cut off<br />
from many of the sinful addictions that<br />
“owned” them on the outside, but fleshly<br />
music was one addiction they could get<br />
plenty of access to, by means of “church”<br />
groups coming in. I saw it in their eyes–<br />
they were given to appetite.<br />
The Bible warns us not to be given<br />
to the wrong things. To be given is to be<br />
owned by that to which I am given. Paul<br />
explained that the one who desires the<br />
office of a bishop mustn’t be given to<br />
wine (I Timothy 3:3) or to filthy lucre (Titus<br />
1:7). King Lemuel (probably Solomon) was<br />
urged not to give his strength to women<br />
(Proverbs 31:3). Solomon failed here,<br />
and so did Samson. Consider Samson.<br />
Every young man loves to hear of the<br />
exploits of “the strongest man ever.” But<br />
each of us remembers the sinking feeling<br />
we had when we learned that Samson<br />
was destroyed because he was given to<br />
appetite in the area of immoral lust–he<br />
could conquer anyone except himself.<br />
The Bible makes it clear that when we are<br />
given to sinful cravings, we give something<br />
precious away. We are rendered weak and<br />
sniveling. In Samson’s case, his addiction<br />
owned him.<br />
In applying Proverbs 23 to our lives,<br />
we must remember that if we are saved,<br />
we are always in the presence of a Ruler,<br />
the Lord Jesus Christ. The same principle<br />
applies—don’t be consumed with what<br />
you crave; be alert to the desires of your<br />
Ruler. Don’t be so concerned with what<br />
you want that you forget what the Ruler<br />
wants—don’t be given to appetite! Love<br />
God enough to be concerned only with<br />
what pleases Him. Never ask, “What do I<br />
get out of this music?” Instead, consider<br />
diligently, “What does He get out of it?”<br />
(Jeremiah Mitchell is the Dean of Music at<br />
Fairhaven Baptist College.)<br />
Fairhaven’s Newest Music Recording!<br />
Enjoy patriotic music and inspiring historical<br />
readings on this CD produced by the musicians of<br />
Fairhaven Baptist Church. Total Play Time 73:10<br />
bookstore.fairhavenbaptist.org<br />
You will enjoy Fairhaven’s Christmas CDs, and they<br />
make excellent gifts for friends and family as well!<br />
Contact the bookstore for ordering information<br />
(1-800-SEE-FHBC or<br />
bookstore.fairhavenbaptist.org).<br />
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 13
14 │ ALWAYS ABOUNDING
UPCOMING EVENTS<br />
November 14-17<br />
Empowered Youth<br />
December 13<br />
Glory of Christmas Concert<br />
February 10<br />
Mother/Daughter Banquet<br />
March 10<br />
Men and Boys’ Barbeque<br />
March 17<br />
Fairhaven Volleyball and<br />
Basketball Tournament<br />
April 23-27<br />
Preaching Conference and<br />
College Days<br />
May 18<br />
College Graduation<br />
August 1-3<br />
Educators’ Conference<br />
Look for us on:<br />
fairhaven.sermonaudio.com<br />
“Only fear the LORD, and serve<br />
him in truth with all your heart:<br />
for consider how great things<br />
he hath done for you.”<br />
I Samuel 12:24<br />
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 15
86 East Oak Hill Road<br />
Chesterton, Indiana 46304<br />
“It is delightful to see the<br />
footprints of the Lord on the sea<br />
of changing events.”<br />
Charles Spurgeon<br />
Contact Us:<br />
Phone: 800-SEE-FHBC<br />
Email: fundamentalist@fairhavenbaptist.org