13.10.2016 Views

Always Abounding - Fall 2016_3

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

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

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!