Always Abounding - Spring 2017

Fundamentalist
Always
Abounding
Spring 2017
FAIRHAVEN BAPTIST COLLEGE
40 years
Training servants for God’s service
Since 1977
“. . . be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” I Corinthians 15:58

1 40th Anniversary of FBC
3 The Path to Restoration
by Pastor Steve Damron
6 FBC Alumni
Pastor Caleb Mitchell (‘07)
8 Preaching Conference
and College Days
CONTENTS
10 Starting Churches in Inner Cities
by Pastor James Barker
12 Peace in This Place
by Pastor Dan Armacost
14 FBC Alumni
Jacob Unger (‘13)
15 Upcoming Events
©Published by Fairhaven Baptist Church. For correspondence or changes in subscription
information, write: Fairhaven Baptist Church, Always Abounding - The Fairhaven Fundamentalist,
86 East Oak Hill Road, Chesterton, IN 46304, U.S.A. For more information, call (800) SEE-FHBC.
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The Path to Restoration
Pastor Steve Damron
One of my favorite Biblical
descriptions of a pastor is
shepherd, an analogy that
Scripture frequently uses. For instance,
Ezekiel 34 pictures those caring for a “flock
of people” as shepherds. Consider the
following passage and notice the imagery:
“And the word of the LORD came unto me,
saying, Son of man, prophesy against the
shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the
shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of
Israel that do feed themselves! Should not
the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the
fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill
them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
The diseased have ye not strengthened,
neither have ye healed that which was
sick, neither have ye bound up that which
was broken, neither have ye brought again
that which was driven away, neither have
ye sought that which was lost; but with
force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
And they were scattered, because there
is no shepherd: and they became meat to
all the beasts of the field, when they were
scattered. My sheep wandered through all
the mountains, and upon every high hill:
yea, my flock was scattered upon all the
face of the earth, and none did search or
seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds,
hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith
the Lord GOD, surely because my flock
became a prey, and my flock became meat
to every beast of the field, because there
was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds
search for my flock, but the shepherds fed
themselves, and fed not my flock” (Ezekiel
34:1-8).
Certainly the correlation between this
Old Testament account of the shepherd
and the responsibility of the New
SHEPHERDING THE FLOCK
Testament pastor is evident.
In the next few paragraphs, I will
consider the concept of shepherding God’s
flock. In calling a man to pastor, God gives
to that man a daunting task. He expects
His pastors to “undertake” for His sheep.
In the middle of the passage above, God
explains that the shepherd is responsible
to lead and guide his sheep. The passage
also indicates that if the shepherd does
not do his job properly, “beasts” enter and
ravage God’s flock. When this happens,
God places the blame on the shepherd.
Additionally, this passage provides
a descriptive word picture in verse 4,
detailing the responsibilities placed on the
shepherd:
1. Strengthening the diseased
2. Healing the sick
3. Binding broken limbs
4. Rescuing those driven away
5. Seeking those that are lost
6. Avoiding force and cruelty in the
correction of the flock
This is a convicting verse for a pastor.
Many sheep come into our church fold
that are diseased, have broken bones or
limbs, are sickly, or need rescued. The
shepherd needs to attend to these needs.
As an undershepherd, are you caring for
the flock as God commands?
One of the specific jobs in the pastoral
ministry is to help wayward sheep get
back into the fold. Many examples in
the Scriptures provide guidance on this.
I would like to consider one of these
instances—David’s sin and restoration.
Most readers are familiar with the account
of the sinful choice of adultery that David
made, as well as the consequences that
followed. There is one interesting aspect
(cont., pg 4)
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 3

SHEPHERDING THE FLOCK
The Path to Restoration
(cont.)
of this story that some may not be familiar
with, and that is the time frame in which
the events of the story unfolded. Consider
a quick rundown of the events, beginning
with David’s actual sin:
1. Day 1 – The act of adultery
2. The revelation by Bathsheba that she
was expecting a child – 2-3 weeks later
3. The betrayal of Uriah – 2nd month
4. Uriah’s death – 2nd month
5. The confrontation by Nathan the
prophet – 8th month
6. The child’s death – 8th month
7. The repentance of David – 8th month
This timing may not be exact, but
comparing all Scriptural references to this
account makes this timing feasible. As you
can see, a lot of time transpired between
David’s act of sin and his repentance,
which was initiated by the confrontation
with the prophet Nathan. Many times
we think that if there is not immediate
confession and repentance, then there is
no hope. The Bible seems to indicate that
the pathway of returning to God is not an
easy path, and that the work of God in
plowing up the hard ground that is in a
person’s heart often takes time. When we
read the two Psalms that David wrote after
God dealt with his heart, we can find some
great truths to help us in ministering to our
flock.
“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long. For
day and night thy hand was heavy upon
me: my moisture is turned into the drought
of summer. Selah” (Psalm 32:3-4).
In these verses, we see that David was
trying to keep this sin “under wraps” and
did not want to talk about the situation.
As a shepherd knows, this “covering” is
normal behavior for people in sin. They
want to hide the sin and do not like when
the shepherd points out the problem to
them. The passage seems to indicate that
David’s health was affected, making him
miserable. So, a shepherd in tune with
God will notice this change in countenance
among his sheep and may understand that
God is making His child miserable until
he deals with his sin. In David’s case, he
persisted in his miserable condition for
some time.
In the next verse, we see that the
time of blessing and refreshing in David’s
life was turned into a drought. Most who
have experienced a drought know that it
does not occur overnight. About a year
ago, I was able to visit Yosemite National
Park in California. I talked with a number
of folks there who said that they had
been experiencing a three-year drought.
My wife and I noticed the dryness in the
fields and the barrenness in the fruit farms
in that area of California. This seems to
be the idea conveyed in David’s words.
He had experienced a drought of God’s
refreshment and presence, and he was dry
and shriveled up spiritually.
As a pastor, you may have some sheep
in your fold who will get involved in sin,
and they will not want to talk about it or
deal with it. You will start noticing dryness
in their spiritual life and in their walk with
the Lord. This dryness and misery may last
for some time, just as it did in David’s life.
Trust God that He will not leave His child
to remain in this state. God may, however,
want to use the “dryness” to bring this
sheep to the place of utter failure and
misery. It is our job as a shepherd to be
there and offer them the pathway to
restoration.
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“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and
mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the LORD;
and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
Selah. For this shall every one that is godly
pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest
be found: surely in the floods of great
waters they shall not come nigh unto him”
(Psalm 32:5-6).
We now see how a shepherd can help
his sheep back into the fold. In these
verses, there is an acknowledgment of sin.
A repentant man or woman is willing to
turn and face the sin that has either been
purposely overlooked or left in a place that
is not often visited. The sinner will find
that God’s arms are always open to the
penitent. The Heavenly Father is in His
abode waiting for His prodigal to return.
The New Testament prodigal returned with
a similar mind-set as David expresses here.
When he came to the father saying that
he was no longer worthy to be called his
servant, the father threw his arms around
him and welcomed him back into the fold.
This is what a penitent person can always
find with Christ. He will find that God’s
mercy is extended to all who genuinely
turn from their sin.
In verse 6, it seems that David is
referencing the great flood during Noah’s
time. It may indicate that one can pass a
point of restoration. There is great debate
on this idea; but I have seen some folks
refuse to come to God in a penitent fashion,
and the doors seem to close on them as in
the story of Noah and the ark.
I pray that this has stirred the heart
of some pastor who is wandering in his
purpose as an undershepherd of the flock
of God. One of our tasks is to be in the work
of restoration. This is time-consuming and
can lead one into precarious situations and
into some of the inclement weather that
the wayward sheep has gotten himself
into. The shepherd must be courageous
enough to weather these storms. May God
help us as shepherds of God’s flock to be in
the rescuing business.
May 17-18, 2017
GRADUATION WEEK
SERVICES
Dr. Rodger Bott rell Speaking
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 5

FBC ALUMNI
Caleb (‘07) and Erica Mitchell
We sure love being right where
God has called us to be, in Ulen,
Minnesota, serving at Walworth
Baptist Church.
Through a very difficult season, we
have gained a greater appreciation for
our friends and family. Our daughter
Rosemary died several months ago, just
two days before delivery. Several verses
from the Bible brought great comfort. “A
man that hath friends must shew himself
friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh
to you” (James 4:8). “…for he hath said,
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”
(Hebrews 13:5).
I have known these verses, and they
have always been precious; but they mean
so much more after this past year. I have
no way to put into words the pain we felt
after Rosemary’s passing; I never knew my
heart could hurt so badly or that my world
could be turned upside down so quickly.
We are so grateful for the cards, prayers,
and money that were sent our way to help.
I am also thankful for the promises in the
Bible that we know Rosemary is in heaven
and that we will see her again.
On a much happier note, our family is
doing well. Erica and I are busy with our
family and the church; and Elaina (2) and
AnneMarie (6) are busy growing.
This year we have also seen God’s
tremendous blessing on the church. In
March, God impressed upon my heart to
ask the church to pray for 20 first-time
visitors to visit the church between April
and September. My faith was weak, and I
argued with God because up to that point
we had only had 18 first-time visitors.
However, God convicted me by using Mark
6:5-6. “And he could there do no mighty
work, save that he laid his hands upon a
few sick folk, and healed them. And he
marvelled because of their unbelief….”
Jesus was in his home town of Nazareth,
and He had healed some sick folks, but
by His own testimony could have done so
much more. What was the obstacle that
was hindering His working? It was the
people’s unbelief. I knew after reading this
that I needed to trust God and have the
church pray that we would see 20 first-time
visitors from April through September. I
shared with the church the burden that
God had placed on my heart about seeing
visitors. As a church we began praying, and
God began working! I am happy to report
that since March we have had 91 first-time
visitors come to church with several other
past visitors returning as well!! Through
this three brand-new families have joined
the church! We have seen several people
trust Christ as their Savior, and we have
baptized two this year. All praise and glory
goes to God! Hebrews 11:6 says, “But
without faith it is impossible to please
him….” “Now unto him that is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power that
worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Despite
my weak faith, God taught me a valuable
lesson this year. There certainly is nothing
more exciting than serving the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.
As we head into 2017, we are excited
about what God has for us. We know
challenges and difficulties will come, but
God’s goodness and mercy will guide us
through them all. May I encourage you to
reflect upon God’s goodness in your own
life. Don’t waste your life following worldly
ideas or politically correct philosophies.
Live your life for God’s glory and for the
furtherance of the gospel. Seek to make
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a difference in someone’s life this year. Be
a bold witness for Jesus Christ; lift high our
Savior to all you meet. Share His goodness
with others; for we know that the greatest
thing we can share is the wonderful
salvation offered to us by Jesus because of
His sacrifice for us on Calvary.
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www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 9

CHURCH PLANTING
The Need to Start Churches
in Inner Cities
Pastor James Barker
Over 100 years
ago, evangelist
D. L. Moody
said that unless the
big cities were won
for Christ, the country
would be lost, and many other preachers
felt the same way. Moody’s friend, A. T.
Pierson (from Brooklyn), recognized that
the churches were not effective in reaching
the waves of immigrants pouring into the
big cities. Pierson referred to the many
problems vexing the cities—gambling,
“anti-Sabbath sentiment” (people ignoring
Sunday services), crime, immorality,
public education without the Bible,
atheism, Romanism, and drunkenness.
Today we would add Islamic terrorism,
homosexuality, “transgenderism,” and
other modern evils.
Rome was the greatest and most
important city of the world in the apostle
Paul’s day, and he longed to go there to
preach the gospel (Romans 1:10, 11; cf.
15:22-24, 28, 29, 32). W. H. Griffith Thomas
said that Paul had “an intense longing to
witness for his Master in the very heart of
heathendom.” According to Acts 19:21,
“After these things were ended, Paul
purposed in the spirit, when he had passed
through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to
Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there,
I must also see Rome.”
We read in the book of Acts that Paul
preached in all the big cities of the Roman
Empire—Jerusalem, Damascus, Philippi,
Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia, Lystra, Derbe,
Ephesus, Athens, Corinth, Tyre, and many
others. In addition, Athens, another great
city of the ancient world, was the seat of
Greek literature and art, and its citizens
were known for their zeal in the worship
of their numerous gods. It was a sarcastic
saying of the Roman satirist that it was
“easier to find a god at Athens than a man.”
Acts 17:16 says that while Paul waited for
Silas and Timothy at Athens, “his spirit was
stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly
given to idolatry.”
What about the idolatry in our big
cities today? In addition to the idolatry of
Roman Catholicism, there are big Hindu
temples, Buddhist temples, and mosques
all over America. The Jehovah’s Witnesses,
Mormons, Nation of Islam, Scientology,
“New Age” cults, and others are growing
as well.
If we were to follow Paul’s example
today, we would start churches in big
cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Miami. In
New York City alone, there are over 8
million people with millions more in the
surrounding suburbs. Los Angeles is home
to nearly 4 million. There are over 3 million
in the Chicago area and over 2 million in
Houston.
A couple of years ago, Christians
around the country were shocked to
discover that Houston, Texas, had a lesbian
mayor—Annise Parker. In her intolerance,
she tried to subpoena pastors’ sermons
in an effort to enforce a controversial
city “transgender rights ordinance.” This
terrible development reminds us that we
need to start more churches in the big
cities—in the South as well as in the North.
The apostle Paul saw big cities as
strategic and sought to evangelize them,
but today few church planters share his
vision. There are many reasons why big
cities are not being reached. Pastoring
and church planting in the big cities is
difficult and very expensive. A preacher
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friend in Queens recently told me that his
church has been meeting in a Christian
Science church building. I asked him
how much it would cost to purchase the
building, and he said that it would cost $5
million. Another pastor friend in Queens
and his congregation are meeting in a
storefront. They are praying about buying
a 5,700-square-foot office
building a few blocks
away—the selling price: $5
million.
Fortunately, not all of
the buildings in New York
City cost $5 million. Our
church paid $275,000
back in 1998 for an old
fish market. But when
we added the renovation
costs for electrical,
plumbing, brick, HVAC work, fire alarms,
fire sprinklers, windows, doors, bathrooms,
carpentry, drywall, painting, floor tiles,
carpeting, ceilings, paved parking lot, two
new sewer lines, a dry well, etc., the cost
was over $1 million.
Lack of money, however, is not an
insurmountable problem. Matthew 9:36
says that when our Lord saw the multitudes,
“he was moved with compassion on them,
because they fainted, and were scattered
abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” And
then He said to His disciples, “The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the labourers are
few; Pray ye therefore the Lord
of the harvest, that he will send
forth labourers into his harvest”
(Matthew 9:37-38). Those who
answer God’s call to the cities
will, no doubt, see God provide.
Oswald Smith said,
“There you have the difficulties
of the task—a great harvest
and an inadequate number of
harvesters. But hark! The Master
continues to speak. Thank God,
He has the solution, and the problem is
solved. ‘Pray ye therefore….’ This then is
the secret—pray!” Brethren pray for us!
(James Barker has been the pastor of Bible Baptist
Church in Queens County, New York, since 1990.)
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CURRENT TRENDS
Peace in This Place:
Social Media in the Spotlight
Pastor Dan Armacost
Are you a Neville Chamberlain
Christian in your social media life?
Some fellow professing believers
believe that you (as one who has made
yourself their friend or follower on social
media) should never be so bold as to utilize
the sword of the Spirit boldly in this arena.
Maybe you have unwittingly agreed with
them, concluding that “it’s not the place
to be divisive.” You are using excuses.
What’s worse—your own heart weakens
as you leave that powerful sword resting
harmlessly at your side.
You have transferred Chamberlain’s
Peace for Our Time mantra* to your own
practice of Peace in This Place—a virtual
world apparently off-limits to the direct
application of the sword—the truth of the
Word of God. Do not hoodwink yourself;
this place is not neutral. By making peace
in this place that so frequently “blitzkriegs”
committed Christianity, you rest in a phony
truce while the enemy covertly advances.
The Axis powers of spiritual warfare never
employ a frontal assault; they simply ease
their way in over time.
Social media bills itself as neutral,
unbiased, relaxed, cool, and “accepting.”
But what do you think? And more
importantly, what does your Lord say?
To those who have made the decision
to enter this field of activity, soldier up!
Don’t cower. Take up your sword—you
are a soldier of the Lord! Never let your
sword hang unused by your side when
the truths of the eternal Word of God are
ignored, mocked, and belittled. Introduce
the sword to the place of pseudo-peace.
Publish its contents. Uphold it and, by all
means, put your sword into action. If your
sword remains sheathed, as time goes
on you will experience the effects of that
choice.
The powerful triumvirate of the world,
the flesh, and the devil has found a home
among some whom you call friends. Well,
“friend,” take your sword out and engage
this Axis force enslaving your friend. That’s
genuine friendship. Don’t be Chamberlain
to the one who needs Churchill.
Chamberlain was popular, Churchill
was not; yet ultimately, Chamberlain was a
disgrace. The precious and powerful Word
of God applied to this part of your life may
just rescue your friend from the world, the
flesh, and the devil.
Don’t be a Neville Chamberlain on your
social media.
(Dan Armacost is the Dean of Students at Fairhaven
Baptist College.)
*On July 23, 1938, British Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain met with the leader of the
Third Reich, Adolph Hitler. Through the Munich
Agreement, a region of Czechoslovakia was
conceded to Hitler, and Chamberlain felt peace
had been reached. Quickly he proclaimed
“peace for our time” in a speech to the British
people. A year later, Britain was under siege
and the destructive WWII was underway. In
this war, over 60 million people were killed,
which was about 3% of the 1940 world’s
population.
Don’t be
Chamberlain
to the one who
needs Churchill.
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www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 13

FBC ALUMNI
Jacob Unger (‘13)
FBC alumni, Jacob Unger, was approached by
his pastor about the opportunity of going to
Nepal to help a church establish a Christian
school. Below is an update about his time in
Nepal.
If you had told me in high school or even
just last year that someday I would be
spending several months in Nepal, I
would have called you
crazy. I am not an
adventurous person and
prefer the conveniences
and cleanliness in
Canada. However, God
purposely leads us just
one step at a time and
prepares us with each
step for following on.
Living in Nepal for
three months was life-changing. It was
not necessarily because of the challenging
living conditions, but because of the
amazing work that God did in my life. I
went with the idea that
I would be helping at a
school, but God put me
there to help me.
Because I was far
from home and alone,
I had to turn to God.
The language barrier,
interesting animal and
insect friends, and
inconsistent electricity
and water proved to be
teaching tools that strengthened my trust
in God, my prayer life, and my desire to
glorify Him.
One particular day comes to mind. I
needed to shower but had no water. I broke
a fellow teacher’s last bottle of tea tree oil
while trying to disinfect my apartment. I
did not have a good attitude. I had been
cheerful about the cockroaches, mice, and
shrews. I knew Paul and Silas were able
to sing in prison, but something must have
been wrong with them! I did not feel
like singing, and I wasn’t even in prison!
As I was wallowing in self-pity, the Lord
reminded me that I really do not deserve
anything except hell. Since I am saved,
I can rejoice no matter what! With this
attitude adjustment, I began to pray.
Allow me to share a couple ways the
Lord met my “everyday” needs. I needed
tea tree oil and water. I did an Internet
search to find the oil.
Every store that came
up was far away and
did not include street
names. I didn’t dare
venture out on my
own because I didn’t
speak Nepali. Then,
the Lord brought
to mind Jospeh, a
Korean-American at
church. I sent him the phone numbers,
and five minutes later, he called. He could
pick up the tea tree oil the next day!
Next, I decided to fill some buckets with
water from the school,
but when I opened my
door, there stood the
landlord. In perfect
English, he asked if I
had water. I replied,
“No.” “I will fix that.
Give me five minutes,”
he said. Five minutes
later, I had water!
Coincidences? No!
God showered me
with undeserved blessings. One does not
have to go to Nepal to learn these lessons,
but there is something about stepping
completely out of your comfort zone. Let
God lead you, and He will amaze you with
what He has in store for you!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
March 10
Men and Boys’ Barbeque
March 17
Academy Volleyball and
Basketball Tournament
April 23-27
Preaching Conference and
College Days
May 18
College Graduation
August 1-3
Educators’ Conference
August 28
College Opening Week
September 24
Anniversary Sunday
November 6-9
Empowered Youth
Look for us on:
fairhaven.sermonaudio.com
“Only fear the LORD, and serve
him in truth with all your heart:
for consider how great things
he hath done for you.”
I Samuel 12:24
www.fairhavenbaptist.org │ 15

86 East Oak Hill Road
Chesterton, Indiana 46304
“It is delightful to see the
footprints of the Lord on the sea
of changing events.”
Charles Spurgeon
Contact Us:
Phone: 800-SEE-FHBC
Email: fundamentalist@fairhavenbaptist.org