Always Abounding - Fall 2020

FUNDAMENTALIST
Always
Abounding

2 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING
Excerpts taken from the May 2020 BBC Update.
Go to www.fhbc.me/ekklesia to read the article in its entirety.

C o n f e r e n c e 2 0 2 1
family
But as for me and my H O U S E
we will S E R V E the Lord
Joshua 24:15
Guest Speakers Include:
Dr. David Sorenson
Pastor Chris Starr
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 3

BUT CONTINUE THOU . . .
by Dr. Randy Starr
2
Timothy 3:14
says, “But
continue thou
in the things
which thou
hast learned
and hast been
assured of,
knowing of
whom thou hast learned them.”
The apostle Paul wrote 13-
14 books (letters) of the New
Testament, the last of which was 2
Timothy. As he is preparing to move
off the scene, his final words are
warnings and challenges. In verses
1-9, he warns them again about
wicked men and what they want to
do. By contrast, he reminds them
of his doctrine, manner of life, and
attitude in ministry (vs. 10). Still, he
tells them that when you do right,
you will face opposition. Paul did
(vs. 11), but he reminds them that
he endured. The Lord delivered
him “out of them all,” and he kept
going.
Paul makes the application that
every person who will live godly will
face opposition. BUT THEN—he
brings Timothy back to the fact that,
even in that evil atmosphere—YOU
CAN CONTINUE in what you’ve
been taught from the Bible. Paul
was saying, “I made it, and so can
you. I endured, and so can you. I
stood for truth in spite of adversity,
and so can you.”
A few days after the tragedy of
the bombing of our Marine barracks
in Beirut in the 1980s, Marine Corps
Commandant Paul X. Kelly visited
some of the wounded survivors in
a hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.
Among them was Corporal Jeffrey
Lee Nashton, severely wounded in
the incident. Nashton had so many
tubes running in and out of his body
that a witness said he looked more
like a machine than a man; yet he
survived.
As Kelly neared him, Nashton,
struggling to move and racked with
pain, motioned for a piece of paper
and a pen. He wrote a brief note and
passed it back to the Commandant.
On the slip of paper were but two
words—Semper Fi—the Latin motto
of the Marines meaning “forever
faithful.” With those two simple
words Nashton spoke for the millions
of Americans who have sacrificed
body and limb and their lives for their
country—those who have remained
faithful.
Likewise, Paul challenged all of us
to have that same kind of metal about
us that, no matter what comes, we
will resolve to be “forever faithful” to
our Lord and His Word.
I think of Fairhaven Baptist
College’s 44 years of training young
4 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING

people for Christian service. Anyone
can start something, but it takes
courage, tenacity, and perseverance
through good times and bad to
“continue” to do it year after year and
not quit. It also takes determination
and commitment to Biblical truth
NOT to change what you stand for
and believe to gain a larger crowd
(like so many Bible colleges have
done). Hats off to Fairhaven for its
example of continuing on from a
humble beginning in 1970 (church)
and 1977 (college) to this very day.
There are two other applications
worth mentioning. Every student
who has been privileged to go
through FBC has a responsibility to
“continue thou in the things which
thou hast learned…knowing of
whom thou has learned them.” Every
FBC graduate who is under attack or
discouraged or has fallen on difficult
times, you should keep looking up.
You can make it. The Lord is your
keeper. Continue thou!
Finally, we MUST mention that
the Lord has faithfully guided and
kept Fairhaven Baptist Church and
College through difficult times to
bring them to where they are today.
We MUST be faithful because our
Lord is—Semper Fi.
(Dr. Randy Starr is a local church evangelist sent out
from Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Brogue, Pennsylvania.)
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 5

MEET A FAIRHAVEN STUDENT
Daniel Zdziarski (‘21)
My dad
is the
pastor
of Tabernacle
Baptist Church
in Quincy,
Illinois, where
I was raised
and have had
the privilege of
growing up surrounded by the Word
of God. I was born in Chicago and
lived there for the first four years of
my life. My dad was then called to
pastor in Quincy, and as any good
four year old I followed him there.
As a boy, I took salvation and the
Bible for granted—attending church
because my parents did and serving
because it was expected. When
only seven years old, I remember my
dad preaching a salvation message
one Sunday night. When my sister
went forward during the invitation, I
went forward because she did. After
praying at the altar for a few seconds,
she told my dad she needed to be
saved. I followed and asked to be
saved as well. Needless to say, that
profession was hardly sincere. I had
only copied my sister without any true
conviction of my sin. It was not until
I was thirteen that I contemplated
the gift of salvation and what it truly
meant. In the early hours of the
morning of November 10, I realized
I could no longer simply think about
salvation, but I desperately needed
to accept it as my own. I went to my
parents and told them that I needed
to be saved. At that moment, I knew
for sure I was saved.
When I was fourteen, I decided on
a career for my future. I was going to
be a pilot. My heart was set on that
for a couple of years. Deep down, I
knew that it was not what God wanted
for my life but that it was what I
wanted to do. I tried to compromise
and allow God to have half of my life.
I told everyone I was going to be a
missionary pilot. That should have
satisfied God, right? Still, God would
not leave me alone. He wanted my
whole life…a complete surrender.
It was not until May 22, 2016, that
I fully surrendered to God and His
will. Former missionary Pat Gordon
preached a stirring message on the
need for missions, and that night
I gave my life to the Lord to serve
Him on the mission field. I decided
that whether I was driving a jeep
on a dusty road, catching a bus in a
crowded city, or flying a plane over a
country, it did not matter because I
was now completely surrendered to
my Lord for however, whenever, and
wherever He wants me to serve Him.
Two years later, God led me to
Fairhaven Baptist College. I am
studying missions and trying to learn
everything I can to become a more
effective servant of Jesus Christ. I
6 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING

have had the opportunity to work in
the bus ministry, Sunday School, and
even lend a hand in the Thursday
night Master Club program. It has
definitely been a blessing to work
in these different ministries. I do
not claim to know the exact location
or the exact capacity in which God
intends to use me. However, of this
I am sure—if I stay faithful to God,
pray for His guidance, and remain
involved in His work, it will only be
a matter of time before God reveals
His precise will to me. Until then, I
will just keep serving, learning, and
loving my Lord.
dr. david sorenson
module course
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 7

PITFALLS IN THE PEW
by Dr. Steve Damron
Se v e r a l
years back
the “Merv
Griffin Show”
had for a guest
a bodybuilder.
During the
interview, Merv
asked, “Why
do you develop
those particular muscles?”
The bodybuilder simply stepped
forward and flexed a series of muscles
from chest to calf. The audience
applauded.
“What do you use all those
muscles for?” Merv asked. Again, the
muscular specimen flexed, and biceps
and triceps sprouted to impressive
proportions.
“But what do you use those muscles
for?” Merv persisted. There was a
moment of confused embarrassment
as the bodybuilder sat down in
bewilderment. He didn’t have an
answer to the question other than to
display a well-developed frame. So it
is for us who sit in the pew week after
week and have our spiritual muscles
developed. If we are not careful, we as
believers will be as silly as the mindless
body builder who had no idea of why
he developed his muscles. The apostle
Paul addressed this idea in the book of
Hebrews:
“For when for the time ye ought
to be teachers, ye have need that
one teach you again which be the first
principles of the oracles of God; and
are become such as have need of milk,
and not of strong meat. For every one
that useth milk is unskilful in the word
of righteousness: for he is a babe. But
strong meat belongeth to them that are
of full age, even those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil” (Hebrews
5:12-14).
It is imperative that not only the
pulpit be Biblical in its attention to
doctrinal and heart issues, but that
those in the pew also understand the
Biblical reasons for preaching. This
could be redefined as some “spiritual
weightlifting.” Church members go to
church for the instruction and building
of spiritual muscles so that they will
be equipped to go forth in this dark
world and present the light of Jesus
Christ. Granted, there are some things
that the preachers need to be careful
of, but there are also “pitfalls in the
pew.” May God help us to consider
our hearts as we consider some texts
in this article.
Let’s look at two well-known texts
that help us understand the gifts God
gives us through pastors to help the
body of believers move ahead in their
spiritual maturation:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service. And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God. For I say, through the
8 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING

grace given unto me, to every man
that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith. For as we have
many members in one body, and all
members have not the same office:
So we, being many, are one body in
Christ, and every one members one
of another. Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to
us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy
according to the proportion of faith; Or
ministry, let us wait on our ministering:
or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or
he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he
that giveth, let him do it with simplicity;
he that ruleth, with diligence; he that
sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness”
(Romans 12:1-8).
“And he gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers; For
the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ: That we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie
in wait to deceive; But speaking the
truth in love, may grow up into him
in all things, which is the head, even
Christ: From whom the whole body
fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying
of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Be Careful of a Complaining Spirit
“Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the
son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and
Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab,
and On, the son of Peleth, sons of
Reuben, took men: And they rose
up before Moses, with certain of the
children of Israel, two hundred and
fifty princes of the assembly, famous in
the congregation, men of renown: And
they gathered themselves together
against Moses and against Aaron, and
said unto them, Ye take too much upon
you, seeing all the congregation are
holy, every one of them, and the LORD
is among them: wherefore then lift ye
up yourselves above the congregation
of the LORD?” (Numbers 16:1-3).
“And the LORD spake unto
Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Separate yourselves from among this
congregation, that I may consume
them in a moment. And they fell upon
their faces, and said, O God, the God
of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man
sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the
congregation?” (Numbers 16:20-22).
Other Scriptures to consider
include: Exodus 5:21; Exodus 15:24;
Exodus 16:2-3; Numbers 20:2-4. You
will notice that there are some common
themes in the verses above. They
deal with a group of individuals that
did not like the provisions that God
gave, the leaders that God provided,
or the decisions that God made.
Woe to the church that has pews full
of complainers! This attitude was
prevalent in the Old Testament with
the children of Israel. Sometimes as
you read through the Old Testament,
the impression is that nothing God
would have done for the children of
Israel would have been good enough.
(cont., pg 10)
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 9

This can sadly be true today of many
that attend fundamental Baptist
churches. I have labeled this “the gift.”
I have met many folks who have been
given the “Independent Baptist gift.”
“What is that?” you might ask—the
gift of criticism. There are some folks
who have a natural tendency towards
“negativity.” They can find the wrong in
everyone and everything. They can find
the wrong note, the wrong motive, the
wrong outline, the wrong punctuation,
the wrong wording, the wrong color,
the wrong guest speaker—you get the
point. However, when you confront
this person, then you are judgmental
and do not understand their gift. Also,
they have twisted Scriptures around so
much that they have a justification for
all their criticisms and gripes. This spirit
in the pew is a horrible blight, and as
you find in the Old Testament, God
does not look favorably on it.
So what is the cure for a complaining
spirit? A Complimenting Spirit.
“Let no corrupt communication
proceed out of your mouth, but that
which is good to the use of edifying,
that it may minister grace unto the
hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit
of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the
day of redemption. Let all bitterness,
and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and
evil speaking, be put away from you,
with all malice: And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ’s sake
hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:29-
32).
Henry W. Beecher, the famous
pulpit orator, once had to be absent
and his brother was invited to speak for
him. The church house was crowded,
but when it became evident the
eloquent Henry Beecher was not going
to appear, many started to leave.
Beecher’s brother was not disturbed.
He stood up before the murmuring
crowd, called for silence and said, “All
who came this morning to worship
Henry W. Beecher may now leave. The
rest will remain and worship God.”
Learn to follow the admonition of
the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 and
try to have your speech filled with
kindness and forgiveness. It will go a
long way to help spread the gospel.
Beware of a Cold Heart
“Unto the angel of the church of
Ephesus write; These things saith he
that holdeth the seven stars in his
right hand, who walketh in the midst
of the seven golden candlesticks; I
know thy works, and thy labour, and
thy patience, and how thou canst not
bear them which are evil: and thou hast
tried them which say they are apostles,
and are not, and hast found them liars:
And hast borne, and hast patience,
and for my name’s sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I
have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation
2:1-4).
This disease seems to creep into so
many churches that have been dead
for many years and have experienced
no life and yet keep functioning. The
“cold heart” is a dangerous disease
that starts with a slow progression of
moving away from that first love in the
Christian life, Christ. Some Christians
forget that Christ is the focal point
of the believer’s life. When we move
away from this central theme, we can
become cold and dead in our walk
with the Lord, in our service to the
10 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING

Lord, and in our dedication to the
Lord. Note in the text of Revelation
2 that this church labored, and was
seemingly opposed to sin. They were
even aware of apostate doctrine. These
are admirable traits, but they had left
that which is the whole focus, Christ.
Don’t get tired of hearing of salvation,
of hearing of Calvary, of hearing about
the great doctrine of Christology. We
should as Christians be thrilled to sing
whole heartedly, “Christ is all I need!”
So, what is the believer’s cure for
ridding himself of a cold heart?
Remember Calvary.
When we get cold in our Christian
walk, we must pause and take a trip
back to the foot of the cross. It will
be there that we will find our hearts
softened as we see once again our
suffering Savior upon the tree for the
sins of the whole world. But, when it
becomes even more personal and you
realize that it was your sinfulness that
put Christ on the cross, you will once
again have a passion to love and serve
this amazing Savior.
“Sometimes I go to God and
say, ‘God, if Thou dost never answer
another prayer while I live on this earth,
I will still worship Thee as long as I live
and in the ages to come for what Thou
hast done already.’ God has already
put me so far in debt that if I were to
live one million millenniums, I couldn’t
pay Him for what He’s done for me.”
A.W. Tozer
Watch Out for a Carnal Heart
“And unto the angel of the church
in Thyatira write; These things saith the
Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto
a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine
brass; I know thy works, and charity,
and service, and faith, and thy patience,
and thy works; and the last to be more
than the first. Notwithstanding I have a
few things against thee, because thou
sufferest that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach
and to seduce my servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed
unto idols. And I gave her space to
repent of her fornication; and she
repented not” (Revelation 2:18-21).
One commentator says the
following on this passage: “The longest
message was sent to the church in
Thyatira, the smallest city of the seven.
Thyatira was a military town as well as
a commercial center with many trade
guilds (unions). Wherever guilds and
a military presence were found there
was idolatry and immorality. The city
boasted a special temple to Apollo, the
sun god, which is interesting because
in the text the title, the Son of God, is
used. It is the only time in the book
of Revelation that this title for God is
used.”
Beware of allowing “the spirit of
Jezebel” to enter your heart, either as
a church or as an individual. What is this
spirit? The spirit of Jezebel is allowing
the world to infect our worship.
Whenever the ideas of religion and
fornication are combined, it is a
reference to spiritual harlotry. This is the
concept of allowing something else to
come in and replace the preeminence
of God in our hearts. This is what the
carnal spirit and the world desires for
the Christian. The carnal man wants
fewer restrictions and demands on his
life. The worldly man wants to have
the world’s approval and the world’s
system and still be able to be looked
at as a Christian.
(cont., pg 12)
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 11

So, what is the cure for the carnal
heart? Holiness and Godliness.
You will notice in Revelation 2 that
God’s fire once again must burn in
our hearts. His holy fire can burn the
chaff of this world out of our hearts.
We should desire holiness as a church.
The spirit of carnality should not be
“comfortable” in our church. We
should speak the truth in love, yes, but
we must speak the truth. We must be
zealous for this in His church.
“In proportion as a church is holy,
in that proportion will its testimony for
Christ be powerful.” – C. H. Spurgeon
Never Give Space
to a Complacent Attitude
“And unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the beginning of the creation
of God; I know thy works, that thou
art neither cold nor hot: I would thou
wert cold or hot. So then because thou
art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked” (Revelation
3:14-17).
So, what is the cure for a complacent
heart? Repentance.
You will notice in Revelation 3 that
several remedies are offered to return a
lukewarm heart to godliness.
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest
be clothed, and that the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke
and chasten: be zealous therefore, and
repent” (Revelation 3:18-19).
The “complacent attitude” is very
similar to the cold heart. Their similar
consequences illustrate the power
that a cold and complacent heart can
have. The hymnwriter wrote, “Prone to
wander—Lord, I feel it— Prone to leave
the God I love.” This is true today of the
believer. So, we must repent—change
our actions. Come to the Savior for
counsel and get the true riches. Let
Him give you the riches that are most
important and then let Him clothe you
again with righteousness.
“A church that does not exist to
reclaim heathenism, to fight evil, to
destroy error, to put down falsehood;
a church that does not exist to take the
side of the poor, to denounce injustice
and to hold up righteousness, is a
church that has no right to be.” – C. H.
Spurgeon
In 1976, Vince Papale was a 30-yearold
substitute teacher and bartender in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and his
buddies spent most Sunday afternoons
in the fall either playing football at
the park or watching the Philadelphia
Eagles play on television. Week after
week they had high hopes, but week
after week they got beat. Then a new
head coach was hired—a man by the
name of Dick Vermeil, who had led
UCLA to a Rose Bowl win the previous
year. Vermeil convinced the owner
of the Eagles to hold public tryouts,
mostly as a publicity stunt to stir up
excitement among the fans, who had
very little to cheer about in recent
years.
About the same time, Vince Papale
lost his substitute teaching job and
12 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING

subsequently lost his wife. Vince went
to talk to his father and see what he
thought about Vince trying out for the
Eagles. His father advised him not to
because as he put it “a man can only
take so much failure.” On the other
hand, all of his football buddies and a
few of his co-workers encouraged him
to try out for the team.
Most of the men who tried out
were out of shape “has beens” or
“wannabees.” At the end of the day
the only one to be selected was Vince.
At the age of 30 he became the oldest
rookie in the NFL.
But even though Vince may
have convinced Coach Vermeil that
he could play, he still had to prove
himself to the rest of his teammates,
which he eventually did out of sheer
determination and hard work. He was
named the captain of the special teams
unit and became a local hero and fan
favorite. Eagles fans were crazy about
the idea of a regular working-class guy
coming down out of the stands and
getting into the game.
Many in the pew today would
transform a church if they would take
this benchwarmer’s mindset. Today
we need some “Vince Papales” who
will get out of the stands and step
into fulfilling what a Biblical member
should be: a sold-out, studious, soulconscious,
sacrificing, serving, selfless
church member. Oh, that God would
bring to our Independent Baptist
churches members that desire to see
God’s moving in their midst.
“O LORD, I have heard thy speech,
and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy
work in the midst of the years, in the
midst of the years make known; in
wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk
3:2).
(Steve Damron is the pastor of Fairhaven Baptist
Church and president of Fairhaven Baptist College.)
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 13

MEET A FAIRHAVEN ALUMNI
by Mrs. Tammy Sinz (‘95)
God called my dad to move to
Chesterton, Indiana, to start
attending Fairhaven Baptist
Church, so I, Tammy (Stockman)
Sinz, had the privilege of attending
Fairhaven nursery in 1974 as a one
year old. He found what God’s will
was for his life and did it.
Through my many years of
growing up at Fairhaven, I heard
these words over and over—“Find
God’s Will and Do It!” Doing God’s
will is not a once-in-a-lifetime
decision…it is a daily choice! Every
day, we have decisions to make—
do our choices line up with God’s
Word and His will?
The most important part of the
will of God for our lives is to accept
Jesus Christ as our Savior. In April
of 1988, Dr. Voegtlin preached a
message on hell. This message
was aimed right at me. I remember
sitting in my pew thinking: “I don’t
want to burn in hell, but everyone
thinks I’m saved. I’ve grown up in a
good Christian home; I attend this
good church; my dad is on staff;
what are people going to think?”
But, thankfully, the Holy Spirit kept
nudging me, and I went forward at
the invitation that Sunday morning
and trusted Christ as my own
personal Savior. This was by far
the best decision that I ever made.
This decision set the precedent for
the rest of my life.
A few years later, in my eleventh
grade year of high school, I spotted
the man that God had for me to
marry. I liked him from that first
glimpse; however, he did not get
that same memo until Christmas
Banquet of my senior year of high
school. We were married in 1993.
I am so thankful for my husband
and his willingness to follow God’s
will in every aspect of our lives.
Through the years together, we
have learned a lot about the will of
God.
Finding the will of God and doing
it is not always easy. Throughout
our married life, God has moved
us to work in different ministries.
Sometimes, these moves did not
make any sense to us or others
around us, but we KNEW it was
God’s will, so we did it. Certain
of these moves were extremely
difficult. Our hearts were with the
people in those ministries we were
moved from, and it hurt to leave.
But, as I look back on these moves,
I see how God was preparing us for
14 | ALWAYS ABOUNDING

where He has us now.
Doing the will of God is not
always popular. If it was, I believe
we would see many more people
doing it. There were many times
that we were scoffed at, rejected,
and hurt because we followed
God’s will, but God was faithful to
be there and to help us through
those difficult times.
God always blesses those who
are doing His will. I was brought
up in the way that He had for me
at Fairhaven Baptist Church and
bless our church above all we could
ever imagine. He is saving souls
and growing His church.
Living the will of God is the best
life that anyone can have.
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily
loadeth us with benefits, even the
God of our salvation. Selah.”
(Psalm 68:19).
(Tammy Sinz (‘95) has been married to Pastor Scott
Sinz (‘93) for 27 years and serves the Lord faithfully
alongside him at Mountain View Baptist Church in
Challis, Idaho.)
Academy. I don’t ever look back
and wish that I had grown up
differently. This was the will He had
mapped out for me. I am thankful
for all that God taught me and that
He continues to teach me.
Living in the will of God is
the greatest joy that one can
experience. I would not trade living
in the will of God for anything. He
has given me a goodly heritage!
He has blessed me more than I ever
deserve with the best husband in
the world, four children, and two
grandchildren. He has allowed my
husband to pastor Mountain Valley
Baptist Church in the middle of the
Idaho mountains. He continues to
www.fairhavenbaptist.org | 15

86 East Oak Hill Road
Chesterton, Indiana 46304