Tag Archive for: Estes Echo

Estes Echo

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The Limpet and the Rock

There is a little sea creature called Noto acmaea testudinalis. It is a little gastropod animal having arched, non-spiraling shells with broad ventral openings. These little things are all over the world. They cling tenaciously to rocks and submerged timber. They are better known as Limpets.

The BBC recently reported that scientists have measured the strength of the teeth of the ubiquitous limpet. These persistent creatures use their “teeth” to cling to rocks. High-tech measurements indicated that these small creatures’ teeth are stronger than all but the very strongest of man-made substances–tougher than Kevlar and many high performance carbon fiber materials. Imagine a piece of spaghetti holding 3,000 two-pound bags of sugar; that’s an equivalent strength.

The lives of these small creatures revolves around clinging to the sides of a rock and clinging tenaciously to it. They face their biggest danger when they leave the rock where they have made their home–a small scraped out place in the rock’s surface.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon made use of the limpet in the following illustration.

Our little friend the limpet does not know much, but he clings. He cannot tell us much about what he is clinging to, is not acquainted with the geological formation of the rock, but he clings! He has found something to cling to; and with his little bit of knowledge, he uses it to cling to the rock of his salvation; it is the limpet’s life to cling. Thousands of God’s people have no more faith than this; they know to cling to Jesus with all their heart and soul and this suffices. Jesus Christ is to them a Savior strong and mighty.and they cleave to him as to a rock unmoveable and immutable.

“In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Psa. 62:7).

I cannot comprehend the nature of God, but I believe (Job. 9:10). God is beyond my comprehension. Where my feeble understanding fails, faith takes over. I need no deep and complicated explanation of my God in heaven in order to have a faith that keeps me in the cleft of the Rock of Ages. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psa. 61:2).

O Rock in the desert, I fly unto thee,
When tempest and storms sweep the sky.
I hide in the cleft that was riven for me,
For safety on Thee I rely.

–Submitted

Estes Echo

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Baptism in First Century Jerusalem

Many people today have questions about baptism. Is it really necessary? And if so, by what method? With a great deal of confusion in our religious world concerning baptism, it is helpful to see how it was performed in the first century.

As indicated by the New Testament, baptism was first administered by immersion – this is what the term baptize means. This was not a radical invention; Jews had engaged in ritual immersion long before Christ’s birth. They used mikva’ot (singular mikveh), or ritual bathing pools. They were square in shape and equipped with a set of steps by which a person could access the water. Some mikva’ot were small. Others were much larger, more than capable of accommodating an adult.

The Greek word baptizo means to plunge, dip, or submerge. There would be little question about this fact if English translators had chosen to translate the term rather than transliterate it. This decision permitted the continuation of methods already in use that had developed over time, such as sprinkling and pouring.

In the first century, baptism was considered indispensable. This is reflected in the writings of some of the early church fathers. For example, Tertullian called Christians were “little fish” because they were “born in water” (De Baptismo, 17). In time, other methods began to be used. This may have begun in order to accommodate those who did not have adequate availability to the proper facilities. Today, sprinkling and pouring remain as popular methods. Some, recognizing the need for water but exercising greater flexibility, go even farther. I once knew a Presbyterian minister during my time in seminary who “baptized” a man by dipping his thumb into a cup of water and then placing it on the man’s forehead.

The question inevitably arises, “If baptism was by immersion only, how were 3000 people baptized on Pentecost?” To put it simply, mikva’ot were everywhere in Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered well over one hundred of them in Jerusalem, with nearly forty within a stone’s throw of the Temple Mount. We have to remember that these pools were for both inhabitants of Jerusalem and pilgrims. This is in addition to the mikva’ot that were part of every synagogue. Additionally, the mikva’ot at the Temple Mount were fed by nearby cisterns which, in turn, were fed by aqueducts so that the pools would have plenty of water.

Jewish believers took ritual purity very seriously. In pictures of mikva’ot, we might notice that there is often a stone dividing line going down the middle of the pool’s staircase. This was to ensure that the ceremonially unclean person did not ascend the same way in which he had entered the mikveh. The distinction between clear and unclean was crystal clear – a person descended down one side of the steps and ascended the other.

Some today may be tempted to think that people make too much of baptism. They disagree that baptism is necessary, citing passages stating that salvation does not consist of works (Eph. 2:9). Here they equate baptism with some kind of meritorious work. Scripture does not define it this way. Instead, it is merely the final act of faith in which one demonstrates his or her commitment to Christ. And its importance is emphasized by Luke, who was careful to record baptism as a part of every conversion experience in the book of Acts.

We might look at another example. If the man born blind had never washed his eyes at the pool of Siloam per Jesus’ instructions, would his eyesight have been restored? Personally, I don’t think so. What if he had washed in some other body of water? Jesus didn’t command him to do that. Jesus gave him specific instructions. If the man had not obeyed, then we have no reason to think that he would have been able to see again.

The offer of sight was a free gift, as long as a specified conditions was met: the man was to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. Does this mean the man earned his sight? Of course not. Similarly, salvation in the New Testament has its own conditions. Everyone–excepting the universalists–agrees that faith is a requirement; this is beyond dispute. For those who insist that baptism is necessary, this is merely part of the requirement of faith, as the Bible makes abundantly clear.

–Dewayne Bryant, reprinted from his blog, Looking at all Things Spiritually,
https://dewaynebryant.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/baptism-in-first-century-jerusalem/

Estes Echo

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Biblical Interpretation in Perspective

One extreme of biblical analysis is to deny any supernatural component and to view scripture merely as the words of men. The other extreme is to focus solely on the Bible’s divine perspective as the word of God and to discount the most basic reality that it has been transmitted in the words of men. A more balanced approach is to appreciate that the books of the Bible were inspired by God’s Spirit as they were written by real people in real places in real-life situations, dealing with real issues in actual historical and cultural contexts. Accordingly, to deal fairly and adequately with this collection of sacred writings (2 Timothy 2:15), one must respect its divine origin and supervision, while acknowledging the human contribution and the relevance of foundational matters such as text, language, transmission, authorship, provenance, date, audience, occasion, purpose, and historical-cultural settings.

–Kevin L. Moore

Estes Echo

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Remorse or Repentance?

What is remorse? What is repentance to you? When you talk to God, do you confess your sins to Him? We often do and conclude the prayer by saying something like, “God help me to do better…” Though we always need God’s help and God wants to help us, God won’t take over our lives and make our decisions for us. From the very beginning of time, God gave mankind freewill to choose right from wrong, and we will live with the consequences from those decisions. When we sin, either publicly or privately, do we confess our sins to the person we offended or only to God? “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

What gets in our way from doing such a thing? I’d argue that it’s pride. If we could humble ourselves to the point where we can go to someone and ask for help, we will have taken a dramatic step in the right direction to becoming better children of God. Confessing that we have a problem is the first step, but the second step is harder. “Actually turning away from that sin? You’re joking, right?” How often do we “repent” of our sins and the next day find ourselves doing that exact thing that we repented of the day earlier? True repentance involves transformation. Doing the 180. Not living on the Devil’s doorstep. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

It’s so easy in our lives to fall into a rut and get lazy or want something new, but we must be careful. When we look to other places instead of The Book, we will find ourselves so far out there in the world that no one will recognize us. However, if we can change our hearts and minds from thinking evil things to good things, then when life throws us curveballs we can rely on the strength that God offers to us and together we can come out on top with His help. “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). How often do we still try and cling to the wrong thing? Paul charges us to develop a discomfort with evil and a craving for being good and right. There is a difference between remorse and repentance. Feeling sorry or guilty for the bad thing we’ve done is good. I believe that God put that feeling in us for a reason, but true repentance takes action and, yes, work. So the next time we mess up, will we confess our sin and going right back to that lifestyle? Or will we see the bigger picture and fervently try to turn away from the sin in our lives?

–Alex Blackwelder

Estes Echo

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Special Servants
(but not the only servants)

The word “deacon” comes from “diakonos” which is translated “servant.” Deacons are appointed because there is a service to be rendered. They are not appointed just so we can say that we have deacons at Estes. Authority is given to the deacons by the elders to perform a specific work that needs to be done, but we cannot expect the deacons to do all of the work. Every member at Estes has work he or she can do to further the cause of Christ.

We are blessed at Estes with a great group of hard working deacons. In I Timothy 3:8-13 we find the qualifications of deacons. If you haven’t read that passage recently, may we suggest you do so. The elders at Estes wish to put forward the names of twelve men we think meet these qualifications and have proven themselves worthy of the office of a deacon. These men are listed here along with the areas of work they will be involved in:

  • Jonathan Estes College Age Class and Activities
  • Jonathan Harrison Incite/Benevolence
  • Ryan Hysmith Haiti Missions
  • Jim Jones Member Support Services
  • Nathan Kitchen Sound Booth
  • Greg Massey Benevolence/Haiti Missions
  • Kevin Moore Local Outreach
  • Jeremy Northrop Member Support Services
  • Davis Parten Move In Service
  • Brent Rudder Lads to Leaders
  • Mark Scott Education Director (Adult Classes)
  • Trent Scott Website/Advertising/Incite

As is our custom at Estes, the congregation will be given a period of about two weeks to carefully consider these men in light of I Timothy 3:8-13. If anyone has a scriptural reason why any one of these men should not be appointed as a deacon, please put that in a signed statement and give it to one of the elders by August 21. If these men are found to be worthy of the office of deacon, they will be installed as such on August 23.

Don’t forget to include these men in your prayers, and let them know you are praying for them as they anticipate serving as deacons of the Lord’s church at Estes.

–The Estes elders

Estes Echo

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Scriptures to Ponder for the Back to School Season

It’s that time of year again. Summer has come and gone for those of us who attend or work in public school. As the new school year begins, anxiety brews on each side of the teacher’s desk. Here are just a few reminders to help get your school year off to a great start.

These reminders can aid both student and teacher alike from kindergarten through the collegiate level.

S – “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”- Isiah 41:10

C – “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”- Psalm 27:14

H – “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”- Psalm 33:20

O – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”- John 1:14

O – “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” –Psalm 106:3

L – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”- Romans 5:8

Take some time this week to encourage both the young people and the educators who are returning to the classroom. Encourage them to be emboldened as Godly people and to continue to be a light in a world of darkness.

-Steven Marise

Estes Echo

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Wow, What a Week!

Vacation Bible School 2015 at Estes was a tremendous week! VBS experienced record crowds every night, averaging over 460.

Have you ever wanted to look inside a beehive to see all the activity but were afraid to? With a stroll down the hall of the preschool area and a peep though the door, you would have witnessed many, many busy little “bees”, eager little boys and girls, and lots and lots of dedicated adults. Think about managing 9 in the nursery, 20 two year olds, and 27 three and four year olds every night!

10 registrars, 28 tribe leaders, 139 tribe members, multiple song leaders, 76 creative learning center workers, 28 preschool teachers, 8 cookie ladies, many cookie bakers, 6000 cookies, 3 coke men, 60 gallons of coke, 11 gallons of milk, 3 crafters, 4 auditorium teachers, 1 bell ringer (and one wannabe), 1 education director and 6 assistants, an adult class averaging 64, and 56 folks wandering around, all working for the same cause. Yes, it’s a long and tiring week, but a fun filled week that many, young and old alike, will remember as we saw the Giants of Genesis come to life.

A huge congratulations is due to all who participated in every way and a big thank you to Jason for his fearless leadership!

It is amazing that 1852 souls came through our doors throughout the four nights, all learning more about God and His creation. If you weren’t involved, we missed you; if you were involved, we thank you!

It is not too early to get your name on the list for Vacation Bible School 2016. The spots will go quickly, so don’t get left out. Be a Booster!

–the elders

Estes Echo

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Estes Echo

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When the Road is Rough

We woke early on Saturday morning. We were working in the yard by 6 a.m. The call came about three hours later. Linda sent one of the girls to get me. I immediately knew something was wrong. The news was tragic, and I now had to pass that news on to my mom. The subtle, soothing chorus of the calm summer morning was quickly replaced with the wailing of a mother in mourning. The smooth road had just become very rough and would likely remain that way for several days and weeks ahead. How does one bring stability during the turbulence of life?

One strategy can be to lean on others. Others can be a source of strength and encouragement. Just as Mary and Martha were comforted by fellow Jews when Lazarus died, we too can be comforted by our fellow Christians in difficult times (John 11:18-20). The scriptures tell us, “Two are better than one…if either of them falls down, one can help the other up…A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Eccl. 4:9-12)

A second approach to getting through tough times is to let the great Comforter, comfort. Paul tells those at Corinth, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Isaiah (66:12-13) provides further insight by indicating that God cares for His people as a mother cares and comforts her children. God is the father of all compassion and all comfort. He comforts us in our troubles as a mother comforts her child (Luke 13:34). He is there to lift us and to help us heal. He, in turn, expects us to extend that same comfort and encouragement to those that are facing similar challenges. He comforts us so that we might in turn comfort others.

Lastly, we need to place our understanding of what is happening in a much larger context. God has a plan for each of us and for all of humanity. Things that happen on this earth are within that context. The purpose of that plan is for us to call on him. If we do, He will listen. If we seek Him, we will find Him. This is the context in which we should try to place our understanding (Jeremiah 29:10-13).

Job was a rich man who lost everything. After debating with God and his friends as to why this happened, Job concluded, “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:2-3).

Job recognized that his wrestling, his questioning, and his debating were futile. He realized that he lacked understanding even if he knew the answers. It is simply impossible for us to understand God’s plan. However, we do know that even in the valleys of life God continues to mold our hearts and minds, especially if we are seeking him.

When the road is rough and the way seems dim, our God knows and indeed He cares!

–C. J. Vires

Estes Echo

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Ignorance of the Bible

When we look around at our world today, there is a terrible ignorance of the Bible. As our society seems to be getting more secular, we should find that the general knowledge of the Bible will be getting worse. Once upon a time, knowing the Bible was considered to be an important part of a person’s education. If you didn’t know the Bible, you simply could not claim to be an educated person. Times have changed quite a bit.

Many Christians have a knowledge of the Bible that may be lacking. They may know what they believe, but not why they believe it. They may be something like the country preacher who was being interviewed for a preaching position. The elders asked the young man what his favorite parable was. He replied, “The parable of the Good Samaritan.” They asked if he would mind explaining it to them. With a beaming smile he answered:

Once there was this man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. And he fell among the thorns. And the thorns sprung up and choked him. And as he went on, he didn’t have any money and he met the queen of Shiva. She gave him a thousand talents of gold and a thousand changes of raiment. Then he got onto a chariot and drove furiously. When he was driving under a big juniper tree, his hair caught on the limb of that tree and he hung there many days. And the ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And he ate 5,000 loaves of bread and 2 fishes.

One night, as he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair. And he dropped and fell on a stony ground. But, he got up and went on and it began to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. So, he hid himself in a cave and lived on locusts and honey.

Then he went on and met a servant who said, ‘come, let’s have a supper together.’ But, he made an excuse saying, ‘no I won’t, I married a wife and I can’t go.’ And the servant went out to the high ways and hedges and compelled him to come in.

After supper, he went down to Jericho. And when he got there, he looked up and saw that old queen Jezebel sitting down, high up on that window. She laughed at him and he said, ‘throw her down out there.’ And they threw her down. And then he said throw her down again. And they threw her down 70 times 7.

And of the fragments that remained, they picked up 12 baskets full, besides women and children. And they said, ‘blessed are the peace makers. Now who’s wife do you think she will be in that judgment day?’

If this were a real story, we could be certain that our poor, confused preacher wouldn’t have gotten the job. It is just as unlikely that with such a gross misunderstanding of Scripture he would have been able to do much good in a congregation anyway. But an understanding of the Bible is not just the sole concern of elders, deacons, and ministers. It is the concern of every Christian.

What if Christianity suddenly were run like a business and gross ignorance of God’s Word were a fireable offense? How many Christians would keep their jobs more than a month? More than a week? Not as many as claim to be faithful believers. We have gotten used to living in a Christian nation, being part of a Christian society, and having Christian friends. But times have changed. We are now in a post-Christian society. And that means knowing God’s Word is more important than ever – not just to defend and promote the gospel, but also to help others understand it, and correct them when they misunderstand it.

Misunderstanding the Bible can lead to disastrous consequences. Some think that they can work their way to heaven. Others think that baptism is not important. Still others think you can make a profession of faith, secure your place in eternity, then go and live however you want. I dread what eternity holds for those who believe these things. The Bible makes it clear that Christ secured the offer of salvation for all of us at the cross. Through baptism we can access the power and forgiveness freely offered through his sacrifice. The question is not just do we know what the Bible says, but are we going to accept it as truth and put it into practice in our lives?

Posted by Dewayne Bryant in Bible, “Culture and Christian Living”
Borrowed with permission from his blog, Looking at All Things Biblically
https://dewaynebryant.wordpress.com
December 10, 2014