The EncouragerVolume 10 Issue 1

Salvation God’s Way

Our salvation is not based u p o n o u r i d e a s o r p o l i t i c a l l y c o r r e c t guidelines. It is solely based upon our acceptance of God’s chosen way, which is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - Gal. 2:16. It involves our repentance of trusting everything else, and only trusting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for payment for our sins - I Cor. 15:1-4. You cannot add Jesus Christ to your collection of saviors, He is the only Savior, and it is by His blood that our sin debt is paid - Col. 1:14. Jesus Christ is still the only way of Salvation - John 14:6

Eastern Shore Bible Baptist Churchof Galena, Maryland

Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber t o w a r d J e r u s a l e m , h e kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

In this life of “new and exciting” we often think of a routine as being in a rut. Many would even go as far as saying that to be in a routine in this life is being in a rut.

But I beg to differ, and to do so very strongly. A rut is said to be a “grave with both ends kicked out”. It is a place to be stuck, and one to be avoided.

A routine, on the other hand, comes from the work “route”. It denotes a route by the

which you actually get some place.

The more realistic statement would be that there can be no real thrill or excitement in this life without having a routine to begin with. Daniel is the perfect example of this.

The verse that was quoted at the beginning of this article is part of the narrative of when a foolish king, Darius, made a very foolish decree.

Darius was conned by his cronies, who played on his ego, to sign a paper stating that no one was allowed to pray or petition any God or man for thirty days. To do so would be a capital offense.

In spite of all of this, Daniel had a routine, and he kept to it. Because of that routine, Daniel finds himself in some terrifying situations, as well as seeing some truly wondrous works of God, and became a character in one of the most

Sunday Service Schedule

9:30am Sunday School

10:30am Morning Worship

6:00pm Evening Worship

Wednesday Service

7:00pm Prayer Meeting and Bible Study

Ro u t i n e o f L i f eby

Pastor Steve Hays, D.Min

January - February 2013

popular of the Old Testament Bible stories that we tell to our children. All because of Daniel’s daily routine of life.

I . R o u t i n e G i v e s l i f e Structure.

Daniel’s life was chaotic at best. He lived in the royal grounds of one of the greatest empires the world has ever known.

Daniel was taken captive as a child, was made a eunuch and brought before the king to be a student. Daniel had already seen God work in miraculous ways from the very beginning of his captivity in Babylon when he refused to eat the kings food and yet was still healthier than all the others in the palace.

Daniel has lived through two world leaders in Babylon, and was now living under a new king and a new kingdom with the Medians taking over.

In all of this chaos, Daniel did have a constant, and that was his routine. Daniel did not even have the benefit of a church, a Bible, or a wife, but he had a routine. Every day, Daniel made his way to his rooms, and prayed toward Jerusalem to the God of heaven, with the windows opened for all the world to see.

This structure would have been the lifeline of Daniel’s sanity. Every day his life was in peril from the enemies of the palace who were jealous [Daniel 6:4]. He was in peril from the very idea that he was a slave in an occupational government, and even though he had risen in the ranks, he was still a Jew, and thus expendable to the rest of the world. Daniel’s life was in peril from the fact the he lived in a very tumultuous time of government, wherein the king that favored him might not even be in power tomorrow morning.

B u t y o u w i l l n e v e r accomplish great things until you accomplish the little things.

Daniel had a routine of being in fellowship with God and seeking God’s help. So when that routine landed him in the lion’s den, Daniel knew how to get hold of God. If there had been no praying three times a day before, there would have been no answered prayer while sitting with those lions.

Our lives need some structure. I have found that when we lose our way in one area of life, it often bleeds over into the other areas of our life and it all tends to go downhill.

We need a structure of church [Heb. 10:25], prayer [Psalm 55:17], and Bible reading [I Pet. 2:2]. These things are not g i v e n j u s t t o m a k e u s religious. They are given so that we can have some structure now and something to fall back on when we find ourselves facing the lions in this life.

Many saints fall apart at the first sign of trouble, while others wait until they are in the thick of it and then declare, “I have no idea what to do”.

Daniel knew exactly what to do in every situation; he stuck with his routine. He prayed before the decree of the foolish king. He prayed after the decree of the king. He prayed in the den of lions, and he prayed after he was rescued from the jaws of these beasts.

I have often counseled folks in the midst of troubles, and have repeatedly told them, when you don’t know what to do, do what you know it right. In other words, just practice the routine. The real problem comes when you find out they have no routine of spirituality or righteousness.

Routine and structure are the backbone of our lives.

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This article is the third and final article in a three article series. The first article was written about praise, mainly our praise being directed to God and keeping a proper perspective on our praise of self. The second article was also about praise but from within the context of our willingness to praise each other. That type of praise accomplishes many things within a body of believers. Praise:1. Encourages.2. Spreads enthusiasm.3. Endorses the efforts of

others.4. Edifies.5. Expresses approval.

This third article is on the subject of criticism. It being the opposite of praise is also a very difficult beast to control. Criticism comes easily and naturally to our human nature. Where we have to remember to praise God not ourselves, and strive to build each other up through proper praise, we have to work extra hard not to be critical. The person

who never has an unkind word to say about anybody is rare indeed...probably dead.

I n t h e d i c t i o n a r y t h e definition of criticism is: The expression or disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes.

That sounds simple enough but in practice it goes something like this:1. Observation.We see an “occurrence” concerning another and based upon what we know or think we know, form an opinion. We perceive this occurrence as a fault, a problem, a mistake, a bad decision, etc. And then, doing what any good person would do, we move to step number two...

2. Condemnation.We talk about them behind their back. “I don’t think they should have handled it that way.” “Anybody could see that was wrong.” “They are not very good are they?” “Wonder why they were picked.” “Doesn’t that look

awful?” Or we go for the throat. “I think you need to step down.” “You are a real embarrassment.” I’m very disappointed in you.” “What were you thinking?” “What is your problem?” Then once everything has been “aired out” we move to step three...

3. Sanitation.This is the part where we have to find a way to clean up the mess we have made!

Instead of gossiping to others about an individual or getting a lynch mob going, let’s try a different approach. For instance, not a l l c r i t i c i s m i s b a d . Constructive criticism can be very helpful. It may be that the right words placed by you would be very useful. I know that in art school each student would place their art project at the front of the room to be critiqued by the entire class. It was unnerving at times because everyone analyzed y o u r e f f o r t s b u t a constructive critique was invaluable to achieving progress as an artist. There

by Pastor Rob

CRITICISM

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was always the chance that someone would be ruthless but our consolation was, their project may be next. Ha! Perhaps that is the reason some people do not participate when volunteers are needed. Maybe they think others will criticize them like they criticize everyone else.

I n s t e a d o f h a n d l i n g criticism with our carnal tendency: observation, c o n d e m n a t i o n , t h e n sanitation, how about we try to change the pattern? The first one is the same though...

1. Observation.All of us can see. We can not help but see. At one time or another we are all on the outside looking in. From that vantage point we can see the overall picture which can sometimes be an advantage. Not always, though, because from there we have no idea of the details that make up that picture. We do not see all of the parts. When a situation presents itself we may not have all the facts and although it may look like what we are seeing it may not be. Proverbs 18 :13 says , “He tha t answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Jumping

the gun leads to unjust condemnation which used to be number two but now we have...

2. Consideration.Think about what your response SHOULD be. How should you react? What should you say? H e r e ’ s a s u r p r i s i n g thought...maybe it is not o u r p l a c e t o s a y ANYTHING. It might be very damaging for us to put in our two cents. Maybe the timing is not right. Maybe the person needs time to grow. Maybe they are actually doing the best they can . I g rea t l y appreciate people who will try. Perfection is not required, just a heartfelt effort. Which leads me to number three...

3. Cultivation.W h a t e v e r w e s e e , w h a t e v e r w e k n o w , whatever our impression and opinion may be, ask God to help our criticism to be constructive and helpful. It needs to cultivate growth, foster improvement, and help stabilize an individual. If there is a true fault, mistake or problem there is a right and best way to handle it.

I always feel sorry for Moses when he was trying

to lead God’s people through the wilderness. They maligned him and murmured against him so much it was pitiful. They had no idea of the personal struggles he had with the job. It was not something he wanted to do or even thought he was capable of doing, yet he tried. He tried to the best of his ability to accompl ish what God required of him. He did it. He delivered them to the Jordan River. If his critics would have considered Moses and the impossible circumstance he was put in, instead of being critical, h a t e f u l , s e l f i s h , a n d downright mean, maybe they would have been sympathetic, supportive, kind, and even a personal blessing. I like how God b a c k s u p M o s e s i n Numbers 17:5. God says to Moses, “I will make to c e a s e f r o m m e t h e murmuring of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.” It is a good thing God kept the people away from Moses because they refused to cooperate.

Let’s try to be less critical. We can interact with less of an “eagle eye” for finding faults. Besides, cleaning up messes is dirty work!

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ESBBC HappeningsBy Cindy Hays

Here we go a

carolingA cold December evening... we rode the hay wagon and caroled at Miss Margaret’s, Briscoe Manor, Dogwood VIllage and the Longs. We ended up at the Bunch’s for food and fellowship!

er

The Ladies Christmas Tea was held on Dec. 11th. We had a nice time of fellowship together. The table hostesses did a great job decorating and serving their tables. We are

l o o k i n g forward to h a v i n g a s p r i n g o r summertime t e a a n d fellowship.

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ESBBC Happenings December 16th was the Christmas play. “ L i v e F r o m Downtown”. A story of learning the true m e a n i n g o f Christmas. The actors did a great job conveying the message. You can v i ew the en t i r e p r o g r a m a t v i m e o . c o m a n d s e a r c h E S B B C . Following the play we had a time of food and fellowship.

continued

The Saturday Saints had their annual Christmas l u n c h e o n a n d Wh i t e Elephant Gift. Always a fun time seeing what gifts people bring!!

T h e N e w Year ’s Eve f e l l o w s h i p was also fun. We p layed games and of course ate more food!!

The young people having fun sweeping the gym....

... I mean playing broom hockey!!! and Pastor Rob, too!!

I I . R o u t i n e g i v e s a Testimony.

I realize we talk about Daniel’s exploits into the lions’ den, but what his contemporaries, and God, talked about was his routine.

Those wicked men sought an occasion against Daniel, so they looked at his regular life. T h e y k n e w h e p r a y e d regularly, and they knew that he would continue to do so even if there was a decree against it.

These men, and God, all knew that Daniel was going to keep doing what he had been doing all along. That is why God had such a high regard for Daniel . Daniel had a testimony for service to God [Daniel 6:5].

There were moments of “spectacular” in the life of Daniel, but they came and went. It was the “daily, mundane, routine” that was the real story here. That is what God took note of, and it is what God honoured.

Compare this to the life of Samson. Samson had some spectacular moments in his life, but Samson didn’t seem to have much routine when it came to his service for fellowship with God.

I am thankful Samson is listed in the roll call of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, but the reality is that Samson’s life was filled with bloodshed, he lost several that were very c l o s e t o h i m , h e w a s tormented by the wickedness of the society and women around him, and he died a young man and by his own hand.

If I had to choose between the two, I would much rather have the routine of Daniel rather than the spectacular of Samson. God uses Daniel as the height of the standard, not Samson - Ezekiel 14:20.

People will associate your God with your routine, not your spectacular days. Even Nebuchadnezzar had a few special days with God [Daniel 2:47, 4:37], but nobody would accuse him of being a great saint of God.

T h e r e a r e m a n y c h e a p opportunists who just happen to do something right, or at least make the appearance of it being right, but they actually have no routine of fellowship with God, and if things got bad, they would quit on God in a heartbeat. They exploit religion rather than make godliness a way of life.

III. Routine gives Hope.

To have a spiritual routine in this life, and to practice that routine even in the midst of troubles, gives us hope that there is something better.

Scripture states that Abraham was not just traveling the wilderness looking for a land of inheritance, but he was looking for a city whose builder and maker was God - Hebrews 11:10. This was Abraham’s hope in a world t h a t j u s t w a s n ’ t v e r y hospitable at times.

Daniel wasn’t just looking for a king and a kingdom that would be quiet and peaceful. He did not just look for an earthly kingdom where they would not be in danger.

Daniel was looking for the promise of God. That is why he prayed facing Jerusalem [Daniel 6:10]. He never lost that hope through the years, through the kings, and through the kingdoms.

And in the end, God honoured that routine and hope. God said that Daniel would stand in his lot at the end of the days - Daniel 12:13.

So this New Year, what is your routine? We never know what will happen next, but we ought to have a routine to be prepared.

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13984 Gregg Neck Road Pastor Steve Hays, M.Min,D.Min.Galena, MD 21635 Assistant Pastor Rob Manaraze410.648.6744

Reaching the World, Beginning with the Homew w w . e s b b c . o r g

S a n c t i f y t h e m t h r o u g h t h y t r u t h , t h y w o r d i s t r u t h . J o h n 1 7 : 1 7

Fellowship of the SaintsNew Year’s resolutions are not always terrible things. Of course, it is really more of a joke than anything. Everyone makes their resolutions and then they are broken or forgotten by January 15th.

But we could do with a few resolutions when it comes to the brethren. Resolve to not be so self absorbed you forget others have a life with problems and joys. Resolve to not be so thin skinned that we are easily offended, but to be very soft on the inside that we can weep with those that weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Resolve that we are not going to go through this life in a way that results in us growing old and friendless. [I don’t want my money to have friends, I want to have them.] Resolve to count our blessings from God, and be thankful for what we have rather than bemoan what we think we are missing.

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