Messenger Vol. 1 : simplebooklet.com

iiWelcome to the MessengerA Call to PrayerA point of growth for any Christian, and particularly for pastors as theyrecognize this unparalleled NEED in ministry, is the development of“effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” (James 5:16b). God hasopened the door to His throne room of grace and spoken many timesthroughout Scripture of the importance of prayer, this vital connectionbetween God the Father and His family on earth.We have had the privilege of sharing burdens and blessings with eachother through the FFBC weekly prayer reminders. These items of prayerhave enabled the effectiveness of ministry, encouraged the struggling,uplifted those who are sick, and empowered the FFBC family. As you peruse this issue, remember to thank God for His ministrythrough the FFBC, and let us pray for even greater victories for thekingdom of God!Steve Snavely, Retired PastorMaryville, Tennessee“Confess your faults one to another,and pray one for another, that ye maybe healed. The effectual ferventprayer of a righteous man availethmuch.” (James 5:16)

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“God’s Transcendent Love”“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we shouldbe called the sons of God:”—1 John 3:1aI am often brought to this wonderful passage in 1 John 3, where it is as if the apostle Johnerupts in awe and wonder saying, “WOW! Look and seek how much God loves me!” Here,late in his life, he still has never overcome the fact that God loves him—the “disciplewhom Jesus loved.” The transcendent love of God has transformed his life and he in turnloves with a transcendent love.I believe that a few verses of this chapter can be summed up in this statement: knowingGod’s transcendent love will result in my transformed likeness which motivates mytransformed living displayed in my transcendent loving. God’s transcendent love is atransforming love (Ephesians 3:17b-19). To “know” a transforming truth is evidenced inbeing known by this kind of love as we are transformed by it and display it.In 1 John 3:1, John calls for us to see our position—who we are in Christ—as we considerbeing the recipients of God’s transcendent love. He says, “Behold, what manner of lovethe Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: thereforethe world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.”1President’s PenRev. John Lashuay(Pine Island Bible)

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The apostle John emphatically wants his audience to see “what manner” or how greatGod’s love for us truly is. The usage of this Greek word in the New Testament is withastonishment or amazement and could be used to speak of something foreign. God’s loveis foreign to this world.To “bestow” takes on the idea of excessive or even something wasted. As we consider thetranscendence of God’s love demonstrated on the cross, it does seem excessive. Butsacrificial love is like that. It goes far above and beyond. That is exactly what God did forus. John purposely uses the word “Father” as it speaks of the father-child relationship. Itis through this transcendent love of God “that we should be called the sons of God.” In 1 John 3:2, John calls for us to see the resulting perspective, as we consider ourtransformed likeness. He tells us what we shall be because of God’s transcendent love.He writes, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what weshall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall seeHim as He is.”Our present and future are joined together in one verse. Our present growing realityalong with our future glorious reality are positioned side-by-side whereby we see themajestic relationship to be enjoyed now and for all eternity. Our perspective, regardingour future transformed likeness, is a mindset with a God-filled worldview that underpinsour life in Christ today. Within this perspective, we see our present position “now” as the“children of God,” along with our future perfection that is “not yet” but what we shall be—that is “we shall be like [Jesus] for we shall see Him as He is.”Our present position, as the “beloved” speaks of us as the dearly loved ones of God—thebeloved children of God. This reality is designed to give us stability whereby we find restfor our weary souls as the objects of His divine love. It is a foretelling picture of whatshall be. Our future perfection, as those who will one day be with Him as well as being likeHim, should motivate us to faithfully live for Him and serve Him “now.”2God’s transcendent love will result inmy transformed likeness whichmotivates my transformed livingdisplayed in my transcendent loving.

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Our position and perspective are designed to motivate our purity as we consider ourtransformed living. Here in verse 3, John tells us what God’s transcendent love shouldmotivate us to be. “And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even asHe is pure.” Our perspective of a future glorified likeness of Christ motivates our purity inour present growing likeness to Christ.This “hope” is a confident expectation that is rooted in the promises of God. It is acertainty of something not yet realized but anticipated with pleasure. In this case, afuture reality of being with Jesus and being like Him in heaven. This is our hope.To “purify” is to make one’s self fit for worship through daily repentance from sin. This“hope” that we have in Christ is to motivate us, stirring up the desire to “purify himself”by intentionally pursuing holiness. It is seeking to be diligent in living a life of repentance.As we live in the reality of the transcendent love of God, Who in His mercy, made us His“children” and promised to return to take us to be with Him (John 14:1-6), it shouldchange our behavior.In verse 1, John tells us who we are because of God’s transcendent love while in verse 2he tells us what we shall be because of God’s transcendent love. In verse 3, John tells uswhat God’s transcendent love should motivate us to be. Finally, in verse 16, John tellsus what God’s transcendent love should motivate us to do.Our position and perspective followed by a growing purity will enable our practice oftranscendent loving. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His lifefor us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).John uses the Greek word, “agápē” to describe the supreme love of God. It is a willfullove or the love of choice which is a constant and abiding love. God has loved us with thistranscendent love, that surpasses our ability to comprehend. It should motivate us tolove others with a similar kind of transcendent love—a love that is vastly different thanthe love of this world. This foreign kind of love should be displayed in the lives of thosewho are the recipients of this love.God’s transcendent love should motivate us to live with a transcendent love thatsacrificially loves others. “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother haveneed, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of Godin him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but indeed and intruth” (1 John 3:17-18).May our love for others be more than just words. May the transcendent love that wehave been loved with, overflow our lives in sacrificial love for others.3

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What About the Wrath of God?Greetings to all! I pray that this column, which explores importanttheological terms, will be a great help and blessing to all. People areuncomfortable with the idea of the wrath of God. However, it is not adoctrine designed to give us comfort, but to drive us to the solution we sodesperately need. Truth may be unpleasant at times, but as Christ tells usin John 6:63, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and theyare life.”The Bible has much to say about God’swrath: its nature, its object, and its purpose.First and foremost, it is God’s wrath, not man’s, that is in view. Our anger is often prideful (Proverbs 16:18), poisonous(Ephesians 4:31), and persistent(Matthew 18:21-35). We act impulsively out of anger, without thought of the consequences (Proverbs 15:1).By contrast, God’s anger or wrath is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4, 16) andpure (Habakkuk 1:13). Unlike human anger, often tainted by sin, God’swrath is always righteous and just. It is patient (Exodus 34:6; 2 Peter 3:9)and purposeful (Romans 1:18).God is rightfully angry at sin, and Hisjudgment is perfectfully righteous and inescapable (Romans 2:2, 5, 8).God’s wrath is not the impulsive, capricious wrath of a pagan deity whobecomes irritated or who delights in seeing His creatures suffer. Such arepresentation is a blasphemous and unbiblical portrayal of God’s wrath.4Quarterly QuestRev. John Mark Turner(Hardingville Bible)

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The good news of the Gospel is that Christ took our penalty on the cross,absorbing the wrath of God on our behalf, and thus satisfying God’s justiceonce and for all. The Bible teaches that God “hath set forth [Christ] to be apropitiation through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:25). Charles Ryrie defines “propitiation” as “the turning away of wrath by anoffering” (Basic Theology, 1981, p. 294). By His atoning sacrifice, Christsuffered the full force of God’s wrath that we deserved. Let me leave youwith these comforting words from 1 John 4:10 - “Herein is love, not thatwe loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiationfor our sins.” For those of us who know Christ, may we rest in His finished work on ourbehalf. Also, let us be mindful of the lost around us, who desperately needdeliverance from the wrath to come, and let us do everything we can towin them to the Savior.5

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At 7:30 am on October 9, 2010, Community BibleChurch began broadcasting Christ-centered musicover Wonderful Grace Radio. Since then, the musicand programming of Wonderful Grace Radio is listened to in over 100 countries around the globe.After seeing a need in the Christian community for aBible-based, Christ-centered radio station, Pastor Richard Archut prayerfully worked toward launching a radio station that wouldmeet his communities’ need. Two things quickly became apparent. The traditionalAM/FM stations were too expensive to start and those stations could only reachthose in the near vicinity of the broadcasting tower. Because of that, Pastor Archut went with an internet station for its potential toreach the globe and to carry on the Great Commission to its fullest in the Twenty-First Century. Those early months included many days of cataloging music,preparing a website, and recording various station promos and IDs. While the desire was spearheaded by Pastor Archut’s own decades-long career inradio broadcasting, launching Wonderful Grace Radio was accomplished by bothfamily and church endeavors.The station itself took its name from Haldor Lillenas’ hymn “Wonderful Grace ofJesus” as it boldly announced the station’s mission to Proclaim Christ’s MatchlessGrace. And for the past 15 years, Wonderful Grace Radio has been doing just that. One of the benefits of the radio station became evident as COVID-19 hit. Withmuch of the world shut down, Community Bible Church already had theequipment in place to continue broadcasting services. These services continue tobe live-streamed across the globe on Sundays and Wednesdays.In addition to services, Wonderful Grace Radio also broadcasts a full-range ofprogramming from groups such as Answers in Genesis, Unshackled, Keep theHeart, Morning by Morning, Nightsounds, Thru the Bible, and more.6Ministry SpotlightWonderful Grace Radio (Barrington, NJ)

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Wonderful Grace Radio also broadcasts Grace for Kids — our Saturday morningprogramming geared for the young and young at heart. Every Saturday morning,kids choruses and hymns play, only to be interrupted by kid’s programming, likeWeKids, Patch the Pirate, Adventure Pals, and more. In its outreach endeavor to “teach all nations,” Wonderful Grace Radio launched its neweststream: Wonderful Grace Instrumental. Asa global ministry, it is important to ensurethe Gospel is reaching throughout the globe as effectively as possible. While the language may be different, much ofthe music the words go with remains thesame. “Wonderful Grace Instrumental allows all people of all tongues to worshiptogether, and sing along with the music they here, in the language they know.”The ministry has always been a front-runner. When Wonderful Grace Radio waslaunched, only about 25% of the U.S. population used internet radio. However,that number has now reached over 70% with many traditional stations scramblingto join the ever-growing market. Wonderful Grace Radio has become an industrystandard in Christian internet-radio broadcasting. The Lord’s continued blessing, in allowing the station to be 100% listener-supported, has allowed Wonderful Grace Radio to grow and expand in the Lord’stiming. New efforts to reach listeners, grow support, and proclaim the good newsmessage of the Gospel continues on a daily basis.As Wonderful Grace Radio expands its reach, it has begun providing its servicesacross a broad array of applications. Internet radios (like Grace Digital),smartphone apps (like Live365, myTuner, RadioFM, and more), and many newer-model cars all carry Wonderful Grace Radio. 7myTuner radioFM

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There are many ways you can support the ministry of Wonderful Grace Radio.First, you can pray for the continued ministry of Wonderful Grace RAdio. Pray forthe staff as they maintain and improve the station. Pray for the listeners to bestrengthened in their faith and for those who are unsaved to receive the goodnews message of the Gospel proclaimed over Wonderful Grace Radio.Second, you can join Wonderful Grace Radio’s email list. Signing up on the websitewill allow listeners to stay up to date with the happenings of the ministry.Third, you can provide your church with Wonderful Grace Radio’s Invitation toListen Cards. These business-sized cards can be easily placed in a church’svestibule or alongside other materials. These cards are sent free of charge. Youcan reach out through the Wonderful Grace website (wonderfulgraceradio.com)or by emailing outreach@wonderfulgraceradio.com. 8Wonderful Grace Radio provides peoplearound the world with music,programming, and preaching that isChrist-centered and Bible-based.

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9FACE TO FACERev. Walter S. PatrickPublisher’s ForwardOne of the men who spoke out against the Methodist Union at the Eastern Conference was Reverend Walter S. Patrick. Called a man “of character and conviction,” Reverend Patrick was instrumental in leadingthe charge for separation and was the first editor of The Messenger. The BibleProtestant Press published his book Face to Face, filled with twenty devotionalmessages. In the coming publications, various chapters will be reprinted here,with minor grammatical corrections for readability. Chapter 3: The Poor in Spirit"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3).The above well-known and often quoted Scripture verse is taken from the similarlyaccepted kingdom proclamation referred to as "The Sermon on the Mount," where ourblessed Lord presents the principles, or constitution, of the Kingdom Age. This millennialperiod of one thousand years will begin at the Second Coming of Christ, immediatelyfollowing the Great Tribulation.During this prophesied ten centuries the Lord Jesus Christ will regally, legally, andliterally rule from His throne, or shall we say "David's Throne," in Jerusalem. Many, if notthe majority, of believers today fail to differentiate between this Kingdom Age and thepresent Age of Grace, just as they fail to distinguish the secret coming of Christ from Hisrevelation. The secret coming, better known as the "Rapture of the Church," is imminentin that it is anticipated by His own to take place at any moment, while His revelation(Second Coming) will occur about seven years later.At the risk of being misunderstood and labeled an "ultra-dispensationalist," may werepeat that which the reader no doubt already knows, viz: that the much quoted "Sermonon the Mount” is addressed primarily to Israel as a nation. It is also understood that whileall of the Bible is for all of us, all of the Bible is not to all of us. To illustrate, a ministermay send a letter to all his congregation, said letter being for each of them. On the otherhand, this same pastor may mail a letter to a select number of his congregation. Thissecond letter will not only be for them, but primarily to then. Similarly, the Pauline

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letters, if studied carefully, will reveal that which has to do with this present dispensationof grace more so than the gospels which have to do with another dispensation— that oflaw.Now, despite the above, the writer is purloining his text for this article from said “Sermonon the Mount,” and giving it a spiritual application to be heeded by the Church (the Bodyof Christ) today. Let us read again said text: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs isthe kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3).No one is drawn toward a "poor-spirited" man, who is weak, vacillating, and withoutconvictions. But the Lord doesn't mean that kind of a person. What He has in mind is aman of humble spirit, one who manifests a poverty of his own worthiness; that which ischaracterized by sincerity and not mock modesty; the person who knows that he is notworthy to touch the ground his Savior trod. We're reminded of the noted Polishstatesman and composer, Ignace Paderewski, who once visited the home of therenowned musical maestro, Ludwig van Beethoven, over a hundred years after thathonored German composer had passed on. Paderewski was asked if he would care to sitdown at Beethoven's old piano. After looking at the piano for a few minutes as though itwere something sacred, the one whose prominence thrilled music lovers the world oversome thirty years ago, turned to the one in charge and said, "No thank you; I'm notworthy to touch one of those keys."That is what the Lord meant by being "poor in spirit." One may ask: "How can this blessingbe brought about?" "What must one do?" "What must one not do?" "What are therequirements, the qualifications?" "How does one begin?" "How is it accomplished?"10

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11At this point we find ourselves somewhat bewildered! Why did we ever begin this writing?We cannot answer the above queries. In the vulgar vernacular, we've "bitten off morethan we can chew!" We've also "passed the point of no return." We either continue on, orwe stop right here. (At this juncture we pray: "Lord, give us the words, Instruct ourfingers what to type. Lord, give us the answer!")Not being as "poor in spirit as we thought we were, we feel our way along. Don't yousuppose that to obtain a blessing, we should be near the source of blessings? That seemsplausible. After all, the nearer one gets to the flower the more its fragrance is enjoyed.The nearer the stove or radiator on a cold day, the more the warmth is appreciated. So,to be the recipient of a gift, the nearer one needs to be to the giver. If we find ourselvesnear Him, we can't help but feel the closeness of His Holy Spirit. If we'd only stay nearHim, the more we would be drawing away from ourselves.After all, we have been crucified with Christ, and if that is our position (and it should be)we are to reckon ourselves dead unto sin and only alive in Jesus Christ. In other words,the poorer we are in our own spirit, the richer we are in His Holy Spirit. When we confineour own spirit to a ripple, His becomes a Niagara! To really appreciate Calvary's Crossone must be near it. Remember the words of that beautiful hymn: "When I survey thewondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss andpour contempt on all my pride (spirit)."Our text: "Blessed are the poor in spirit," doesn't mean being financially poor, poor inhealth, poor in this world's goods, or in poor circumstances of any kind. Indeed, you canbe a millionaire and yet be poor in spirit. Neither has environment anything to do with it.The spirit's humility has nothing to do with our social status. But it does have entirely todo with our attitude toward God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.To be poor in spirit, as the Lord would have us to be, is to realize and truly know thatinsofar as there being anything good about us, we are totally depraved, and the onlything good in us is the indwelling Holy Spirit. We sing, "Nothing in my hand I bring,” forthe simple reason that we have nothing of self that is acceptable to Him. Realizing thetrue meaning of this, we finish the line, "simply to Thy Cross we cling!"To be poor in spirit one sees himself as he is, destitute of any good thing, spirituallyimpoverished, impotent and insolvent. Finally, when we see our spiritually indigentcondition, we understand what Paul meant when he said, "When I am weak, then am Istrong!"Ah, yes, "Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit!" Happiness without God's blessings isartificial, effervescent; here today, gone tomorrow. Such "happiness" is without real sub-stance, made up of wood, hay, and stubble. It has no solid foundation, is not based uponthe gold, silver, and precious stones of His Word and His promises.

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12In Proverbs 16:19 we read, "Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than todivide the spoil with the proud."The person whom the Lord would use must learn to accommodate himself to poverty ofthe spirit: becoming subservient in spirit to other believers. Listen to Paul: "I know how tobe abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed bothto be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all thingsthrough Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:12-13).This same apostle tells God's own how to be humble in one's own eyes: "Let nothing bedone through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other betterthan themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on thethings of others" (Phil. 2:3-4). Paul was poor in spirit. He believed he was the least of theapostles, by his own admittance, as well as being the least of all the saints, and hadnothing in his own account. The only thing this same apostle was "chief" in, was being asinner.Paraphrasing the text once more, without any violation of the mind of the Holy Spirit, itsAuthor: "Happy are the humble in spirit!" Consider the testimony of the Word: "If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves ... I will forgivetheir sin" (2 Chronicles 7:14)."He forgetteth not the cry of the humble" (Psalm 9:12). "A man's pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit" (Proverbs29:23)."God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6)."Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdomof heaven" (Matthew 18:4)."Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (Jasmes 4:10)."Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time" (IPeter 5:6).If our Lord and Savior humbled Himself, is it not to be expected that His own might welldo the same? We turn in the Word to Philippians 2:8, where we read about the IncarnateOne who had taken upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness ofmen: "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedientunto death, even the death of the Cross.""Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the kingdom of heaven." May we as servantsof our blessed Lord manifest His humility as exemplified by Paul: "I have been crucifiedwith Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I nowlive in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself forme" (Galatians 2:20).

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In a day and age in the United States when churches are closing, and in aFellowship where the average age of our tri-state member churches stands at 115years, it is a refreshing blessing and encouragement to celebrate a memberchurch’s 15th anniversary. On April 11, 2010, Truth Bible Church was chartered with fourteen members.While Truth Bible Church is not as long-lasting as other Fellowship churches, itexists as a testament to God’s faithfulness and blessings. While other churchesclose, Truth Bible continues to be a Biblical bulkhead in the town of Alloway andthe surrounding areas.The desire to start a church in that region of South Jersey began in the hearts oftwo men: Pastor Mark Franklin and Pastor Terry Smith. Beginning in 2006, the menled Bible studies before beginning a Sunday evening service the following year. In2008, the church began regular Sunday services in Mannington, NJ under theleadership of one of Pastor Franklin’s mentees Pastor Dave Field. The church was named Mannington Bible Church, but a year later, the groupadopted the name Truth Bible Church. After several moves and searching for apermanent location, the church acquired their permanent church building and thenext-door parsonage inAlloway in early 2013. InNovember 2013, thechurch held its DedicationSunday, attended by over100 people. The SouthJersey Times noted, “Godhas been pleased to workin answering prayer for apermanent location andgrowing this ministry.”13Church SpotlightTruth Bible Church (Alloway, NJ)

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The property has been updated over the years, but the message from thebeginning has remained the same. Pastor Field noted that “Truth Bible Churchexists to take God’s truth to the world, to make true disciples of Jesus Christ, andto mature the members of His body, the church, for displaying His likeness andglorifying God our Father.”The church is led by Pastor Dave Field who is supported in his ministry by his wifeDawn and five children: Anna, Andrew, Josh, Ben, and Joy. Both Dave and Dawngrew up in South Jersey and attended Bob Jones University. Pastor Field wascalled into the minstry while in college and after graduating seminary joined thestaff of Hardingville Bible Church. He was ordained in 2008 and has been TruthBible Church’s only pastor.Today, Truth Bible Church has about 40-45 regular attendees, they support 6missionaries, and they have a vibrant youth ministry. The members of the churchoften note how much they enjoy the fellowship of the saints, the faithful teachingof the Word, and the Gospel endeavors to the region. If you are in the Alloway area on April 27, 2025, Pastor Field and Truth BibleChurch invite all to celebrate God’s goodness to them. Pastor Steve Snavely willspeak for the services and a meal is provided.15

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God has richly blessed us with a full winter retreat season. Over the course of ourTeen, Junior, and Sweetheart’s Getaway retreats, we had the opportunity tominister to over 275 people. Through these retreats, lives were touched with theWord of God, and the campers were given a much-needed spiritual boost beforeheading back into the routines of life. In continuing to fulfill our mission to servechurches, we were thrilled to host a Pastor’s Wives Fellowship in March wherethese ladies were given the opportunity to connect with other pastors’ wives,relax without the responsibilities of ministry life, and be refreshed by the Word ofGod.Throughout the entire fall and winter, our Taggart Hall renovations werecontinuing to progress. We are very thankful for all of the volunteers who havehelped along the way, including over forty who served at our Work Retreat the lastweekend in March. During that retreat, temporary beds were moved into place,and many hours of cleaning were accomplished.Please pray for the ministry at Tri-State, as we have several important inspectionsfor Taggart Hall in the coming days. Passing these will allow the new building to beoperational! Please also pray the Lord provides us with the right staff membersfor the upcoming summer camp season.16Save the DateLadies’ Retreat 1: April 11—12, 2025 Marilee Schettler Ladies’ Retreat 2: April 25—26, 2025 Denise CunninghamMen’s Retreat: May 9—10, 2025 Pastor Marsh FantCollege & Career Retreat: June 19—21, 2025 Pastor Adrian Burden

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For his work on revolutionizing English hymnody, Watts is oftenremembered as the Father of English Hymnody. Upon examining the stateof English hymn singing, he wrote “That very action which should elevateus to the most delightful and divine sensations, doth not only flat ourdevotion, but too often awakens our regret, and touches all the springs ofuneasiness within us.”“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” was first published in 1707 under thetitle “Crucifixion To The World By The Cross of Christ.” Watts’ hymns werea major change to the world of worship, as he revitalized the current Psalmsinging and wrote his own hymns which paraphrased the text of Scripture.“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is considered by many hymnodists asthe first example of a song being sung in the first person. 17Hymn History When I Survey the Wondrous Cross “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is one ofIsaac Watts’ best-beloved hymns. Watts wasborn in 1674 to a family of Englishnonconformists. Though trained well intheology and the classics, he is bestremembered for his over 700 hymns, includingmodern favorites like “Joy to the World,”“We’re Marching to Zion,” “O God, Our Help inAges Past,” and “I Sing the Mighty Power ofGod.”

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The hymn has also undergone some revisions such as in the first stanzawhere “On which the Prince of Glory dy’d” originally said “Where the youngPrince of Glory dy’d” but was changed to avoid people identifying it withthe 11-year-old heir to the throne who had died. Hymnbooks often alsoexclude the 4th stanza.The hymn was written to be sung at Communion and is based on Galatians6:14— “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our LordJesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto theworld.” This Bible verse is emphasized in the second and fourth stanza. The hymn is often sung to the tune written by Lowell Mason, which hassimilarities to older Gregorian Chants. The tune as written only moves upor down one step at a time. Because this tune wasn’t written until the mid-1800s, the song has been sung to many different tunes, and when sung inother countries it is often attached to a different tune.In these coming months, would you consider joining with other churches ofthe Fellowship in sharing this hymn history and singing this hymn in yourcongregation? Some might also want to include the original 4th verse. Optional 4th stanza:IV. His dying Crimson, like a Robe,Spreads o'er his Body on the Tree;Then I am dead to all the Globe,And all the Globe is dead to me.18

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19Pause for PrayerPastor— of all the ambitions, of all the ministries, of all the spiritual gifts, of allweighty matters of this world— yours is the highest and heaviest calling. Perhapsit is because of this that the New Testament writers thrice asks the Christiancongregations to pray for those laboring in the Word (1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1;Heb. 13:18).No pastor would deny the power and efficacy of prayer, but how many have everasked their congregation to specifically “pray for us.” The author of Hebrewstells his readers “rather to do this,” referring to prayer (Heb. 13:18-19). The wordrather, can also be translated “more abundantly,” thus this is an urgent plea forprayer. Pastor, do we regularly plead with our church to pray for us?Charles Spurgeon once noted:We do most earnestly implore every Christian household to grant the fervent requestof the text first uttered by an apostle and now repeated by us. . . . We wish to profityou by our preaching; we desire to be blest to your children; we long to be useful bothto saints and sinners; therefore, dear friends, intercede for us with our God. Miserablemen are we if we miss the aid of your prayers, but happy are we if we live in yoursupplications. You do not look to us but to our Master for spiritual blessings, and yethow many times has He given those blessings through His ministers; ask then, again andagain, that we may be the earthen vessels into which the Lord may put the treasure ofthe gospel. (emphasis added)Have you this year, this month, this week asked your congregation to pray foryou in your work? Paul asked for prayer “that the word of the Lord may havefree course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.” Are we willing to ask forspecific prayer? Are we willing to reveal our hurts, our desires, our cares, ourministries and ask the Church to pray for us. We cannot assume prayer, but that which we covet me must earnestly seek.Pastoral prayer ought not only be made by pastors for pastors. Pastors, thisweek (and every week) implore your congregation to pray for you.

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As the union of the three branches of Methodism was being celebrated aroundthe country, there remained a group of Bible-believing men and women, pastorsand laypeople opposed to the encroachment of Modernism in the church. Themen who went to the Annual Session of the Eastern Conference of the MethodistProtestant Church in 1939 were willing to lose all to hold to the Bible.When Mr. Clesson Taggart requested to have a ruling on whether the Conferencein session was the Eastern Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church, orthe Eastern Conference of the Methodist Church, the die was cast. Upon hearingthat the group meeting was a part of the Methodist Church alone, Mr. Taggartdeclared he must leave. Reverend Newton Conant then stood and announced:I, too, am in the wrong Conference and I think there are many in this room who feel as Ido. According to the advice of counsel, the Eastern Conference of the MethodistProtestant Church has never been dissolved according to the corporate laws of thestate of New Jersey. All those who feel that we should continue our Conferencesession will come with us to Scullville and we will continue thereMore than eighty people left that day, singing hymns and rejoicing that theywere taking a stand for truth. At Scullville, the pastors and laypeople continuedtheir session by laying out their beliefs and the course of action needing to betaken over the coming weeks. Before leaving that night, the group gatheredaround the church and sang “Blest Be the Tie That Binds,” a tradition carried onby the Fellowship each year at the end of the Annual Conference.20Our HeritageOn Leaving the Union

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21Quotable Quotes“Ungodly men little realize how much they owe to the presence of thechildren of God in their midst.” - F. B. Meyer“If we had more sleepless nights in prayer, there would be far fewer souls tohave a sleepless eternal night in hell.” - Leonard Ravenhill“The only foundation for a useful education in a republic to to be laid inReligion. . . . But the religion I mean to recommend in this place, is that of theNew Testament.” - Benjamin Rush ("Of the Mode of Education Proper in aRepublic") “How many [people] estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources,and thus attempt little, and often fail in the little they attempt! All God’sgiants have been weak men, who did great things for God because theyreckoned on His being with them.” - quote from China’s Millions“The devil is perfectly willing that the Church should multiply itsorganizations and its deftly contrived machinery for the conquest of theworld for Christ, if it will only give up praying. . . The devil is not afraid ofmachinery; he is only afraid of God, and machinery without prayer ismachinery without God.” - R. A. Torrey“Sin is filthy to think of, filthy to speak of, filthy to hear of, filthy to do; in aword, there is nothing in it but vileness” - Archibald Simson“Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” translated as “Truth for Christ and the Church”- early Harvard motto

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Psalm 63A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;to see thy power and thy glory,so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.Because thy lovingkindness is better than life,my lips shall praise thee.Thus will I bless thee while I live:I will lift up my hands in thy name.My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness;and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:when I remember thee upon my bed,and meditate on thee in the night watches.22

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Psalm 63 — Treasuring the TripThere have been occasions when my family and I were on a trip when, sure enough, one of our precious children asks or laments “how muchlonger?” The bad news was that westill had a very long way to go to arrive out our destination. Most ofus can identify because we tooprobably said something similar when we were younger. Often we are more excited about the destination or “getting there” than we are about the trip there.Perhaps it’s the length of the trip, heavy traffic, the road conditions, the weather, orthe anxiety over some possible delay or mechanical failure. This desire to skip theprocess is true in many areas of life like wanting to be healthy but not eating right andexercising or wanting a big salary but being lazy and a poor worker. This same thinkinggets carried over into the spiritual realm. Assuming for a minute that you are a truefollower of Jesus Christ, we are often excited about heaven, but the journey there “notso much.” In addition to some wonderful blessings of the Christian life, there arechallenges, discouragements, illnesses, unfulfilled expectations, and hardships.A passage in the Old Testament that helps us with treasuring the trip is Psalm 63. Justunder the title in our Bible it most likely states “A psalm of David, when he was in thewilderness of Judah.” This probably refers to the time when he was running from hisown son, Absalom, for his safety. Did you catch the context? The wilderness. This Psalmis a play on the theme of pursuit... David speaks in v.9 of being pursued by those whowish to do him harm yet at the same time he ponders how God is worthy to be pursued.With great emotion, intensity, and transparency he writes about his desire for God. Itbecomes obvious that God is real, not imaginary to David. That he possesses a truerelationship with God that radically impacts his life.Consider three essential desires if we are to treasure the trip of the Christian life. 1st –Earnestly Seek God. David thirsted for andsought after God (v.1, 8). The psalmist usescolorful imagery... seeking like a hungry animal foraging for food and like astarving/thirsty person would do anything for water and food.24Psalms in FocusPastor Dave Field(Truth Bible)

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2nd – Confidently Reflect on God. V.6 reads when I remember you (God) upon my bed,and mediate on thee in the night watches. David thought on God. Again the context ishelpful... running for his life, he rehearsed the character and works of God. Instead ofbelieving a lie about God, himself, or his circumstance, he worshipped God. Instead ofpondering the “what if” or “if only” scenarios or becoming embittered, he meditated onthe person and work of God. A sample of his thoughts about God’s character includethat God was his God, His holiness, His power, and His love. A sample of his thoughtsabout God’s works include that God was his help, God holds him, and God will right allwrongs. A noteworthy parallel is that as with David, so with Christ. Jesus fixed hisattention on His Father while journeying to the suffering of the cross. Luke 22:42 statesFather, if it is your will, take this cup away from Me, nevertheless not my will. Jesussubmitted Himself to His loving Father. As he hung on Calvary’s tree, His inner gaze wason the plan of an all-wise and all-loving Father. In His final moments of earthly life, Hesaid “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit. The challenge for us is clear; we mustrespond with the same purpose of heart like David and Christ.3rd – Joyfully Praise God. Praise runs through the psalm (v.3, 4, 5, 7, 11). Significant forus to realize is that David chose praise over what his sinful heart might urge upon himlike bitterness or complaining. David models for us a heart of dependence and delightthat by God’s grace we need to have. Using your imagination you can think of howDavid must have felt emotionally, physically, and spiritually. What sustained him washis personal relationship with God (v.1). How can I be dependent on God like David?Start where David does - earnestly seeking God. As we do, we will be in a much betterposition to treasure the trip the Lord has laid out for each of us. Then one day, in Histime, we will reach our heavenly home!25In the 1990’s Coca-Cola with their Sprite product had aslogan that said “obey your thirst.” Coca-Cola rancommericals that pictured individuals that had a cravingto be satisfied. The implication was that what will satisfyour thirst is Sprite. The reality is people thirst for all kinds of things. There in the wilderness, David sought the Lord in humility and with eagerness. Instead of yielding to thetemptation to despair or questioning God or turning hisback on God, he sought God.

Messenger Vol. 1

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