Elohim Bible Camp and Retreat Center

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Pastor Dave

In 1977 a couple in our church (Three Lakes Community Bible Church), Ellis and Ida Stewart, donated a portion of their property 13 miles south on the Bull Lake Road. Stewarts wanted the property to be used to minister to children and young people, to reach them for Christ and to help establish them in their faith. Ida had been both an orphan and a widow and God had cared for her as Psa. 46:9 promises. He protected her and met her needs and one day introduced her to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she was born again into the family of God. At that point, because of her background, she had a burden for the needs of others, especially children, so she and her husband Ellis gave some land to start a Bible camp for children and young people.

   So, as soon as the snow melted in 1978, my wife and I, along with the Stewarts,  Volkmanns, Ray Sampson, and Lou Auge and a few other folks from Three Lakes began clearing the property and burning brush. A concrete slab was poured and a kitchen/cafeteria was erected with homemade trusses and the roof covered with handsplit shakes from cedar donated by the Oakes and Rider families from the Sylvanite mill. Tent sites were cleared, outhouse buildings were constructed, a wash stand erected, an outdoor chapel built into the hillside and a fireside constructed. Marshall Warrington brought his backhoe to do most of the excavation for us. Wiring of the kitchen was done by Gale Fister Electric with an underground cable stretching from the highway up to the kitchen. (Gale was president of Rocky Mountain Bible Mission).  Water lines were run from the adjoining creek to provide water to the kitchen.
     The name selected for the camp was “Elohim Bible Camp.” Elohim is the name of the Creator God in Gen. 1:1.  The first camp was held in July of that summer. I served as camp director with other missionaries from Rocky Mountain Bible Mission (to which my wife and I belonged) helping out. (Staff included Erv and Linda Volkmann, Bill and Sue Smith, Brenda James and Kit and Lorraine Hardy). The counselors were recruited from Bible schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. They would come for the month of June to teach Vacation Bible Schools in the area and then spend the month of July at Bible camp, starting with a work week during which they also prepared lessons for camp. Initially there were just two weeks of camp for teens and junior age, but soon a third week was added. A family camp was also held late in August.  Ida Stewart was head cook with help from Bertha Olson and many others. Ida’s specialty was huge, yummy cinnamon rolls. Ellis acted as camp caretaker.
     Steve and Pam Rodgers of Libby donated a trailerhouse that initially served as the camp book store and snack shack and was run by Kathy’s mom, Irene Kutz. The trailer later became the craft trailer. Kit and Lorraine Hardy, another couple with RMBM, donated a log camper which was turned into a nurses station with Lorraine serving as the first camp nurse. 
     The campers slept in large army tents on pallets made from 2×2’s. There were close to 30 teens and 50 juniors for camp the first summer. There were Bible classes each morning taught by the counselors. Chapel services were held at noon and in the evening each day, taught by staff. Campfire was held each evening after the evening chapel. In the afternoon the campers got to do crafts, play sports on the recreation field and go swimming at Bull Lake. Once a week the campers were taken on a hike. Campers were broken up into teams for a contest that ran all week long. They got points for lessons completed, verses memorized, sports, etc. For dishes at meals, blocks were drawn to see what team got the duty. There were also daily inspections of the tents, with reports at the evening meals.    
     In 1983, the camp was turned over to be run completely by RMBM as I resigned to be the full-time pastor of Three Lakes Bible Church. In 1990, the mission sent Clyde and Pam Miller to be the full-time directors of the camp and to build it into a year-around facility. The name was changed to “Elohim Bible Camp & Retreat Center.”  Ellis and Ida were the full-time caretakers and Bill and Linda Colson the full time cooks. Later, Warren and Michelle Edson and family moved to Libby from California and assumed the duties as camp directors, continuing to remodel and add buildings, including a gymnasium and dorms for the campers to replace the big tents. They, with the help of Don and Vicki Stevens, also from California, began a Bible Training Center which provides a three-year Bible Course that was developed initially by Dallas Theological Seminary for pastors.
     Well, summer camp just finished its 35th season. Over these years, the vision of Ellis and Ida Stewart to provide some property to be used to minister God’s Word to children and young people has impacted thousands of lives, with hundreds giving their hearts to Jesus for the first time and hundreds more making commitments to serve Christ with their lives. We have had counselors at camp who ended up married other camp counselors and now serve as pastors, as missionaries, as heads of large missions and even presidents of Bible Schools. And many of the campers have gone on to serve the Lord faithfully as well in many capacities. This past Sunday we visited at Three Lakes Church where I had pastored and heard a testimony of how Colton, Ellis’ grandson, had committed his life to Christ at camp. How exciting!! Over the years many of Ellis and Ida’s grandchildren have attended Elohim and many have made decisions for Christ.   Ida’s vision to help children and young people has reaped a bountiful harvest. Ida is now with the Lord and I’m sure is rejoicing at each heart that comes to Christ at Elohim Bible Camp. I’m reminded of the promise in Gal. 6:9: “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”
     Here’s what Elohim Bible Camp meant to one of our counselors, Gilbert Burgers: 
            “Its not just the mountains capped with snow,
            the falls, the streams, the rivers that flow,
            the daisies, lupines, and other wild flowers;
            the sunshine, the clouds, and occasional showers.
            It’s the caring and sharing and singing praises
            to the wonderful God who our heart up raises.
            It’s not just the wonderful meals of ‘tators and ham,
            or the squirrel, rabbit, moose and bear,
            or the robin that sings in the thin mountain air.
            It’s the sharing work together for one common goal,
            to bring the message of Jesus to some little soul.”
 
                                                                                                            Forever His,
                                                                                                                   Pastor Dave 
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One of God’s Chosen

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Pastor Dave

 God’s sovereignty and the free will of man continue to be a mystery after hundreds of years of Bible study and debate.  We read in Scripture of the “elect” or the “chosen” in numerous passages such as: “You did not choose Me, but I have chosen you…” (Jn. 15:16); “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?” (Ro. 8:33); “…and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48); “For consider your calling brethren…God has chosen the foolish…to shame the wise, etc…”‘ (I Cor. 1:27-30); “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4); “And as those who have been chosen of God…” (Col. 3:12); “…God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth” (II Thes. 2:13); “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus…” (II Tim. 2:10); “to those who…are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (I Pet. 1:2);,

     But we also read lots of “whoever” passages in Scripture, such as: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16); “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes on Him who sent Me, has eternal life…”(Jn. 5:24);  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved…” (Acts 16:31); “Whoever will call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Ro. 10:9).
     How we are chosen by God to eternal life and yet must individually make a choice to trust Christ for salvation, I don’t begin to understand–but I believe both are true because both are clearly taught in Scripture. I will leave the harmonizing of them up to God and not worry about trying to figure it out. The two biblical truths are like the tracks of a railroad. Way off in the distance they appear to become one, yet they are definitely two tracks.
     I was reminded of this Bible doctrine of “election” versus the “free will of man” this weekend as we had a graveside service for Ray Sampson who had been at Three Lakes Community Bible Church as an elder for as long as I had been a pastor there. After serving in the military during WW II, Ray became a fireman in Seattle. He was married to someone involved in a religion that does not believe that Jesus Christ is God. Ray, though not yet a Christian, would not go along with her religion, so she divorced him. He later met and married LuRee, a believer who was not living for the Lord at the time. When Ray retired he wanted to move to Montana. He was an avid elk hunter and fisherman, and believed that northwest Montana would be a great place to live.  LuRee, who had by then rededicated her life to Christ, prayed that they would locate near a church. Well, they bought property near Little Joe, Montana which consists of a bar/restaurant and a few trailer houses and homes along Highway 56 (the Bull Lake Road).  The closest church was about 15 miles away in Troy, Montana.  BUT, LuRee found out about a Bible study in the home of John and Lottie Ring, just a few miles north on Highway 56. She began attending a study taught by Pastor Clarence Kutz (my father-in-law). She discovered that several of the men who came were also elk hunters, so she told Ray and he came with her the next time. Pastor Kutz was going through the Gospel of John and was in chapter 4 which gives the story of the woman at the well who had had some four husbands and was currently living with a fifth man. She was not only a Samaritan (who were despised by both Gentile and Jew), but was an outcast among them, having to come to draw water alone in the heat of the day. Well, in her conversation with Jesus, who offered her “living water” (Jn. 4:10), she discovered who He was and believed, leaving her waterpot and running back to town to tell folks about having met Jesus. Many believed in Jesus because of her testimony and others came out to hear Him personally.
     That night, when Ray went home from Bible study, he got down on his knees, repented of his sins, and trusted Christ for eternal life. In the testimony he shared later, he said, “That night I left my waterpot!” Ray came to Montana to hunt elk and to fish, not realizing that, like the woman at the well, he had an appointment to meet Jesus and gain eternal life.  As Denny Noble, our visitation pastor at Three Lakes, shared at the memorial service for Ray, “Ray had come to Montana to be the hunter, but in reality, God had brought him here to be the hunted. Although Ray had no way of knowing it at the time, he had a big target on his back, and the “true Hunter” in life, God, had set His sights on that target…and it did not take the great “Hound of Heaven” long to run His quarry down…and the once godless hunter of elk had given his own Pursuer free entrance to his heart.”
     Ray still had a love for the out-of-doors and for hunting and fishing, but something far better became the real passion of his heart and that was getting to know God better and better through His Word and serving Him faithfully, which he did for the next four decades before God took him home in May of 2013, shortly before his 90th birthday (which he shared with my dad, June 4th).  Ray grew in his new faith by leaps and bounds and became a stable, faithful, humble leader in the church, serving as one of the initial elders. My father-in-law passed away just as we were pouring the foundation for the church, so I had the (scary) privilege of becoming the pastor. Ray Sampson is one of the main reasons I was able to continue there until my retirement a couple years ago. I praise God, that in His sovereign purpose, He “chose” Ray Sampson in Christ “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).  Did Ray personally trust Christ for eternal life? Yes. Did God choose Him first? Yes!  Do I understand that? No. But praise God it is true. Ray was definitely one of “God’s Chosen.”  Are you?  Have you trusted in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection on your behalf?
 
                                                                                           Forever His,
                                                                                                    Pastor Dave
 
 
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God is in the Details

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Pastor Dave

It has been said that “the devil is in the details,” but I would have to disagree. I believe that it is God who is in the details. Jesus Himself said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Mt. 10:29-31). As we read through the stories in Scripture and listen to the testimonies of Christians throughout history, we can’t help but see the hand of God in the details of life, orchestrating the events to carry out His purposes, which God told Isaiah would “be established” (Isa. 46:10).  Since God is omnipresent (everywhere present) and omnipotent (all powerful), He can be involved in the events of individuals world-wide simultaneously. Many will write off His involvement in our lives calling it “coincidence” or “a stroke of luck,” but in God’s economy, there is no such thing.  I would prefer to call them “God sightings.”  They may be in major events in our lives or in minor details. But to God there are no “big” or “little” issues, since He is omnipotent.  Here are just a few recent “God sightings” in our lives.

     We go for a walk nearly every day, the majority of the time on the same route, but recently decided to take one of our optional routes. We came upon a little girl and her little brother who had been out for a bike ride. The chain had come off the little girl’s bike and they didn’t know what to do. I was able to get the chain back on and get them on their way.
     On a recent trip to Oregon, we wanted to get some strawberries to take home to Montana. The day before we left the weather looked pretty threatening, but we decided to go to our daughter’s favorite strawberry farm to see if we could pick. The girl at the fruit stand told us that the fields were too wet from the recent rains and they weren’t letting anyone pick until the next day. Disappointed, since we had to head back to Montana the next day, we were about to leave, when the girl’s mom, the owner of the farm, showed up and said,” If you don’t mind getting a little muddy, you are welcome to pick.” We had beautiful sunshine while we picked. It wasn’t really very muddy at all, and just as we got our berries weighed and loaded into the pickup, it began to pour! 
     When we got home from our trip to Oregon,  we had a message that a friend from the church I pastored was in the hospital. I went down the next day to see him but he had been released the previous afternoon. I noticed, however that our pastor and Jeremy, a member of the church we now attend were in the waiting room. I went in to see them and discovered that Jeremy was headed in for surgery. He badly injured a knee in an accident while we were gone. I sat down and spent some time with Jeremy before he left for surgery. That Sunday at church his wife told me that since she couldn’t be there with Jeremy, she had prayed that someone would come by to see Jeremy and help him stay calm before surgery.
     We needed to go to Kalispell (90 miles away) a couple weeks ago to see the chiropractor. On the way into Kalispell, our cell phone rang and it was Mark, a businessman in Kalispell, who had been planning a trip to Libby to see us but his wife had had to have surgery so he hadn’t been able to come. He “happened” to see us driving through town. After our chiropractic treatments we were able to have lunch and visit with him, and saved him a trip to Libby.
     Then we got this email from a friend who attends our mid-week Bible study. She shared the following story. “I have been getting my truck and horse trailer ready for a trip to Kalispell this weekend. Earlier I had found a blasted packrat nest in the engine of my truck. The packrat had gotten into the cab and shredded everything from gloves to ribbons to napkins and pulled them out into his nest in the engine. I pulled the nest out and blew the rest of the debris out with the air compressor, getting rid of each and every piece of hay and paper that could ignite. I took the truck and trailer to the Troy o-mok-see last Saturday. When I started my truck that morning, the ‘Fuel Filter’ light came on. It shouldn’t have, since I changed it last summer and it’s not something that needs changing very often. I called a friend who brought up a new filter.  When he opened the housing where the fuel filter is, it was full of packrat debris too!  It hadn’t even occurred to  me that I could get that housing open, or that there was a way for the rat to get in it. One of napkins the packrat had pulled out of the cab was still whole and had apparently blown out of the housing during my trip to Troy.  It was resting against the turbo charger which gets extremely hot. The napkin was scorched on the edge. Thankfully I had only gone to Troy and back (50 miles round trip). If I had gone to Kalispell (close to 200 miles round trip) with that napkin still there, I would have surely had an engine fire! I was cursing the fuel filter problem. Now I’m thanking God for His timing!”
     It’s not the devil who is in the details. He is not omnipresent, nor is he omnipotent. It is God who is in the details. Satan is powerful, but he is no match for our sovereign God. What a comfort and peace it gives to know we can trust the details of each day to Him, knowing that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Ro. 8:28). So, “Cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (I Pet. 5:7).  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Pr. 3:5,6).
   
                                                                                                        Forever His,
                                                                                                            Pastor Dave
    
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Adoption

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Pastor Dave

So, what do the names Lucy, Jack, Griffith, Bailey, Woodrow, Diesel, Vega, Greta, Gizmo, and Kootenai have in common?  Well first of all, they are all dogs, and ones that we have “adopted” as our special “friends.”  We have owned three dogs, including two big golden retrievers, but currently do not have our own dog. We just love up the neighbors’ dogs, and those on our walking route. We always carry some dog treats with us and share along the way. This past Friday and Saturday we “dog sat” for Woodrow, a cute Pomeranian that belongs to the hosts of our mid-week home Bible study, Jack and Betsy Myers who had to make a quick trip to eastern Montana for a funeral. Woodrow is always eager to have us come on Thursday nights because he can’t wait to jump up in Kathy’s lap and give her kisses. Then last night our grandson, Alec, from Albany, Oregon arrived to stay for a couple weeks and brought their big golden retriever, “Griff” with him. He was very excited to see us after a long, long truck ride! 

     So, what does all this have to do with anything of spiritual consequence?  Well, glad you asked. Probably for many of you, your family has grown and left home.  But there are lots of children and young people around who need spiritual mentors who will “adopt” them and care for them as if they were their own, being sort of their spiritual “God-parents” or “God-grandparents.”  We have a couple gals that we have been that to over the past years and they are very dear to us, and hopefully we have had–and continue to have–a positive spiritual influence in their lives.
     When we lived in the Portland, Oregon area where I worked as an engineer for Hyster Company, we were quite a ways away from our parents and  didn’t get to see them often so we “adopted” an older couple in our church, Paul and Daisy Brownlee, to be our children’s fill-in grandparents. They played a very important role in our children’s lives, and I’m sure our children brought some extra joy into their lives as well.
     We are not sure of the Apostle Paul’s family situation as to whether or not he was ever married and had any children. Some Bible scholars believe that to have been a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, he had to have been married with children (cf Acts 26:10).  We just know that during his time as missionary/pastor, he was single (possibly a widower) as indicated by I Cor. 7:8.  But we also know that he had numerous “adopted” children, i.e., those whom he introduced to Christ and took under wing to nurture and disciple. One of them was young Timothy. We know that Timothy grew up with a godly mother and grandmother (II Tim. 1:5…Eunice and Lois) and learned the Scriptures from them (II Tim. 3:15), but apparently it was when Paul came through Lystra on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:1,5-7,19,20; 16:1-31) that Timothy came to Christ for salvation, for the apostle refers to him as his “true child in the faith” (I Tim. 1:2), and “my beloved son” (II Tim. 1:2).  Timothy joined Paul on his second and third missionary journeys. They shared life together, experiencing both the joy of ministry and the hardship of suffering for the gospel. After Paul’s third missionary journey, he instructed Timothy to stay in Ephesus and to care for the church there. Paul wrote letters to Timothy to encourage this young leader in his service to Christ and His church. We have the privilege to have as part of Scripture, these intimate personal letters from Paul to his spiritual son. In Paul’s final letter to Timothy, written from prison in Rome shortly before his death at the hands of Nero, Paul reminds Timothy that he is constantly praying for him and longed to see him (II Tim. 1:3,4). Paul invested in Timothy because he understood the critical need to pass on the torch, to leave a legacy that would continue for years to come. He was burdened to invest in leaders who would continue building Christ’s church long after his death. Timothy was just one on a long list of those that the Apostle Paul “adopted'” and mentored as if they were his own children.
     I encourage you, especially if your own children are grown and gone from home, that you “adopt” some children and grandchildren into whom you can pour your life and love, doing as the Apostle Paul did, to pass on the torch and to leave a lasting spiritual legacy for the upcoming generations.
 
                        Forever His,
                                    Pastor Dave
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Love, Anyone?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Pastor Dave

 

“LOVE, ANYONE?”
 
     If you are a tennis fan–or maybe even if you aren’t–you may be following “Wimbledon,” the grand slam in England played on grass. The other “grand slams” are the Australian Open (played on hard court), the French Open (played on clay), and the U.S. Open (played on hard court). 
     The unusual scoring of 15-30-40-game for tennis was adapted for the first Wimbledon Championships in 1877 and became the standard. Why such strange scoring no one seems to know for sure, but there are a couple possible explanations. One is that there was a clock face at the end of the court and a hand was moved a quarter move after each point, with the score being called as 15, 30, or 45. When the hand was moved to 60, the game was over. Another possibility is that the scoring may have been taken from the game “Sphairistike,” played by British officers in India in the 19th century. That game’s scoring system was based on the different gun calibres of the British naval ships. When firing a salute, the ships first fired their 15-pound guns on the main deck, followed by the 30-pound guns of the middle deck, and finally by the 40-pound lower gun deck.
     Tennis is an exciting, popular sport, a great way to get physical exercise, and a sport you can play, without a lot of expense, much of your life (They even have wheel-chair matches!).  But, if you plan to win the match, you don’t want “love,” for in the strange scoring system, “love” is nothing!  So, you always try to give the “love” to your opponent! 
     The sport originated in France in the 11th century where French Monks started playing a game by stringing a rope across a courtyard and hitting a crude ball over the rope. The game progressed and became popular with royalty before catching on in England in the 13th century. When returning a ball over the net, the French players shouted, “tenez,” which roughly translated means, “Take that!” (Kind of like the grunts or screeches you hear from some of the professional players today!).  The English players used the term too, but it became “tennis.” The “racquet” (racket) probably came from the French “rachasser” meaning “to strike the ball back.” Felt fuzz was added to the hollow core rubber ball to make it softer, less bouncy, to give it more wind resistance and to give a player more racket control.
     The term “deuce” (when the score is tied at 40-40)  is derived from the French deux, indicating an advantage of two points having to be gained to win. But what about the term “love,” meaning nothing?  It may have come from the French word l’oeuf meaning “egg,” which looks like a zero. Well, in tennis, love may mean “nothing,” but in life it means everything. In fact, there is a love that is everything–God’s love. The Bible even says that “the one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I Jn. 4:8).  The Greek word translated “love” in that verse is agape and refers to “unconditional, no-strings-attached love,” and its only source is God. The Apostle Paul tells us: “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Ro. 5:5).  God demonstrated that love through Christ’s death on our behalf (Ro. 5:8; Jn. 3:16).  When we trust Christ as our Savior, God sends the Holy Spirit to indwell us, and through the Spirit, Christ also lives in us, and we thus have that love “poured out within our heart.” Thus, as a believer, we have the potential, as we allow the Holy Spirit of God to control us, to love with agape love–and what a difference that makes in relationships! 
     So, when you accept God’s great gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, you won’t ever be a “loser,” but the recipient of the greatest love ever known or shown–and you will have “…everything pertaining to life and godliness” (II Pet. 1:3). “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  Love, anyone? 
 
                                                                                                     Serving Him,
                                                                                                            Pastor Dave
 
By the way, it’s to your advantage to play tennis, for no matter how you slice it, it is a deuce of a game!  You’ll love it. Sometimes the overhead is pretty high but you can still be a smashing hit. Players come in all sizes and shapes for there are different strokes for different folks. In fact, if you want to serve, tennis is the place for you. The net results may astonish you. But beware, if you let tennis become a racket for you, you may end up in court through no fault of your own. Just keep in mind, it is better to have lobbed and lost than never to have lobbed at all!  So set aside some time to get out on the courts. It’s an experience hard to match!
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Protecting the Flock

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Pastor Dave

We have a resident herd of white tail deer, as do the majority of the folks who live in the area, and that means you have to put up a big fence around your garden, and cages around all the young trees, flowers and bushes. It also means that if you have any fruit trees, they all be “pruned” up to a certain height–the height that deer can reach on their hind legs!  They create a lot of extra work and frustration, but also provide lots of entertainment, especially in June when they parade their new fawns by to show them off, or, as on a number of occasions, drop them off for you to watch, while they rest or graze!  One of our does just brought newborn twins for us to see last week. It was so fun to see them jump around and play. We have also observed how protective the mother does are. They normally hide their fawns in our hayfield (now about four feet high, while they rest or feed. They also keep very close watch on our neighbor dogs to make sure they don’t came anywhere near their fawns. One day last week a doe brought her fawn into our little fruit orchard and they were accompanied by seven other does and little bucks who were really checking out this fawn, but mom made sure they were “nice” to it! 

     I am reminded of how the shepherds we read of in Scripture had the task of protecting their sheep from predators, from severe weather, and from disease. As we read in Psalm 23, for example, we see how the shepherd would “prepare a table” for them “in the presence of the enemies,” probably a reference to going up to the mountain tablelands to make sure there was food and water and to look for possible dangers from predators.  The shepherds livelihood, of course, was dependent upon the condition of the sheep, but he also became very fond of his flock and usually had names for each of them. A good shepherd, in contrast to a “hireling” who didn’t really have an investment in the sheep (cf Jn. 10:12), would do all in his power to protect his sheep and to keep them healthy.
     You are probably familiar with the conversation that took place between Jesus and Peter after the resurrection and shortly before Jesus’ returned to heaven. He asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” to which Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You,” and then Jesus replied, “Tend My lambs…Shepherd My sheep…Tend My sheep” (Jn. 21:15-17).  Jesus would be ascending back to heaven and leaving the apostles responsible for the church that would be established shortly on Pentecost, when, in response to Peter’s sermon, some 3,000 Jews would come to Christ, and then many were added daily after that. The new believers would need someone to care for them, to shepherd them, i.e., to guide and to graze and to guard them. On several occasions, Jesus had warned His disciples about “false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Mt. 7:15 cf 10:16: Lk. 10:3).  The Apostle Paul, in his final visit with the Elders from the church at Ephesus that he helped found and pastor, warned: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert…” (Acts 20:29-31a). 
     As the Apostle Peter wrote to the Jews who had been scattered because of persecution, he wrote: “Therefore, I exhort the elders (shepherds) among you, as your fellow elder (shepherd) and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you…” (I Pet. 5:1,2).  Sheep, especially lambs, are helpless creatures, and need lots of guidance, care, and protection. It is no surprise that we are referred to as “sheep” in Scripture. The Psalmist, very familiar with the life of the shepherd and his sheep, wrote: “Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psa. 100:3).
     We happen to be experiencing first hand in Northwest Montana the results of the introduction of wolves into the Yellowstone Park area. They have multiplied rapidly and spread widely and are wreaking havoc among our wildlife and livestock. They are savage, relentless killers–which is part of why our deer populations in the residential areas have increased so much as they try to escape the onslaught of the wolves. Unfortunately, that also eventually brings the wolves in to get them–and that has already been happening.
     Sadly, it is going on in the churches too, as false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, have infiltrated and are spreading false doctrines, leading many astray. Paul, in writing to Timothy, predicted this would happen: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons… Preach the word…for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away from the truth, and will turn aside to myths (I Tim. 4:1; II Tim. 4:2-4).
     If a deer will be so protective of its young and a shepherd his sheep, should we not be as protective of “the flock” of believers?  And by the way, sheep that stray from the flock are very susceptible to predators. Don’t stray from the flock. Stay plugged in to a good Bible teaching church and even there, check out everything taught against Scripture. Beware of ravenous wolves who may come in dressed up like a sheep!
 
                                                                                                            Forever His,
                                                                                                                   Pastor Dave
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True Christian Freedom

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Pastor Dave

 We usually think of a “mountain-top experience” as being an exhilarating, positive one, but such is not the case with all of them. Think of the many who have been seriously injured or died attempting to scale Mount Everest or other high mountain peaks. And then there was the nightmare experience of the Randy Weaver family on Ruby Ridge near Naples, Idaho from Friday, August 21 through Monday, August 31, 1992. Sara Weaver relates the story in her recently published book, from Ruby Ridge to Freedom. Friday morning, August 21 had started out as a beautiful sunny late summer day on the mountain with no indications of the doom that awaited that family that day that would end the lives of young Sam Weaver (shot in the back) and his mother, Vicki (shot in the head), and leave the dad, Randy, and a friend, Kevin wounded. Their dog, Striker, was also shot and killed, as US Marshals and the FBI and BATF laid siege to the home atop Ruby Ridge. Sara, age 16, though grief-stricken, traumatized and scared to death, had to care for her ten-year-old sister Rachel and baby Elisheba as well as tend to her dad and their friend, Kevin who was seriously wounded. Unbelievably this went on for ten days at which time Randy was taken into custody, Kevin to a hospital and Rachel, Sara, and Elisheba taken in by grandparents. The siege had ended, but the aftermath had just begun.

     It really all began back in Iowa where Randy and Vicki had a bad experience in a local church and Randy decided then that he would never again associate with organized church. He had been really hurt and felt totally betrayed over what had happened. He began to distrust everyone. He moved his family to Northern Idaho, buying property in a remote area out of Naples on Ruby Ridge where they built a cabin and eked out a living. He had some contact with the Arian Nations group near Couer d’Alene, but again, because of his past experience, refused to join their association. Over time, he came to believe you were to live by the Old Testament Law and was rearing his family under that Law, including diet, and dress codes. Randy also concluded that “Jesus” and “God” were pagan names, so the only names he allowed to be used were “Yahweh” and “Yahshua.” Any words in the English language that had roots that had evolved from names of pagan gods, like the names of the months in a year, were not allowed to be used in the house, and anything that had these names on them had to be removed.
     They had an intense desire to please God, and do everything just right, but unwittingly had descended into bondage to the curse of the Law and had forgotten all about the most important thing of all–grace!   Without realizing it, as has happened to so many, they had fallen into the trap of a works-based faith, feeling the more they did right for God, the more of His love and protection they would earn and the more worthy they would be to stand before Him one day as one of His chosen. Sara was inheriting the idea that the more she did to please people, the more she would be loved and be worthy of that love. She was to discover in the years ahead what a dangerous and vicious cycle that became, how it leads to destruction and never satisfies that “black hole of insecurity and lack of self-worth.”
     After many more difficult experiences because of holding to that philosophy of a works faith, Sara finally came to experience the grace of God and true Christian freedom in Christ. In her book, which she wrote on the twentieth anniversary of “Ruby Ridge,” she asked, “Why is it that the message of the Gospel is so simple, yet so hard for us to grasp? Why is it so hard for us to believe that the price of our sin has been paid in full by Jesus shedding His precious blood for us, and that we are fully and completely pleasing and loved by God just the way we are? Why do we think that we can add anything to that by our feeble attempts to be righteous? Why do we live as if God doesn’t know we can’t save ourselves?  I wish those same questions would have been answered long ago at Ruby Ridge, before my mother and little brother had died” (pp. 37,38).
     It wasn’t until many years later, when Sara’s best friend, Maria, came to visit her and said with conviction and boldness: “Sara, I know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.” Sara had always been the “religious”one, not Maria, so she wondered how she “suddenly came to be so convicted and sure of her faith.”  Those words continued to echo in her head long after Maria returned to California. Finally she dug out her little red King James Sunday school Bible she had rescued from Ruby Ridge and turned to the one and only verse she had memorized from it–John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” She felt, for the first time, the love God has for her, and she began sobbing as she turned her life fully over to Christ as her Lord and Savior, just as her friend, Maria had done. She finally felt that hole in her heart being filled by the warmth of God’s love as He came, through the Holy Spirit, to live within her. She had a craving for God’s Word and studied it almost constantly, realizing where her family had gone wrong. Discovering what God’s grace is all about and experiencing the freedom that we have in Christ to live in His righteousness and not be under the burden of the Law to have to perform to be approved by Him and receive His love, Sara was also able finally to deal with her anger and bitterness over what had happened to her family. Now that she had experienced God’s forgiveness, she was able to forgive those involved in creating her nightmare experience.
     Sara was the speaker at the baccalaureate service at Troy High School (Troy, Montana) just a few weeks ago. She is now going around to share her story and offer hope to folks who have had terrible hurts in their life. That hope, of course, comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who not only forgives our sins, but enables us to forgive those who have wronged us. And, what freedom that brings. We cannot experience true Christian freedom without it.
 
                                                                                                            Forever His,
                                                                                                                   Pastor Dave
 
P.S.  I highly recommend that you get a copy of Sara’s book, from Ruby Ridge to Freedom, to read and share it with a friend, especially those struggling in the area of forgiveness. It is available through Overboard Books (www.overboardministries.com). Or, you can go to Sara’s website: www.rubyridgetofreedom.com.
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Hold the Line

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Pastor Dave

In the trenches of WW I, the cry often rang out, “Hold the Line!”  At football games cheerleaders lead out in the enthusiastic chant, “Hold that line,” as they encourage their team’s defense not to give up any valuable yardage to the opponent. As I view the current theological scene today, I would issue that same challenge to believers in Christ, “Hold the line!” 

     In 1983, an Avianca Airlines jet crashed while landing in Madrid, Spain. Investigators studying the accident made an eerie discovery. The black-box cockpit recorder revealed that several minutes before impact, a shrill, computer-synthesized voice from the plane’s automatic warning system told the crew repeatedly in English, “Pull up, pull up!”   The pilot, evidently believing the system was malfunctioning, snapped, “Shut up, Gringo,” and switched it off. Minutes later, the plane plowed into the side of a mountain. The plane’s warning system was right, the pilot was wrong, and nearly two hundred people paid with their lives!
     The next time you hear a pastor or Bible teacher being criticized for being “too doctrinal and not practical enough,” think about that tragic story of the plane crash. Why? Because doctrine–what the Bible teaches about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, creation, sin, redemption, etc., is inherently and unavoidably practical. And what we believe determines how we behave. What that pilot believed about his airplane, his altitude, and his instruments all directly influenced his actions and led to real, visible, irreversible consequences. The same is true for you and me. What we believe, right or wrong, is always and inevitably practical, and will determine how we live. You cannot separate your belief from your practice. What you believe will always have consequences.
     And, with that in mind, think about how much is riding on what you believe about the Bible. That is where we find truth about the origin of the universe, the nature of God and man, sin, redemption, morality, marriage, family, work, heaven, judgment, and eternity. The Bible is full of “doctrine” about “everything pertaining to life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3). If you ignore what the Bible teaches or have misconceptions about the content and nature of the Bible, that will affect every area of your life. There’s much we can afford to be wrong about, but Scripture is not one of them. The Bible is the foundation upon which our faith rests. What you believe and why you believe it is at the very heart of your Christianity.
     The Apostle Paul, in writing to young Timothy, said: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times, some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons…For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry…Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (I Tim. 4:1; II Tim. 4:3-5; 1:13).  Many people have turned away from the truth and are seeking fulfillment in all the wrong places and have become easy prey for the enemy. Some may tell us that our beliefs are archaic, that they are no longer necessary in this advanced technological age and age of “spiritual enlightenment.” From others we hear the historic Christian doctrine referred to as mere crutches for the weak and feeble or “foxholes” for the fearful. Then there are those who would have us compromise, be it ever so little, for the sake of an ecumenical oneness or a more effective social effort, or to build up our numbers. Still others would have us emphasize an issue until we go to seed on it to the exclusion of other truth–or to ride a “hobby horse” to its death. Some would have us place an individual experience or human reason above the clear teaching of God’s Word.
     Now, I’m all for unity within the Body of Christ, and I realize there is room for varying opinions on some minor issues, but this must never be at the expense of the single basic doctrine of the Christian faith. Therefore, we must make every effort to “Hold the Line”–to maintain doctrinal purity. We must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, resist every suggestion to compromise our beliefs or to deny the truths of God’s Word. We should avoid theological arrogance–being “frigidly” and “rigidly correct”–but let us be firm in our commitment, as we “contend for the faith” (Jude 3) and faithfully “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). When it comes to Bible doctrine, “Hold the Line!”
 
                Forever His,
                    Pastor Dave
    
 
    
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You Can Know For Sure

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Pastor Dave

For the first ten years of my life, my parents attended a mainline denomination where we heard about the life of Christ and how we should live as Christians, but we never really heard how to become one. Fortunately, my folks, sensing they were missing something, decided to try out a new church, for which I will be forever grateful.  I attended a summer Bible camp sponsored by that church and there heard how to have a personal relationship with Christ by confessing my sin and trusting in Jesus as my Savior. I did that, inviting Christ into my life.  The challenge I faced, however, was to know for sure that I was still saved when I’d sin again. The particular church didn’t teach eternal salvation, so I kept trying to “get saved” over and over. I’m sure I raised my hand to receive Christ again at least a dozen times, but never really knew for sure if He was still living in me. 

     It is really difficult living with that uncertainty. It causes a lot of fear and definitely hinders spiritual growth. It is very hard to grow when you don’t know if you have been born (again)!  One time in particular I remember when  I was home alone and my folks didn’t get back when expected and I thought sure this “rapture” of believers had taken place and I had been left behind. What a terrible feeling!  Not knowing is a frightening thing when it comes to your eternal destiny.
     Even after we finally ended up in a church that teaches the security of the believer, I continued to struggle with assurance because of my background. I was confused as to what the Bible really said about the subject. It wasn’t until I was married, finished college, and was working in Portland as an engineer for Hyster Company that I finally settled the issue. I attended a “Basic Youth Conflict” seminar where one session was on eternal salvation. The verses that were shared I had read before, and I’m sure heard discussed before, but that evening the Holy Spirit illuminated them to me and “the light came on” in my heart. These were the verses:
       “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (I Jn. 5:10-15).
     Eternal life is in a person, Jesus Christ. When we, through the prayer of our heart, admit our sin and invite Jesus into our life as Savior, He comes, and He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5).  If I sin, He doesn’t walk out of my life. My fellowship with Him is just broken, and when I confess my sin, it is restored (I Jn. 1:7-9). I don’t need to keep asking Him into my life when He is already there. That would be like inviting someone into your home and then, after visiting with them for awhile, getting back up and going to the door to invite them in again. They would probably think you were nuts and leave!
     So, for a final time in November of 1970, I prayed, trusting Christ for eternal life, saying, “Jesus, If I never fully understood what you did on my behalf at Calvary and through your resurrection, I do now; and, if I never really invited you into my life before as my personal Savior, I do so right now. Thank you for dying for me, and saving me from the penalty of my sins. Thank you for coming into my life and that You will never leave me. Make me the kind of person that you want me to be.”
     Finally, I had the assurance I had been looking for all those years. From that point on, my life really changed. I had the privilege in the next few weeks to introduce my boss and his brother (who also worked at Hyster) and our secretary to Christ. We started having Bible studies at work. Soon I started a home Bible study. I knew that God was speaking to me about doing this full time, so I eventually resigned my engineering job and came back to Montana as a missionary with Rocky Mountain Bible Mission. One of the Bible studies turned into Three Lakes Community Bible Church where I pastored for 37 years. None of that would have happened if I hadn’t finally gained assurance of salvation. If someone asks, “Dave, when did you become a Christian?” I don’t know for sure. Maybe I did at Bible camp at age 11, but I know that as of November, 1970 I for sure was a Christian and knew it.   As John wrote in his epistle, we can “KNOW” that we have eternal life.  Do you know? If you don’t, make sure. Maybe you need to, as I did,  pray for a final time to invite Him in.  You can’t really move forward in your Christian life until you know for sure you are one!
 
                   Forever His,
                        Pastor Dave
 
P.S. I have written a booklet Being Sure of Heaven (which I hope to have published). I would be glad to send you, via email, a copy of the manuscript if you’d like. Just let me know.  
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Warning Labels

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Pastor Dave

 In these days of frivolous and outlandish lawsuits,  manufacturers have to include many warning labels to protect themselves. You’ve probably noticed drug and medicine ads on television in when they list all the possible side affects.  It sounds like it may not be worth the risk. It seems there is no limit to the ridiculous things for which people will sue and often even win a large settlement. Take Mrs. Grazinski, for example. “She purchased a new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home from a football game, having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver’s seat to go to the back of the Winnebago to make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the motor home left the freeway and overturned. She sued Winnebago for not putting in the owner’s manual that she couldn’t actually leave the driver’s seat while the cruise control was set. A jury awarded her $1,750,000!  Winnebago changed their manuals as a result of this suit, just in case Mrs. Grazinski has any relatives who might also buy a motor home!” (Kalispell Kaleidoscope, May, 2013).

     As a result of sue-happy, greedy people, we live in a society that’s overrun with warning labels. From disclaimers on pill bottles, to “use-by dates” on potato chips, to warnings on lawn mowers not to use them as hedge trimmers, warning labels draw our attention to impending hazards or side affects. One warning label that often appears on packages sent through the mail, is FRAGILE: HANDLE WITH CARE.  As you think about life and its fragility, I guess we should all wear one of those red stickers, for our lives are very fragile. The Psalmist understood that when he wrote: “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; and its place acknowledges it no longer” (Psa. 103:14-16).
     It’s not a good idea to cruise through life thinking that we are invincible. No one is. It takes only a call from the doctor telling us that we have a life-threatening disease, or the swerve of a careless or drunken driver on the highway to remind us that life is extremely uncertain. There are no guarantees for tomorrow for any one of us. None of us can be certain even of another breath. When we came back to Montana to join Rocky Mountain Bible Mission in 1974, we met another young couple that was eager to serve the Lord. He was working in the USFS, but shortly left his job and they also joined RMBM. He was assigned to a church at Hot Springs, Montana where he served for one year, had one funeral, and one wedding. Then as he and his wife were traveling to Seattle for a wedding they were involved in an accident in which he was killed. No matter our age or our seemingly robust health, life is fragile and uncertain.
      Moses, who wrote Psalm 90 gave us some good advice–a warning label if you will–saying: “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom” (Psa. 90:12). And the Apostle Paul gave us this admonition: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15).  James, in his epistle, wrote a similar challenge: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that'” (Jas. 4:13-15).  It is not wrong to plan for the future, because we may be here yet for many years, but it is also appropriate to always say, “Lord willing, this is what we will do,” for you don’t know but what today may be your last one here on earth. Only God knows what our “appointed” time is (Heb. 9:27). That’s why it is so important to focus on the things that will last eternally–God, His Word, and the souls of people. Everything else is temporary. Paul wrote: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal”
(II Cor. 4:18).
     So, with that in mind, let’s choose to live as though this were our last moment on earth by loving more unconditionally, forgiving more readily, giving more sacrificially and generously, sharing Christ more boldly, and  speaking more kindly.  That’s how we can “Handle Life With Care.” 
 
                                                                                                   Forever His,
                                                                                                           Pastor Dave
 
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