Calvary Hot Springs

Exalting Christ Through the Ministry of the Word

Journal

To Mask or Not to Mask… That is NOT the Question

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Thinking Out Loud

A recent conversation brought to light that some believers find it necessary to “mask shame” those who wear face masks in public places, even to the point of name calling. That bit of information has been at the forefront of my mind and heart ever since. A brief chat this morning added further that “mask shaming” sometimes comes through unintentional but thoughtless remarks. And then, sometimes opinionated comments posted on social media the night before makes for awkward conversations the next day.

Of course, this is contrasted by “non-mask shaming” in return (I just made up that term). Questioning ones character, challenging the genuineness of their love as well as their intelligence because they are non-mask wearers. And then, it wouldn’t be complete until some meme or some article is posted with the intent of ridiculing all the crazy people out there.

This grieves my heart… and as a Christian, it ought to grieve yours as well. To be perfectly honest, it actually just frustrates the living daylights out of me. Obviously the scriptures make no mention of wearing masks or not wearing masks, but it does address the matter in principle.

Three portions of scripture come to mind when I think on these things, 1 Corinthians 8 and 10, and Romans 14. Each deal with, among other things, dietary practices that were neither right or wrong. That is, the particular matter causing division was not an issue of sin. It was more a matter of conscience than anything else. You can and should read each passage yourself. But let’s briefly touch on a few things Paul brings out, using Romans 14 as our source.

First, we are to welcome one another, but not to quarrel over opinions (1). The emphasis: Our union in Christ trumps our personal opinions… (period) (vs.1)

Second, we are not to despise the other because, who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another (the Lord being His master)? (vss. 4, 10-12)

Third, whichever side of the issue we fall, we are to be fully convinced in [our] own mind doing it in honor of the Lord (vs. 5-9)

Fourth, we are to pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Simply put, you are to pursue the good of the other before yourself (19-23).

Finally, we are to remember that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men (17).

We barely scratched the surface of the passage, so I STRONGLY encourage you to take some time to read through Romans 14 thoughtfully and prayerfully, and with the desire for the Lord to do a work in you.

Essentially, the Bible teaches us to keep the main thing the main thing. It warns against becoming distracted by non-issues. We are in spiritual warfare together, and unless we walk circumspectly, we will be entangled with the affairs of this world (matters with no eternal significance)… we will be entangled with face masks. In turn we lose sight of our brothers in Christ. We lose sight of the mission set before us.

If you wear a face mask, wear it unapologetically, with the conviction that by God’s grace you are behaving in the most prudent and gracious way before men and before the Lord. Guard your mind and your heart with regards to those who don’t wear a face mask. Be gracious in your heart toward them (Ephesians 4:2).

If you do not wear a face mask, do so with meekness and grace as to the Lord. And do it without ignorant presumption of His protective care. Guard your lips. In love, carry a face mask with you and put it on when necessary for the sake of others. Do this, not because you have to, but in order to serve others before yourself (Philippians 2:4).

If your brother or sister has offended you, graciously speak to them about it. Don’t assume that they should know better if you have not pointed it out to them. If you are approached because you have offended someone, humbly keep your heart in check, pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding and be reconciled (that’s almost biblical) (Romans 14:19; Matthew 5:23-24). 

Remember, the union with Christ you share with one another and the loving unity realized in the Spirit is infinitely more the main thing than any opinion you may hold regarding the Corona Virus and wearing a face mask.

Soli Deo Gloria! (To God Alone Be Glory!)

Meet Liz Tramp

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putting names to faces…

So we heard from Matt Tramp last week. Let’s hear now from his wife, Liz. Liz Tramp is one of the many Johnson kids who have made their way to Hot Springs throughout the years. One of the great blessings the Lord has given to Calvary is the privilege of having each of them as a part of our fellowship. We thank the Lord for the love each has displayed for the Lord, His Word and His people. The trademark Johnson stubborn streak in submission to the Lord’s direction has been a wonder to observe and to enjoy. 

Liz arrived in Hot Springs in 2007 and has remained since her graduation from CBI in 2010. While still in school, Liz studied and worked as an EMT and EMT-I. Liz is a trained Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and worked on the Hot Springs Ambulance Services for over 10 years. Before marrying Matt in 2014, Liz took the opportunity to serve in short term missions in Johannesburg, South Africa working with SIM’s ministry to HIV-positive orphans and foster children.

Currently, Liz faithfully serves the Lord caring for their 4 year old son, Amos, their 5 month old Shiloh and an 11 month old foster son whom they have had the opportunity to love for the past 10 months. When you think about it, you might pray for him and all the unknowns that his future holds, and most importantly for the salvation and restoration of his family. We trust the Lord will use this in his life for His glory.

Liz, and her husband Matt minister to our teens, helping them to know the Lord and to grow in Him. She has a heart for ministry both in and outside the local church. She has, through the years served in many different ministries here at Calvary.

The Lord was pleased to place Liz into a family whose mother and father loved and served the Lord. At the age of 2 to 6 years, Liz and her family lived in the Ivory Coast, West Africa as missionaries with New Tribes Mission. She has been a pastor’s kid her entire life and was exposed to the gospel from a very early age. It was as a teenager that the glorious gospel of Christ took root in her heart and bore fruit to salvation. After living in fear that she had not been praying the right prayer of salvation over and over again as a child, the “lightbulb” turned on at a teen camp when she understood that she was not trusting in Christ’s work, but her own. 

The assurance of her eternal destiny rests in the perfect work of Christ on the cross on her behalf as she is continually being conformed to his image (Romans 8).

This is how you can pray for Liz and her family: Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Wrath of God is Revealed, Romans 1:17-32

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“Romans Chapter-By-Chapter” Series

“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who my their unrighteousness suppress the truth” Romans 1:18

There’s an old adage about evangelism that says, “You have to get a person lost before you can get them saved.” The point is not that the person is NOT lost but that they don’t KNOW they are lost. Therefore, the Good News of the gospel must be preceded by the Bad News that we are sinners and need to be saved. This exposure of our sin, as revealed in the Bible, is much worse than we might casually think. Most people have a general sense that they are imperfect. Many will even admit that those imperfections are sins. However, ask your average person who is not born again, and they will likely grade their own sin on a sliding scale. “Sure,” they may nod, “I’ve messed up. Made some mistakes. Everyone does! That’s just human. But I’m a generally good person overall.”  

But is a “generally good” person actually a good person? Not according to God! The problem is that this person’s standard is himself and the people around him and that is a slippery, subjective standard. Even convicted criminals in federal prisons have a “code” for those offenses that even they won’t tolerate in others. 

God’s Word is NOT a subjective standard. It demonstrates the true offensiveness of sin. The first three chapters of Romans build a case that mankind is far worse off than they think. In fact, I believe that even Christians can open their Bibles, read God’s righteous standards, be exposed to the true nature of their hearts, and end up with a better understanding of their pre-Christ hearts then they did when they were in that state personally. 

Paul intends to deal with Jews and Gentiles alike in exposing their sins. And he begins with broad principles that apply to all of humanity. Romans 1 argues that God’s wrath is already against humanity because of their unrighteousness. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (1:18). There are two questions arising from this verse, and the rest of chapter 1, that I want to address. WHY is God’s wrath revealed against humanity? And, HOW is God’s wrath revealed? 

The answer to the “Why” question is that mankind has rebelled against God in every way. It is important to recognize that our sin against God is intertwined with our entire nature. Sin is not a disease that attacks us like a virus or a parasite. It is not something that we are tangled up in, like a miry bog or a spiderweb, and really wish we could avoid. Rather, it is part of our very nature. It is internal, not external. Our minds, wills, and emotions are set against God and our deeds are carried out in keeping with our sinful desires. 

In other words, as sinners, our problem is not ignorance but REBELLION! Verse 18 describes men as those who “suppress the truth.” Suppression of the truth implies knowledge of truth but then that truth is actively held at arm’s length and rejected. According to this chapter, there is no one who is innocent and wholly without information about God. Instead, God has revealed truth about Himself in the created order. Everyone in the world intuitively understands God’s “eternal power and divine nature” leaving them “without excuse” (1:20). And everyone understands that their sin deserves the judgment of God, yet they continue to practice and celebrate those sins (1:32). They know, but they suppress. 

Now to the “How” question. How is God’s wrath revealed? We will see later in chapter 2 that God will judge sin in “the day of wrath” (2:5) in the future. This is the wrath of God that most of us are familiar with. There is coming a day of judgment. Chapter 1, however, discusses a different manifestation of God’s wrath. It is marked out with the repeated phrase, “God gave them up.” This phrase appears three times in Romans chapter 1 (24, 26, 28). In verse 24, “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.” Then in verse 26, “God gave them up to dishonorable passions.” Finally, in verse 28, “God gave them up to a debased mind.”  

The sobering truth is that God surrenders people to the natural consequences and nasty fallout of their sin. This action (or lack of action while we plunge ahead into sin ourselves) is a present manifestation of the wrath of God. God’s wrath against sinners is seen as they literally bring their own injury on themselves. Sin may look like it’s enjoyable, but to be left to your own passions is actually a horrible state. Every person and every society slides into this terrible state. There is no human advancement that can stop the horrible grip of sin, and the tendency is to give free reign to it. 

Romans chapter one is a breathtaking chapter. It indicts all of humanity in the strongest terms and leaves no wiggle room. It shows us to be worse sinners than we thought before. It shows that our sin is more than our behavior, it is our nature! The dilemma, again, is that our problem is not ignorance, but rebellion! We are desperately in need of some good news, that does more than just appeal to us as good news but changes our good-news-rejecting hearts so that we love the good news!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so powerful (1:16), because it is JUST THAT SORT OF GOOD NEWS!

God powerfully uses the preached Gospel of Jesus Christ, not just to add a little more evidence and tip someone over the teeter-totter of belief, but to transform their sinful, rebellious heart!! 

Worship Together

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with the desire to worship together… even when we’re apart

Good morning Calvary Church Family! Here are a few links that might be a help you in your time of worship this morning and throughout the week.

Music

Isaac put together a playlist of music that you can watch and sing along. Of course, there are many selections from which you can choose on YouTube, but be encouraged to be selective in your choices. Listen to the lyrics to be certain the music is teaching biblical truth and not merely christianized humanism. Music is a powerful medium God has provided for our enjoyment and His glory. Use it wisely.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb7h2q-xTYuXE88oyv6robrGVaNtbhUU_

Study

Our weekly study in the book of Romans has been a refreshment for the soul. This week will be in chapter 11, a chapter  designed to humble us as we see why God has chosen to save us. Make the effort to join us at 8:30 via Zoom. If you would like to join us, please can contact us for the details needed to do so.

Just a note…

You can access the entire Zoom study of Romans on our YouTube channel. Go to YouTube.com and type in the search Calvary Hot Springs.

Sermon

Our weekly sermons are pre-recorded and uploaded in time for you to view it on Sunday mornings. They are usually available at 6:00 Sunday mornings. Again, you can use the method just previously noted or use this link… https://www.youtube.com/feed/my_videos
This week our study is in 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, where Paul discusses the Triumphal Procession the Lord allows the believer to enjoy.

Giving

Thank you for your faithfulness in giving. Here are three ways you can give…

We continue to meet in person each week, and although it’s been sweet to be with one another, there is still a sense of an incomplete gathering. We miss being with the church as a whole, but look forward to maybe one day. But even if you are unable to join us corporately, you can still be in contact with individual members for the sake of encouragement and edification. I trust that you will.

Because of Calvary,

Pastor Matt

Meet Matt Tramp

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putting names to faces…

Matt Tramp has been a part of the Hot Springs community since 2007, when he came fresh out of high school at 17 years old to attend Cornerstone Bible Institute. It was there that he met his wife, Liz. After graduating from CBI, Matt served as a short-term ministry intern at Calvary before pursuing a vocation in law enforcement. He has served as a law enforcement officer for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, a police officer for the city of Hot Springs and is currently a Custer County Sheriff’s Deputy. His primary role as a Sheriff’s Deputy is a School Resource Officer in the Custer School District.

Matt and Liz married in 2014 and have three children: Amos, who is 4 years old, and Shiloh, who is 5 months old and an 11 month old foster son whom they have had the opportunity to love for the past 10 months.

The Lord has blessed Matt with a wonderful team of two other families with whom he leads our Jr. High School/Sr. High School ministry, TREK. They have, and continue to faithfully and effectively minister to our young people through our current pandemic. We thank the Lord for the impact they are making in our church and in our community.

The Lord brought Matt to a saving knowledge of and faith in Christ in his early grade school years.  While growing up in a family who love Jesus and are active in church, Matt heard the Gospel regularly.  He professed faith in Christ for his salvation when he was 6 or 7 years old. Once in high school, God, in His sovereignty, used a series of events to solidify the truths from God’s Word that Matt had been taught and professed to believe for years.

Matt’s eternal security rests in the fact that Jesus came to earth as our perfect substitute. He lived the perfect life that is impossible for Matt to live and died the death that Matt has earned and deserves.  Because of the richness of God’s mercy, we, the beloved of God, are sealed to an inheritance and salvation that is only available through the Way, Jesus.  (Ephesians 2:1-10)

As a side note, Matt’s parents, Jarrad and Cheryl Tramp, and his brother, Joel Tramp, are moving to South Dakota right now, and will be here July 26th Lord willing.

Meet Laura Burns

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putting names to faces…

Laura Burns came to South Dakota in 1999 (with husband Kerry and son Logan) from Ketchikan, Alaska to work for the Black Hills National Forest in Custer. After an exhaustive search for a home, the family settled near Pringle which provided access to both communities of Custer and Hot Springs. Laura had 40 years of service with the Forest Service in a number of places and retired in 2017 as a Supervisory Forester and Kerry served as the Forest Wildlife Biologist until 2019.As new retirees they spend a lot of their time in the outdoors to travel, camp, kayak, bike ride, hike and garden. Their favorite son, Logan, was three years old at the time of their move and is now attending graduate school in Tallahassee, Florida.  

Laura grew up in a Mennonite church in southeastern Iowa yet it was in college that she accepted the free and loving grace of God with salvation in Jesus Christ, “once for all.”   “It is such a relief to know that it is not what I do but what Jesus did on the Cross that has saved me for eternity with Him.” Laura visited many church when first arriving in South Dakota and is so very thankful to have been drawn to Calvary Baptist Church. It is a gospel focused church with Bible study from the pulpit, study with teachers and Christians that continue to draw her closer to her Lord. “I love the beauty of the Black Hills and the loving people of Calvary.”

God’s Promises are Yes in Christ

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Thinking Out Loud

In the providence of God’s mercy, He subjected Himself to the welfare of the rebels who turned from and rejected Him. He did so of His own volition apart from any act on the part of mankind. By His mercy, He entered into a divine covenant with man, all conditions being met by the son of man, God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This covenant comprehensively recreates man’s existence and gives him life. It includes forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, adoption, new birth, new heart, new spirit, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, love for God, love and acceptance by God. Salvation is comprehensive and changes the whole of man.

At the heart of God’s redemption is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the new covenant we’ve been brought into. There is nothing that can be realized in man’s redemption apart from Jesus Christ. Any gospel that conveys life apart from Christ is not the true gospel. It is not the gospel (good news) at all.

Because of this, the assurance and the security of the believer rests in Jesus… period. All the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ] (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Christian does not find his assurance and his security for salvation based on his feelings, nor from his behavior (good or bad). Assurance and security for eternal life does not come from being able to remember a time you “said a prayer,” “walked an aisle,” or “entered into a baptismal tank.” 

The believer’s hope rests in the promises of God that find their Yes in [Christ]. His indwelling Spirit then establishes us… in Christ, anoints us, and… puts his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Corinthians 1:21).

Thanks be to God for the unchanging promises of His covenant in midst of uncertain times.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Power of God unto Salvation, Romans 1:16

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“Romans Chapter-By Chapter” Series

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” – Romans 1:16

Have you ever heard of the “Romans Road”? It’s a method of using a series of verses from the book of Romans to communicate the gospel to an unbeliever. The Romans Road is a useful evangelism tool. I remember as a teenager having the trail of verses linked together in my Bible and teaching others how to use the tool. It’s a valid and valuable way to explain the basics of salvation. However, Paul did not write the book of Romans primarily to address and persuade unbelievers. Rather, he wrote it to encourage and strengthen those who already believed. Which brings up a powerful point: The gospel is for believers! Yes, it’s for unbelievers, but no one ever outgrows their need to hear the gospel. The good news of the gospel provides eternal life and it also powers godly living. 

In the introduction of Romans, chapter 1:1-17, Paul writes, “to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). The Bible teaches us that every person who has been born again is a “saint” and saints were Paul’s target audience. The verses continue on to commend the church in Rome for their godly testimony and express Paul’s heartfelt desire to be physically present with the saints and “be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Romans 1:12). This love for the faithful, roman saints, combined with Paul’s lifetime passion to preach to people of all nations causes him to express, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome” (Romans 1:15). Paul could not be clearer that even those who are already saved, and even faithfully walking with God, need to continue to hear the gospel. 

Why? Why is the gospel so important beyond salvation? Why does someone who is already saved need to hear the gospel? Why would Paul write the greatest epistle on the gospel to saved people? 

These are trick questions. Notice I used words like “salvation” and “saved” in the questions above. Nobody who is breathing is “beyond salvation.” Most of the time in Christianity when we say someone is “saved” we are looking backward to the moment when they initially trusted in Jesus and became a Christian. We see salvation as something in the past for Christians. However, in the Bible there are many uses of “saved” or “salvation.” There are three “tenses” of salvation from sin. Salvation has past, present, and future uses. Look at Ephesians 2:8, “For by grave you HAVE BEEN SAVED through faith.” This verse refers to what we commonly think of as “getting saved.” This salvation is associated with justification. It’s the salvation that takes a sinner who is an enemy of God and, in a moment, transforms him into a friend of God. Justification pardons a sinner and makes him righteous in God’s eyes. This is the past tense (for believers) of salvation. 

In addition to the past, there is a present tense of salvation. “I would remind you,” Paul says to the Christian brothers in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, “of the gospel I preached to you, which you have received, in which you stand, and by which you ARE BEING SAVED.” I don’t know about you, but I am not perfect. God has saved me from my sin, but I still sin daily. However, God has provided salvation from that sin as well. Sanctification is the lifelong work of God making His saints more holy in their day-to-day lives. In fact, sanctification, saints, and holy are all related words in the Bible. So, we could restate the underlined sentence with a made-up word, Holy-fication is the lifelong work of God making His holy people more holy in their day-to-day lives. This sanctification happens by God’s power through His word. “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). This is the present tense of salvation. 

There is yet one more tense, and that is the future tense of salvation. Observe Romans 5:9, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more SHALL WE BE SAVED by him from the wrath of God.” Believers in Christ will never face the wrath of God. They will be saved from it! Instead of wrath, they will enter eternal life with God (Romans 2:7). Heavenly salvation is yet to come and is often called glorification. Romans 8:30 guarantees that everyone who is justified is also glorified! When we are glorified in heaven (in the future), our behavior (our present sanctification) will match our righteous standing before God (past justification). This is the future tense of salvation. In these three ways, all saints are saved, being saved, and will be saved. 

Back to Romans 1:16. Paul explains that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” The gospel does not simply punch our ticket to heaven and leave us to our own devices. Rather, the gospel is what powers the Christian life from the point of conversion all the way to glory!  

We face eternity in our future. Eternity is often ignored, but it’s a BIG DEAL! Think about it: this life is short compared to eternity. Scripture calls it a vapor (James 4:14). We all know how long vapor lasts but eternity is forever. Eternity would be a frightening concept if it were unknown. But Scripture does not leave us blind to eternity. If you believe, you can be 100% confident that God’s power, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, will take you all the way to glory because the GOSPEL is the power of God unto salvation!

*Note: In case you’re curious about the Romans Road, the series is: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9, 10:13, 5:1, 8:38-39. You might find it useful to use this tool by simply writing the next reference in the chain before each verse (i.e. Mark Romans 3:23 as “Romans Road” and then write “6:23” to begin the trail to the next verse.