Calvary Hot Springs

Exalting Christ Through the Ministry of the Word

Worship Together… kind of

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Calvary Church Family, join us tomorrow, March 29 as we worship the Lord together, although in separate locations. Below are the links you might need.

Worship in Music

These are YouTube videos that you can sing as part of your family worship. All the videos either have the lyrics in the video itself or in the description under the video. You are encouraged to gather your family and sing along.

Call to Worship
Psalm 147:1 – Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Adoration and Glory of God
A Mighty Fortress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnOLz1u-7T4
Behold Our God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqrli3Lkf58

Confession
Cling to Christ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0naB3Nb7boE

Gospel Assurance
Turn Your Eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDELcuYX3g

Response
‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiEqKpN90W4
Christ Our Hope in Life and Death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OibIi1rz7mw

Worship in Bible Study

Starting promptly at 8:45 in the morning. We are using the Zoom app to allow for student interaction. If you are using your computer, the link below will open in your web browser. If you are using your phone, you will need to download the app to use it. Come with your Bible turned to Deuteronomy… and be sure to dressed, as you will be on video. 🙂

If you’ve not received the link via email, please contact Isaac or Matt.

By the way, the ladies plan to begin a new study next Sunday afternoon in the book of James.

Worship in Preaching

Here is the link that will be available at 10:00 tomorrow morning. Have your Bible open to Isaiah 52:13-15.

WORSHIP IN GIVING

If you are wondering how you might give of your offerings, here are some options.

Mail a check made out to Calvary Baptist Church to PO Box 957, Hot Springs, SD 57747

Drop a check off at the church office on Monday through Thursday. Be sure to call first at 605-890-1428.

Follow this link to give online. Note that there is a 2.9% transaction charge when using a credit card and a 1% transaction charge when using an e-check (you enter you routing and account #). This IS a secure site.

Thank the Lord for the technology that allows us to continue to minister to one another… albeit from a distance. Even greater for prayer. It allows us to continue to minister to one another… no matter where we are.

Brothers and sisters… pray for one another.

Meeting Online

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Hello Calvary Church Family,

As of 12pm yesterday, we are no longer physically meeting as a corporate body until the medical authorities give the go ahead to gather once again. Although we’ve not yet missed a Sunday gathering, I’m already looking forward to it.

Along with our Sunday morning gatherings, Awana Clubs, Trek and Exploring the Cults are no longer meeting.

I wanted to take a couple of minutes to share with you some of the things our elders and ministry leaders have in the works that we hope will allow us to fellowship and to interact with one another as the body of Christ. We are in uncertain times, therefore we must, as God’s people endeavor all the more to encourage and to edify our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Each Sunday morning we encourage you to join us online for the reading of the Scriptures, for prayer and for the preaching God’s Word. We will not be attempting to recreate online what can be experienced only in a physical gathering. Therefore, we will not be live-streaming worship in music. You’ll receive an invitation to join us via email and/or text.

Both the adult Sunday Studies will be conducted on the Zoom platform, which allows for class participation. The teachers will contact you with the details about how to get connected.

Don’t neglect this opportunity to be together. It is important, it is valuable and it is God ordained that the local church continue steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship and in breaking bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42).

The elders and ministry team leaders will be calling to check on you and to pray with you throughout this time and we trust the Lord will use it for your edification.

I invite you to be intentional in reaching out to your brothers and sisters in Christ to be a blessing. Grab your church directory and begin to pray for one another. Send and email or a text, give a phone call, offer to pray with them or to read the scripture with them. 

King David wrote in Psalm 133, Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.

Christian unity describes a oneness of spirit, a oneness of purpose, a oneness in hope because of the common bond we have in Christ.

Re: COVID-19, March 21

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This is a brief update regarding COVID-19 and Calvary’s Sunday gatherings. While there are several factors that come into play in our decision making, the primary (although not exclusive) source comes from the South Dakota Department of Health, the Office of Governor Kristi Noem and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Links to the most frequented sources are listed below.

We will, once again, be meeting this Sunday, March 22, for Sunday Studies and morning worship. If you are comfortable doing so, please come and join us. This may be the last time we gather as a congregation for awhile.

If however, you are not feeling well, have traveled, have come into contact with sick people, or are susceptible to Coronavirus please stay at home. Even if you just prefer to stay away from larger gatherings because of the pandemic, stay at home (it’s not a sin to do so).

If you are unable to attend however, I STRONGLY encourage you to take some time, especially on Sunday, to gather with your family for worship. Perhaps you can use technology to do this with another family who is staying home. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Take some time to read the Scriptures together, to pray, to sing, and to listen to the Word of God preached. You can access the most recent sermons from Calvary HERE.

Whether you gather with us this Sunday or choose to stay away, be encouraged to take the Spirit prompted opportunities to practice one another-ness (Love one another, serve one another, bear one another’s burdens, serve one another, admonish one another, encourage one another, etc.). Make a phone call, send a text, send a card, pray with one another, and whatever creative ways you may come up with to minister to one another. Others need your care, and you need the encouragement that comes from caring.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1–2

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem

South Dakota Department of Health

Resources for Large Community Events & Mass Gatherings by the CDC

Mitigation Strategies for Communities by the CDC

Re: COVID-19

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The unfolding information regarding COVID-19 (Corona Virus) and the actions being taken, both at the federal and state level may eventually lead to the canceling of church services, even those like Calvary, that are fewer in number. At this time however, Calvary Baptist Church will proceed with our normal Sunday services. With Christian love-for-neighbor, we want to proceed with the following recommendations and decisions:

  1. We recommend that if you are not feeling well, you will voluntarily stay at home and rest.
  2. We recommend that if you are elderly, high-risk for Coronavirus, have traveled, or have had contact with sick people, consider staying home. Taking precautions due to an extraordinary event like this is not a violation of the biblical command for believers to gather together (Hebrews 10:25).

An audio recording of the sermon (as well as past sermons) will be available on the website (https://calvaryhs.org).

We request that if you decide to stay home, please let an elder or deacon know so that we can show better care to you during this time.

  1. We recommend, as have been broadly advertised, that you wash your hands regularly and to take advantage of the hand sanitizer at the back table.
  2. You may decide to keep your children with you during the main service, so be assured that they are more than welcome to join us! Restlessness, being fidgety, being a little noisy and even being a little disruptive is just a part of family worship, and for this we thank the Lord. For the sake of others however, please keep in mind that screaming children, like new years resolutions, should be carried out immediately.
  3. We decided that we will not be serving coffee or hot drinks. The coffee station is a common place of touch, as people pump the canisters and grab for the delicious goodies.
  4. We decided to cancel our AWANA clubs for Wednesday, March 18.
  5. We recommend that you join and watch our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CalvaryHotSprings/ for the latest updates.
  6. Pray for God’s merciful preservation of lives and trust Him!

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Let’s do what we can to love one another, love our neighbors and make much of Christ during this time, for the glory of God!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–17

February Suggested Book of the Month

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The following book review was provided by Angie Stanley. You can find more of Angie’s reviews and writings at In the Meantime.

Assured, by Greg Gilbert

Struggling with doubts about one’s salvation is quite commonplace among believers. Indeed, if we are honest, I think many of us would agree that we have asked ourselves the question: “Am I truly saved?” 

As a teenager, I had several conversations with my mom about my assurance of salvation. While I don’t remember all the details of those often-late-night conversations, I do remember my mom pointing me back to Scripture and reminding me of what God says. Even now as an adult, there are still occasional moments of doubt.  

Assured: Discover Grace, Let Go of Guilt, and Rest in Your Salvation by Greg Gilbert is a helpful little discussion about how to deal with these moments of doubt. Its goal is to drive us back to Scripture and remind us of what our salvation truly rests on.

Four Sources of Assurance

The majority of the book centers around a discussion of four sources for our assurance: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s promises, the Holy Spirit, and the fruits of obedience in our lives. It is important to note that these sources of assurance fit into different categories concerning how they function. Concerning the gospel and God’s promises, Gilbert categorizes them as driving sources of assurance, the Holy Spirit is a supernatural source of assurance, and the fruits of obedience are a confirming source of assurance. I found this categorization to be a very helpful evaluation.

The chapter covering the gospel of Christ and how that guarantees our assurance of salvation is perhaps the most powerful chapter of the book. Gilbert discusses passages of Scripture such as Hebrews 10:19-22 and Romans 5:1-2, 6-8 to address what exactly Christ’s death on the cross accomplished for us. 
In the same chapter, Gilbert also addresses the question of faith–what if our faith isn’t strong enough or the right kind of faith? This particular question is the very question that has nagged at my heart over the years. I found Gilbert’s practical response to these questions to be helpful in reminding me that my salvation does not depend on what I have done but on what Christ has done! 

If you don’t read anything else in the book, read at least the first two chapters! 

Considerations to keep in mind

After covering these difference sources for our assurance in the first part of the book, the last three chapters discuss some specific considerations to keep in mind: mistakes we make in evaluating our good works, a besetting sin that continues to plague us, and some of the “trees” of the forest that we tend to focus on when we should instead be focusing on the magnificent view of the “forest” of God’s promises and the gospel. 

Who might benefit from this book?I believe several different groups of people will find Assured to be helpful: 

  1. Maybe you’re constantly wondering if you are indeed a Christian. Assured will help you evaluate why you might be having these nagging doubts. 
  2. Perhaps you’re confident and resting in your salvation. Assured will renew your awe and wonder at the extent of what Christ has done to guarantee your salvation until the day you are face to face with Christ Himself!
  3. Perhaps you’re in a ministry where you teach, mentor, or even counsel other believers. I believe Assured could prove to be a helpful resource to have on hand as you serve other believers. 

Assured is a powerful little book that will lift your eyes to the Savior and cause you to rejoice in the marvelous gift of salvation that He has given us! 

January Suggested Book of the Month

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All of Grace, by C. H. Spurgeon

C. H. Spurgeon’s subtitle for this book conveys its intended purpose: “An earnest word for those who are seeking salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ.” It was originally published in 1894, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon and republished in 2010 as one of the Moody Classics from Moody Publishers.

Mr. Spurgeon used little subtlety expressing his desire for his readers. He states in the opening chapter, “He who spoke and wrote this message will be greatly disappointed if it does not lead many to the Lord Jesus. It is sent forth in childlike dependence upon the power of God the Holy Spirt, to use it in the conversion of millions, if He so pleases.” One would assume this same approach permeated his life, ministry and preaching as well. It would be a mistake to believe this volume beneficial to the unregenerate alone. Its subject matter explores the glories of the gospel that will refresh the soul of every believer, no matter how long He has been in Christ. It is a must read for every Christian, and then to be read again through the course of life.

The first five chapters unfold the wonders of God’s provision for mankind to be justified by faith. To the reader who recognizes his vacant soul, Spurgeon begins, “This book does not come to make a demand upon you, but to bring you something. We are not going to talk about law and duty and punishment, but about love and goodness and forgiveness and mercy and eternal life.” He explains, “He [God] makes those just who are unjust, forgives those who deserve no favor. Did you think that salvation was for the good and that God’s grace was for the pure and holy who are free from sin?… all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and, therefore, the Lord Jesus did not come into the world to look after goodness and righteousness with him, but to bestow them upon persons who have none of them.” From personal experience he states, “I came to understand that salvation was possible through vicarious sacrifice, and that provision had been made in the first constitution and arrangement of things for such a substitution.” “The Law of God was more vindicated by the death of Christ than it would have been had all transgressors been sent to hell.”

Beginning in chapter seven, the author addresses the whole of Christian living. He addresses the believer’s deliverance from sinning and the implications of living by grace through faith. Throughout, Mr. Spurgeon points the reader away from self to the person and work of our Savior, Jesus Christ. “Our life is found in ‘looking unto Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:2), not in looking to our own faith. By faith all things become possible to us, yet the power is not in the faith but in the God upon whom faith relies.” In these chapters, Spurgeon takes precious opportunity to explain the function of faith in the believer’s life explaining that “it enables a man both to live and to die without fear; it prepares both for action and for suffering. Hence, the Lord selects it as a most convenient medium for conveying grace to us and thereby securing us for glory.”

Finally, in the closing chapters, Spurgeon addresses the perseverance of the saints, assuring the believer that God’s work in justifying the saint by faith establishes the foundation upon which the Christian rests for his eternal destiny. “If you are indeed a believer,” he writes, “you are one with Jesus, and therefore you are secure… Christ and the believing sinner are in the same boat; unless Jesus sinks, the believer will never drown.”

C. H. Spurgeon’s book, “All of Grace,” is a wonderful document that shows the beauty and glory of God’s gospel in Christ Jesus. Every person seeking salvation and every person already redeemed should read it on a regular basis for the encouragement and assurance attained only through the rehearsal of the gospel.

The best retail price we found for “All of Grace,” by C. H. Spurgeon (Moody Publishers) is from Christian Book Distributers for $6.99. However, it is FREELY available in various forms from multiple online resources. Here are a few you might consider: Monergism.com, Christian Classics Ethereal Library and YouTube. You may also pick up a copy for purchase from our book shelf at Calvary.

The Remarkable is seen in the Unremarkable

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The Remarkable is seen in the Unremarkable

Thoughts on Luke 2

One of the remarkable features of Christ’s birth is that it is, for the most part, unremarkable. That is not to say that the incarnation was unremarkable, but the circumstances and the people involved most definitely were. It is safe to say that God’s divine providence is more often than not, carried out in the normal, unremarkable experiences of life.

For example, Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth describes the beauty of the incarnation in the midst of the chaos of displaced citizens returning home for governmental registration. God used a common man and a common woman, in a humble setting for an uncommon purpose (Luke 1-7). Or notice that the angel’s announcement of good news was made to common shepherds carrying out their normal duties with regular sheep in a regular field (8-21). Even Simeon and Anna, although noted to be devoted, faithful and reverent, were simple people living their lives in the final season of their lives (22-38).

Of course, this is not a foreign notion in the scheme of biblical revelation. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8), Abram was called out from among his own to be a people of God (Genesis 11:27-12:3), David was called from tending his sheep to be anoint king, each disciple of Jesus were called from common lives to follow Him and Paul confessed that he was humbled so that God’s strength might be made strong in weakness.

For His own glory, God’s divine providence is more often than not, carried out in the normal, unremarkable experiences of life. As God’s own, the pursuit of the Christian is to glorify Him in the normal, unremarkable experiences of life. The stay at home mom caring for her little ones, day after day, changing diapers, picking up toys, refereeing endless fights can glorify God in the midst of the fray. The working mom, waking early to get her kids going so she can get to the office on time can glorify God in the busyness of life. The laborer in a “dead-end” job can work “as unto the Lord” to add value to what he is doing. The Christian is to show forth the glory of God in every area of life even if it is, in and of itself, unremarkable.

Luke’s Christmas narrative (Luke 2) presents four factors to consider as you live in the normal, unremarkable world around you.

Practice living in the presence of God

There is no indication that Joseph or Mary realized Caesar’s required registration placed them exactly where they needed to be to fulfill Old Testament prophecy, but every circumstance they experienced was brought about by God’s providential hand (Galatians 4:4). The same might be said about the shepherds, Simeon and Anna.

The follower of Christ is to live in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God. The theologians call this Coram Deo. It is the understanding that whatever we are doing and wherever we are doing it, we are acting under the gaze of God.

R. C. Sproul explains that…

“Living under divine sovereignty involves more than a reluctant submission to sheer sovereignty that is motivated out of a fear of punishment. It involves recognizing that there is no higher goal than offering honor to God. Our lives are to be living sacrifices, oblations offered in a spirit of adoration and gratitude.”

Determine to align your life with God’s Word

A cursory reading of Luke 2 makes it clear that God’s Word alone took each character from the norm of everyday life to experience the wonder of the incarnation. Read it carefully and notice that, outside of what God chose to reveal, nothing was out of the ordinary.

In a very real way, God’s Word transforms His people into the likeness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18) and illumines the eyes of his spirit to know truth (1 John 2:21, 26-27). God’s Word counters the conforming influence of the world and renews the mind of the believer (Romans 2:2). God’s Holy Spirit works exclusively through God’s Word in the life of His people and apart from it, the Christian will fail to walk in the presence of God.

Live with purposeful anticipation

The testimony of Simeon in Luke 2:25-35 bears witness to a life lived in anticipation of what was promised. For Simeon, the promise that he would not see death until he saw the Messiah was a promise that gave him purpose in waking each day. He responded to God’s Spirit in his life and stayed close to the Temple, waiting for the promised fulfillment.

The writer of Hebrews rehearses the hearts of Old Testament saints awaiting God’s promise to them. He writes…

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13–16

Rather than settling in to the creature comforts of this transitory world, the New Testament saint lives in anticipation of God’s promised return and victorious reign over all creation. The New Testament saint lives with purpose as he anticipates Christ’s glorious return.

Give yourself to holy behavior

Not much is said about Anna except that she was “advanced in years”… and that she had devoted the whole of her life to serving the Lord. After seeing Jesus, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to those awaiting Jerusalem’s redemption. The man of the world may see this as a  said, unfulfilled life. And yet, in the scope of eternity, Anna lived a full life with purpose, to be lived without regret. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary should help in serving, Jesus argued that Mary’s worship of Him was of greater value (Luke 10:41). Jesus said, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36). Life and labor is a part of life in this world and for most, they must be pursued, but it is holiness that sets life and labor on a different plane of eternity.

The glory of God’s divine providence in the life of His people is often carried out in the normal, unremarkable experiences of life. Thanks be to God and glory to His name. Soli Deo Gloria.

In View of the Resurrection, 2

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Isaiah 53:5, 7
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed… He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

With graphic detail, the Old Testament Prophet, Isaiah foretold the coming of the promised Messiah, not as a conquering king but rather, a suffering servant. With the upcoming celebration of Christ’s resurrection, we would do well to ponder the Scripture’s revelation of His earthly life and ministry that ended with Him laying His life down as a sacrifice for our sins.

it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief (53:10). The New Testament Apostle, Paul wrote, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin. Jesus bore our sins on His body as one who was guilty and condemned, bearing God’s wrath that rightfully belong to us. He did this so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Notice again the above passage. Christ Jesus was not only pierced, He was pierced FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS. He was not merely crushed, He was crushed FOR OUR INIQUITIES. He was not only chastised, He was chastised TO BRING US PEACE. He was not merely wounded, He was wounded THAT WE MIGHT BE HEALED. And He did so willingly, not once opening his mouth to stop the abuse. Christ Jesus willingly and willfully walked through the sufferings that extended from the throne of our just and righteous God, and this He did so we might know God’s mercy and His grace.

The temporary nature of all things in this present world affirms the temporary nature of life itself. The Bible states that all are appointed to die, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). That judgment determines ones eternal destiny. The beauty of Christ’s death and resurrection is that He has already borne the wrath of that judgment on our behalf and paid fully for our sin. And the glorious reality of this is that this “payment in full” is realized by faith for all who believe. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.