by John Carpenter | Oct 29, 2019 | Camp News
Well, dear ones, we continue to praise our wonderful Lord God for everything that He continues to demonstrate in regards to His great faithfulness! A favorite text of Don Carpenter was Lam.3:22-23: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed – because His compassions fail not. (23)They are new every morning: Great is thy Faithfulness!” It’s interesting, as well as encouraging, that this text tells us that God’s mercies are new to us every morning. Every new day that we are still here in this fallen-in-sin world – He refreshes upon us His everlasting mercies and His unfailing compassion. Praise His Name – He cannot fail! [see Jn.6:39]
As the calendar approaches another season of holidays, please do not forget to hold up in your prayers the campers and staff. For many of them – this time of year is fraught with depression and disappointment. Pray that the precious Holy Spirit reveals Himself to them with the comfort and joy that He is particularly famous for. Pray for us as well, dear ones, as we pray for you! There are so many times where all I can do is pray and trust in the Lord and His awesome sovereign control over it all. Like the scripture tells us concerning Abraham as he faced his impossible situation. Ro.4:17 tells us that “…he believed God – who quickeneth the dead – and calleth those things which be not – as though they were!” And, once again, God proves Himself as being absolutely faithful to His Word!
by John Carpenter | Oct 29, 2019 | Devotional
“Through the tender mercy of our God – whereby the dayspring from on high visited us – (79) to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death – to guide our feet into the Way of peace.” [Lk.1:78-79]
As we continue to examine the Holy Spirit inspired statement of old priest Zacharias concerning his newborn son, John the Baptist – we see that it is all about the yet to be born (which is only a few short months from happening) – the birth of the eternal Son of God incarnated into being the eternal Savior/God, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He that is being referred to as: “the Dayspring”.
The “Dayspring” is descriptive of the precise moment that the light of the beginning of a brand new new day brilliantly bursts forth into existence and springs into view — completely dispelling the prevailing and all encompassing darkness of the night. And, the Lord Jesus Christ is being referred to here as the “Dayspring – from on High”! Our Savior – the incarnated, holy and beloved eternal Son of God, was already conceived by the Holy Spirit of God — in the womb of Mary. Jesus – who was to be born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth — was being made ready to make His appointed and promised-by-God appearance in our history – and in the likeness of our sinful flesh (see Ro.8:3) — when old Zacharias was making this Holy Spirit inspired utterance! The event described in Gal.4:3-5 – which text says: “…we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: (4) but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (5) to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” – the description of this text — was just months away from becoming a gospel reality in the midst of our fallen world! Praise the Name of God!
The sudden appearance of the glorious light of the “Dayspring from on high” marks the glorious visitation of our great, holy and sovereign Savior/Redeemer into fallen-in-sin humanity! This is the “light of the truth of the gospel of the glory, only, of the Lord Jesus Christ” that suddenly and gloriously showed up and cured, or healed, poor old Zacharias of all his unbelief in God.
This whole event around the birth of John the Baptist – the prophet/messenger and forerunner of the Lord Jesus Christ – was foretold — four hundred years earlier through Malachi. Mal.3:1 says: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me – and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple – even the Messenger of the Covenant – whom ye delight in. Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts!” This prophecy was Holy Spirit inspired and recorded by Malachi 400 years before its fulfillment which we are presently looking at in Luke one! And, take careful note of this additional fact – just as Luke 1 narrates the announcement of the event of the first coming of Jesus in the flesh – the prophecy of Malachi declares the event of the second coming of Jesus in the flesh. It says: “For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts…But, unto you that fear my Name – shall the ‘Sun of righteousness’ arise with healing in His wings…” [Mal.4:1-2] The Lord Jesus is the “Dayspring” of Lk.1:78 – and He is the “Messenger of the Covenant” and the “Sun of righteousness” of Mal.3:1 and 4:2. And, just as Zacharias’s unbelief was healed with the actual birth of his son, John the Baptist, even so will all of God’s eternal covenanted loved and saved ones be rescued with the rising of the Sun of righteousness – the Lord Jesus Christ. He comes with the eternal rescue of redemption in His wings! But wait, there is yet still more wonderful blessings to be focused on here. . .
For Christ’s Glory Only! – John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Sep 23, 2019 | Camp News
We are fast approaching yet another beautiful Autumn time of year – and we have yet many things that need to be done! Our insurance company has determined that we need to get some much needed roofing and/or wood rot repairs accomplished on some of our buildings by June of next year – or, they will not even continue to insure those structures. For that reason we are needing to set aside some special work days during the good weather of this Fall in order to tackle these tasks. We need help. If you (as an individual or group) can be available to assist us in doing these things – could you please give us a call and let us know?
Our phone numbers are: (816) 690-8465 or 277-7071.
Now, dear friends and family in Christ, our young people and children – our staff and campers – have been incorporated once again into the modern world of our schools. This is where they will be compassed about in the corrupt culture and influence of this fallen world. This is where they will definitely need the direct guidance and preservation of our Lord, Himself. Please remember to constantly be lifting them up in your prayers! Please pray that these young and spiritually vulnerable “vessels of mercy” be “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed…” (which is what we all need). As it has been from its beginning – Del-Haven is a ministry of God’s Word of His grace – that was founded on prayer – supported through prayer –and sustained by prayer! This means that you – and your prayers for us – are a vital part of what has been – and is being – accomplished through the ministry of Del-Haven – unto the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We love you – and we thank the Lord for you!
by John Carpenter | Sep 23, 2019 | Devotional
“Through the tender mercy of our God – whereby the dayspring from on high visited us – (79) to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death – to guide our feet into the Way of peace.” [Lk.1:78-79]
In the previous newsletter we noted the context of Lk.1:78-79. How that Zacharias, an old priest of the temple, had received a visitation by Gabriel, the Angel. He brought to him the news that the son whom he and his barren wife, Elisabeth, had long prayed for — would finally be given to them. Furthermore, that son would be John the Baptist, the forerunner and prophet/messenger of the promised Seed – the incarnate Christ of God. And these two verses deliver to us a short list of the eternally saving blessings that by God’s grace have been bestowed upon all the redeemed “people prepared for the Lord” [see vs.17] with the coming of Him who is the Christ! However, Zacharias could not believe the news divinely delivered unto him through Gabriel. Therefore, God made the priest unable to speak even a word until all “…these things shall be performed”.
Consequently, Elisabeth — Zacharias’s barren wife — conceived and gave birth to their son – who was — in fallen human history — the messenger/forerunner of Christ Jesus, our Lord. And, after over 9 months of God-caused silence the Lord opened Zacharias’s mouth and the first thing he spoke by the Holy Spirit was Lk.1:68: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel – for He hath visited and redeemed His people…”.
The capstone, however, of his whole Holy Spirit induced and inspired statement points directly to the glory of the greatest and most incomprehensible miracle that God ever performed: the incarnation of His eternal, holy and beloved and only begotten Son into the fallen human “likeness of sinful flesh” [see Ro.8:3]. He became the literal, historical Jesus of Nazereth. This utterance becomes Zacharias’s announcement of the gospel of the glory only of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ – the only sovereign Savior/substitute and Redeemer that there ever was, is, or ever will be! Praise His Holy Name! [see 2Co.5:21 and Col.2:9-10]
God’s Word tells us from Lk.1:78-79 of four blessings given unto His redeemed people. The first one is His “tender mercy”; and he tells us that it is “through” His “tender mercy” that the other three blessings are bestowed upon us. This way of expressing His “everlasting mercy” (see Ps.136) emphasizes the Lord’s great compassion that He has for all those that are His “prepared people”. From Ex.33:19 God descriptively declares that He – “will be gracious to whom He will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom He will show mercy.”
God’s “chosen” sinner “peculiar people” [see 1Pe.2:9-10] – which are the same as the “people prepared for the Lord” [of Lk.1:17] – need His “tender mercy”! Mercy is where we sinners do not receive that which we truly do deserve for our sins through the person and redemptive work of Christ Jesus. Grace is where we sinners do receive that which we truly do not deserve in our eternal salvation, once again, through the person and redemptive work of Christ Jesus.
Every one of God’s eternally saved ones are quickened by the Holy Spirit to see clearly that they are hopeless and undeserving sinners just like the publican described by the Lord Jesus in Lk.18:13. We all cry out for holy God to (lit.) “be mercifully propitious to me a sinner”. The only one who can and does fulfill this for us – and in us — is He who is: “the dayspring from on high”!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Aug 25, 2019 | Camp News
Well, dear ones, we have officially completed our 67th season of Del-Haven camps. Praise our Lord and Savior! The Lord definitely blessed us this year…as He always does! It is wonderful to witness His faithful provision – preservation – and especially His presence and power. “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ – for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.”
After every one of our summer camp seasons, we encourage you to – please remember to pray for the campers that the Lord sent to us – and the staff help that participated in this evangelistic ministerial endeavor. Your prayers for us are much needed! We love to hear that you are praying for us. I am certain that prayer is the appointed means that God has — ordained from eternity – to maintain His constant presence and power – and to provide and preserve this – His work. This is the evidence of His matchless grace in keeping us going all these 6+ decades!
We want to make a special request for your prayers for a 12 year old boy that was a part of our last camp session of this season. His name is, Harley. Harley lives with his Aunt. His father is in prison for dealing drugs. Harley’s mom – he really doesn’t know where she is. All he knows is she was pulled over by the police and in resisting them from searching her car (because she had drugs in it) she struck a police officer. Most likely she, too, is in jail. This young man needs our earnest prayers. He learned all the memory verses — and he heard the gospel every day at camp – and he indicated very strongly that he wants to come back next year. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will use the planted Word as only He can do in quickening and regenerating him – for the glory, only, of the Lord Jesus Christ! Praise His Name!
Beloved friends, we wish to give special recognition to the passing away of 95 year old, Wilma Flansburg. She was the mother of Gary and Joyce Flansburg – who are members of Strasburg Union Church – a strong and a longtime supporter of the ministry of Camp Del-Haven. Those that have known Wilma – at Gary and Joyce’s authorization – may give a donation to Del-Haven in her memory. We thank and praise the Lord for what they have done.
As always – Thank you, dear ones, for your continual prayerful support of this ministry. We love you — and we pray for all of you.
