by John Carpenter | Jul 14, 2016 | Events, Ministry News
This month we have a special event planned that we hope you all will support with your attendance. On July 20th — during our fourth camp session — we plan to have a cook out time of fellowship for our friends and faithful supporters. It will be a first of its kind and will give you all a chance to actually participate in an actual camp event! We are doing this in place of an annual banquet. Please plan to be here at Camp Del-Haven from 5PM to 8PM and get in on the real camp experience. We promise you will be well fed and spiritually enriched! The event will take place in our Shelter House. We hope and pray you all can and will be here with us.
by John Carpenter | Jul 14, 2016 | Ministry News
Praises and Prayer Requests
Well, dear friends, our Lord has blessed us with two wonderful camps that have kicked off our 2016 season. This is a true answer to our prayers — both, yours and ours! That being said, however, let us continue to seek the Lord in earnest prayer the rest of the camp year. Please keep us before the throne of our sovereign Savior — staff and camper — that we may be effectually used by His Spirit in service to Him and for His glory.
We had a brief, but welcome, visit from our friends and family in Christ from Forest Grove Baptist Church. They brought us some food goods and supplies, as well as, some encouraging words and a short time of prayer for the ministry. We pray that the Lord will, in turn, richly bless them for their loving, faithful support.
by John Carpenter | Jul 14, 2016 | Devotional
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: (13) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: (14) In whom we have redemption through his blood — the forgiveness of sins… [Col.1:12-14]
From Mt.11:27 we have it taught directly from Christ Jesus that no man knows the Son, but the Father — and “neither knoweth any man the Father, but the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him”. Therefore, for us to be able to give thanks unto the Father, the Son of God must — first of all — reveal Him unto us! And, look at what this great text from Colossians 1 declares that this revelatory experience will give to us. It not only gives to us a knowledge of God the Father, but it also gives to us a knowledge of He who makes us (literally) qualified to be heirs along with all of the saints in light! This, dear ones, is but another way of saying, “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves” (Eph.2:8).
Col.1:13 goes on to describe of God the Father as being the one “who has delivered (or, rescued) us from the power (or, the ruling authority) of darkness…”! Acts 26:18 tells us plainly that this ruling power of darkness is in truth the power of Satan! God the Father, Himself, intervenes on our behalf to reveal to us the saving, guiding “Light” of this world of darkness. We then are drawn by the Father (Jn.6:44) to come out of darkness to the Light — which is His Son — and from that time onward “we walk in the Light as He is in the Light” (1Jn.1:7) and we enter into a vibrant, living relationship of close fellowship with one another and “the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin”. Praise and glory to His great eternal Name!
In addition, Col.1:13 goes on to say of God the Father that He has (in Christ) delivered us from Satan’s darkness and ruling power over us — and “translated us into the Kingdom (literally) of the Son of His love”! We are transferred from the temporal kingdom of the devil and his darkness to the eternal Kingdom of Christ and His Light; out from being under the enslaving dominion of Satan, sin and death into the life transforming realization of Christ’s “wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1Co.1:30); from being under sin’s reigning influence to being under God the Son’s reign of love and grace.
Yes, we give our most heartfelt thanks unto God the Father for all of this because He has wrought it all for us through His beloved and eternal Son — our blessed and eternal Savior. And, praise to the Holy Spirit of God who personally bears witness unto us of all these wonderful things (Ro.8:16)! He it is that gives us the knowledge that in Jesus we do have “forgiveness of sins” (or, more lit., freedom from the penalty of our sins). Praise to the all glorious Savior!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
by John Carpenter | Jun 25, 2016 | Ministry News
The Del-Haven 2016 camp season is right upon us! Praise the Lord, He has supplied through many of you all new mattresses for Cabin 1. Our God hears and answers prayer and fulfills His good pleasure in providing for us through His people. It’s truly a beautiful thing! Thank you all for being there. Please keep praying for us.
We were in great need of trimming several trees that had many dead limbs that were a real threat of breaking off and falling to the ground and possibly upon one of us, or a camper. These limbs were way up in the trees. So several men from different churches (Heritage Baptist and First Baptist of Oak Grove) rallied to the task and rented a bucket lift to get the job done as well as gave of their time and expertise to see it through to the end. Honorable mention goes to Jack Chaffee, Heath Lytle, Carl Brewer, Ron Hayes and our own Jeff Hall. We prayed through this whole day that our Lord would protect these men from harm and be successful in performing the dangerous job…and He did! This work day was yet one more wonderful testimony of our great God’s presence and protective power among us!
There are still some tasks that need to be tackled and completed, but that will always be the case when striving for Christ’s eternal kingdom in this temporary world. Our Lord continues to bear testimony unto us that He is, indeed, with us to guide us, provide for us, protect us and preserve us…as we continue to pray and seek Him in all that we do. Praise His all glorious Name!
We also had a wonderful Staff Training Week. There were 18 dedicated young men and women that attended. Please pray for their preparation to serve the Lord on the front lines with the children that will be attending camp this year. We know the enemy will do all that he can to disrupt and even destroy any opportunity to proclaim the gospel of the glory only of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that we be protected from all the attacks of the evil one. Thank you in advance for your prayerful response. We love you and do pray for you, too.
by John Carpenter | Jun 25, 2016 | Devotional
Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2Th.1: 11-12
There is a copulative and cumulative connection that this text has with 2Th.1:7-10 that is right before it. It is a connection of great significance in that in verses 7-10 is described the truth and certainty of the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ that is for certain going to take place on Judgment Day in eternity against all who do not truly know God, nor have genuinely obeyed the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ.
It is in reaching the point of realizing this truth that the apostle declares from vs.11-12 that which has stirred him up into being so busy in always praying for those who have become the recipients of his pure truth gospel ministry. And, it is in this light that there are five specifics that are given for which he and his companions do pray will be accomplished by God on their behalf. They are:
1. That God would count them worthy — or, deem them entitled to and for — this, His effectual calling;
2. And next, that God would, in turn, then fulfill in them all the good pleasure of His goodness viz. His virtue and beneficence;
3. And, even more so, that He would fulfill in them His divine work of faith with power;
4. To the end that the Name — that is the very authority and the description of the character — of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in them; or, in their work.
5. And, they, in His transformation of them, in Him.
All of these grand things are accomplished in accordance with the bestowal, by God, of His grace upon us. This text plainly demonstrates how that the blessing of God’s grace is indeed an edifying and an empowering work that culminates in our bringing glory to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Ro.8:28-29, all things work for our good because we are predestined to be conformed to His image.
But even more than this, this text tells us that we, being, by grace, His saved ones become the substance of the glory of God in Him! Dear ones, this is indeed a very incredible thing! It’s easy to see how that He as our Savior is obviously our glory, but the fact that we become His glory emphasizes the exceeding riches of His mercy and grace toward us. These are the things that make up being in the ministry!
For Christ’s Glory Only!
-John Carpenter
