The Philippines missions trip is coming to an end this week. Thank you for praying for them as they have been away ministering to lost people and missionaries. Some will be traveling back this week, and the rest will be traveling next week. Pray for safety and for the spiritual fruit of their labors in the Philippines. Below is a short update from the Renches.

“Made it to Manila with the Reaps late Monday. What a sweet couple, and what a wonderful church!! Such a testimony to their faithfulness here for 40 years. We passed out over 1200 tracts yesterday just outside of the largest Catholic Church in the Philippines. It was a catholic holiday so there were hundreds of people everywhere!! The pastor said this was nothing compared to what it would be later in the evening from 5-8pm for the devotees. Heartbreaking to see so many deceived by Catholicism! Praying for souls to be saved from the tracts. Last night, pastor Ryan was able to preach, and we did a couple of specials at Berean Bible Baptist Church. What a blessing to be with those sweet, kind, generous people!”

What a plan! God’s plan, I mean. I am talking about the plan that transcends time. The timeless plan for mankind—that God’s churches will carry God’s message and bring people into God’s family!

I cannot wait to see God’s kingdom expand here on earth as Bro. Christian launches out by faith to start a new church one day. We just finished a series in Ephesians, and we studied the glorious theology of Christ’s church. It is incredible to think that a kid who got saved here, got called to preach here, and served as youth pastor here is now in the process of starting another ministry that will do the same thing for others in the future. God’s plan is incredible!

Having completed the Ephesians series, I want to talk about a particular aspect of Bible doctrine that is especially relevant to Bro. Christian’s future: the doctrine of baptism. I never want to assume that just because you’re here, you know what baptism is. We are Baptists, so I hope that every Baptist can explain the doctrine of baptism. We are ordaining Bro. Christian in the Baptist ministry in January, he’ll be starting a Baptist church, and being a Baptist is a doctrinal stance—hinging on baptism! So, I want to take a few weeks and talk about who is to be baptized, how we baptize, and why we baptize.

We just baptized a family of four last week, and we are baptizing four girls very soon. I love that God allows His church to carry on His Great Commission—seeing people saved, baptized, and discipled is an incredible work, and it is a privilege to be a part of.

Be sure to be here tonight, and come prepared to share some testimonies of how God has used the Saldanas to be a blessing to you.

—Pastor Ryan

NOTE: Just to clarify, although this is Bro. Christian’s last day on church staff, the Saldanas will still be here for the Christmas play, and we will still have Bro. Christian’s ordination here on January 5.

• America, Politics, and Spiritual Light
• What the Bible Says About Wickedness in High Places

Last week we started to talk about standards and did not get very far. We covered a lot of ground, but still have more to cover, so tonight is part two!

To review, a conviction is something I am convinced about based on a commandment or a series of biblical principles. A preference is something I think is best—with good reason and Bible principles to back it, of course, but not so much that it is a conviction. A standard is the rule(s) I set in my life to help me live my convictions.

We must be careful to distinguish between biblical command, principle, and standard, because some people emphasize the standard so much that it almost becomes the conviction itself!

A standard is the wall around the Grand Canyon, inset a ways to keep you from the destruction of falling over the cliff. It is a barrier in order to keep you extra safe from the edge.

The Pharisees loved that wall, and built it higher and further in all the time. So much so, that when Jesus showed up and started doing miracles on the Sabbath, they thought he was sinning. Their rules WERE their law, not just the things that helped them keep the law.

Mike Pence had a standard of not eating a meal alone with any woman except his wife. That is not a Bible commandment, but based on Bible principles, it’s a good standard to have.

I wanted a barrier between me and the girls in our youth group when I was the youth pastor, because I did not want even am emotional bond to start in either their or my heart. We had rules—standards—for interpersonal relationships, rules for bus rides, rules for youth activities, etc., and those are good and helpful for us to obey God’s commands.

We started to cover SEVEN THOUGHTS about applying standards, taken from the book Yes, It Matters by Pastor Tom Brennan, and we will continue them tonight:

SEVEN THOUGHTS IN APPLYING STANDARDS

1. (Covered last week) There is wisdom in setting the fence well away from the cliff (Prov. 4:14–15). Example: “When should I allow my kids to get a smartphone.” I’ve looked multiple times and I wish I could find the source, but I remember hearing one family/tech writer answer, “When you’re ready for them to lose their innocence.” The Bible does not address smartphones directly, but it addresses plenty of other areas to help you make a wise decision for what standards you will have in your home.
2. There is F__________ in making S____________ themselves the point.
3. You must understand your fences will not always have S__________ biblical support.
4. D___________ standards will usually result in the next generation tearing down fences.
5. You have to make the fence your O___________.
6. Do not tear down a fence until you understand V________ W__________ why it was put up in the first place.
7. If you want to know why the fence is there, wait a while and watch what happens to people who T_________ ______ _________.

MISSIONARY JASON STEVENS PREACHING. I am thankful to have the Stevens family back with us tonight. Bro. Jason will be preaching our services and reporting on his move from the foreign field of Honduras to a future church planting ministry in Philadelphia.

BRO. ZACK TRAVELING. Also pray for Bro. Zack when he heads to Omaha for a friend’s wedding, and then to Alabama to be with a wonderful girl named Shae and her family. He didn’t say a thing about it last Sunday, so I had to share the news here!

THANK YOU. I was so grateful to receive your gift from the deacons for Christmas. The love offerings that you gave to the staff were so incredibly generous, and it’s our HONOR to serve you. I told someone last week that serving at the church is rewarding in itself, and you are such a wonderful and huge part of our lives.

It is always awkward to be recognized and thanked and applauded and all that goes along with a gift-giving portion of a service. We do it for the Lord, and NOTHING in us wants to give the impression that we’re in it for the paycheck. Nothing.

However, when you give someone a gift, you like to see them open it, don’t you? You look forward to their reaction, and you enjoy the giving of it. That was something I had not truly considered, that when you give us a Christmas love offering, it’s as much about the congregation showing love as it is about us receiving it.

So, I’m sorry we did not present the gifts publicly this year. To be honest, we were a bit relieved! Haha! But for the sake of you who gave to it, I believe we will make it a point for you to have the opportunity to see your gift received.

Thank you so much. I love you so much, church, and appreciate not only your kind gifts, but your faithfulness to the Lord. That’s what matters the most. Truly.

God bless you in 2024.

-Pastor Ryan

I wonder how many people Paul didn’t acknowledge.

I spent a part of today thanking people for their involvement in our church, but all that did was highlight all the people that I didn’t thank.

So, does that mean I shouldn’t have acknowledged the people that I did? Since I can’t thank everybody, should I thank nobody?

No. I don’t think so.

First, we serve the Lord. Service at church is first a service to the Lord. Sure, we appreciate it when people recognize our hard work, but even if that never happened, we aren’t doing it for them, anyway. We’re doing it for the Lord.

Second, God sees all that we do. This is related to the first, but I’ll expand it by saying that even when people do get acknowledged, it can’t cover everything that they do. Only God sees it all.

Third, some ministries are naturally more visible than others. I don’t often acknowledge people who give, or who show mercy, or who stand for truth, but those gifts are every bit as important as teaching, music, government (leadership), or serving. I wish I knew how to thank everyone equally, but I can’t.

Fourth, I have to trust the Lord. I have legitimate fear that I’ll offend people by not mentioning their incredible sacrifice, but I have to trust that the Lord will reward them according to their work. I am positive that Paul had countless people he could have mentioned in Scripture, but didn’t. God knows the very act of giving someone a cup of water in His name, and He’s keeping much better records than I can keep. I have to trust that.

Fifth, I ask you for grace and help. I ask for grace when I fail, and for you to extend me the grace to believe that I would never want to overlook anyone. I do miss people, often, and I hate that, so I ask for grace and help. I’d like to enlist you to be the encourager for the people that are overlooked. Maybe the answer is, “Pastor, you should…” But then, maybe the answer is you should go encourage people like you want to be encouraged. You should recognize people that you think should be recognized.

I wish I could convey what a wonderful thing it is to be a part of a godly church that is sincerely living out the Word in their everyday lives! I love it. Merry Christmas.

-Pastor Ryan

The word deacon simply means servant, and I appreciate our five deacons: Pedro Sarmiento, Henry Ashe, Gerhard Theurich, Dick Welsh, and Matt Rowley. Although Acts 6 doesn’t use the word deacon, the pattern there lines up with the qualifications of a deacon in 1 Tim. 3.

The role of a deacon in Scripture is never a ruling role in Scripture. The expectation in 1 Tim. 3 is for them to be spiritual, but they’re not expected to teach or to lead; simply to serve.

Our deacons serve regularly by staying after the services on Sundays to count the offering. It usually takes over 30 minutes, and that’s one of the many ways that they serve.

The deacons help to serve the Lord’s Supper. The deacons serve by caring for people, and just this week, for example, Bro. Ashe spent time on the phone and in the hospital with people that he cares for. All of our deacons work at ministering (serving) throughout the week.

Choosing deacons in Acts 6 was an appointment from the congregation, so we as a congregation will nominate men from among us, and we will vet the nominations based on the biblical qualifications:

• Full of faith and the Holy Ghost (Acts 6:3, 5). Obviously, this means that they be saved, baptized, active, and faithful members of our church.
• In full doctrinal agreement with our church constitution and Statement of Faith.
• The deacons nominated will be evaluated based on 1 Tim. 3:8–12:
  • 1 Timothy 3:8-12 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
  • The statement “let them first be proved” is similar to the “not a novice” of the pastoral qualifications in verse 6, and the “lay hands suddenly on no man” phrase from 5:22—statements which tell us to wait and watch a while to see whether a man if faithful before appointing him to be a deacon. Since our deacons are voted on once per year, our preference is to wait at least a year before a man is considered for being a deacon.
  • The statement “husband of one wife” would exclude a man who has been divorced in his past. Although a deacon is not in a ruling role, his position is still to be exemplary. His marriage and child-rearing are to reflect the ideals of God. Although it is not explicitly stated here in 1 Tim. 3, I believe Jesus held the highest ideal of marriage for both parties, because he said in Matthew 19:9, “whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.”
    • I do not consider it some kind of perpetual adultery to marry someone who is divorced—God’s grace is great enough to cover all our past, present, and future sins (they were all future at the cross!)—but in this area of marriage, there’s a higher standard for the two church offices of pastor and deacon.
    • Divorce does not exclude a man from other ministries, nor from preaching, but only from the biblical offices. Several of our men with divorces in their past have served (and currently are serving) in discipleship, retirement homes, military ministry, jail ministry, as Sunday school teachers, and much more.

So our process for new deacons is:

• Submit names of men you might think would be a good deacon
• We will evaluate them and interview them, and if they agree, then
• We will include their name on the ballot in January, to which you will simply vote yes/no.

Just in case you were curious, here’s what our church constitution says about officers:

ARTICLE IV — OFFICERS

SECTION 4.01 — CHURCH OFFICERS

The officers of the church shall be the pastor (also called an elder or bishop in Scripture), deacon, minister of finance, minister of Sunday school, and church clerk. One person may hold more than one office, except that of the pastor. The pastor, from time to time as he deems appropriate, may appoint other church officers, subject to confirmation vote of the church membership. All officers or persons holding positions in this church shall be members in good standing.

SECTION 4.02 — DESIGNATION OF CORPORATE OFFICERS

As an accommodation to legal relationships outside the church, the pastor shall serve as president of the corporation; the church clerk shall serve as secretary of the corporation; the minister of finances shall serve as treasurer of the corporation; and the chairman of the deacons shall serve as the vice president of the corporation.

SECTION 4.03 — ELIGIBILITY FOR OFFICE

(A) The church shall not instate or retain an officer who fails to adhere to, or expresses disagreement with the Statement of Faith. All church officers, upon request of the pastor shall affirm their agreement with the Statement of Faith (as set forth in Article II).
(B) Only church members are eligible for election or appointment to any church office or position.

SECTION 4.04 — ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Election of officers shall normally occur at the annual meeting of the members, but election of officers may occur at other scheduled administration meetings when necessary due to resignations or dismissal of officers of the church. A quorum shall consist of 30% of the current voting membership of the church. The church clerk shall keep current membership records and determine if a quorum is present at any administration meeting.

SECTION 4.05 — TERMS OF OFFICE

(A) The relationship between the pastor and the church shall be permanent unless dissolved at the action of either party by giving a month’s notice, or less with mutual consent. The calling of a pastor or severance of the relationship between the pastor and the church may be considered at any regular or called church administration meeting, provided notice to that effect shall have been given from the pulpit to the church two (2) Sundays prior to said administration meeting. A 3/4 majority of eligible members present, and voting shall be required to call a pastor, or to sever the relationship between the pastor and the church. Disciplinary removal of the pastor from office automatically terminates his membership in the church. A restoration to membership after disciplinary removal will be subject to the requirements of Section 3.01 D.
(B) The term of service for all officers and positions in the church, except the pastor, shal(C) A vacancy occurring in any office, except the office of the pastor, may be filled by the pastor’s appointment, subject to ratification by the church at the next called administration meeting.
(D) All elected and appointed officers shall serve in their respective offices until their successors are duly elected or appointed.

SECTION 4.06 — PASTORAL OVERSIGHT OF THE OFFICERS AND STAFF

Assistants to the pastor, associate pastors, secretaries, and all full or part-time workers shall be placed on the staff or dismissed by the authority of the pastor. They shall work for and with the pastor and shall be answerable to him. The pastor shall be responsible to the church for their conduct and actions in the performance of their duties. Any salaries for the above mentioned workers shall be set by the pastor and deacons and approved within the annual church budget.

ARTICLE V — DUTIES AND POWERS OF OFFICERS

SECTION 5.01 — THE PASTOR

(A) Qualifications: The qualifications of the pastor are those given in (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). The pastor must be an ordained Baptist minister and must be in full agreement with the accepted Articles of Faith of this church.
(B) Term of Office: The pastor shall be called for an indefinite term.
(C) Salary: The pastor’s salary shall be set at the time of call and may be changed by a vote of the members, as recommended by the deacons, at the annual administration meeting. All salaries at Calvary Baptist Church, Temecula, shall be reviewed annually by the deacons. Salaries shall be voted upon as part of the annual church budget presented at the annual administration meeting of the church.
(D) Sick pay and vacation pay: Pastor shall be given sick time off with full pay and paid vacation time according to the following schedule. The pastor shall reasonably give two (2) weeks advance notice to the deacons of his intent to take vacation time off.

Vacation Years of Service
2 weeks after one full year; 3 weeks after 5 full years; 4 weeks after 15 full years.

SECTION 5.02 — DUTIES OF THE PASTOR

The pastor shall act as the shepherd of the church membership, recognizing the Lord Jesus Christ as the Chief Shepherd and Head of the Church. The pastor shall have the oversight of the church as Scripture dictates: “feed the flock of God which is among you, taking oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:2-3).
The pastor shall conduct the services of the church, preach the gospel, preach the whole counsel of God, administer the ordinances, watch over the membership, extend the right hand of fellowship to all new members, promote the spiritual interests of the church, organize, and develop its strength for the best possible service. The pastor shall appoint members of various committees as needed to assist in carrying out the ministry of the church.
Any use of church facilities for other than regular weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual church services and meetings must be approved by the pastor.
In the event of his absence from the pulpit, the pastor shall select the speaker to fill it. The pastor shall moderate all church administration meetings and shall act as president of the corporation as set out in the corporation laws of the State of California. The pastor shall present an annual report to the members outlining the progress of the church in the past year and the goals for the upcoming year.

SECTION 5.03 — DEACONS

The qualifications of deacons are given in (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13). The deacon board shall consist of three or more members.

SECTION 5.04 — DUTIES OF DEACONS

The deacons shall serve the church under the leadership of the pastor and shall help him in the work of the church. As in (Acts 6:1–6), they shall look to the pastor for their special appointments and work. Any special projects performed by deacons shall be done with the approval of the pastor. The deacons shall serve the Lord’s Table and assist the pastor in the performance of his duties. They shall visit the sick and administer the relief work of the church, and shall assist the pastor in the visitation program of the church.
Each deacon shall have a portion of the church membership assigned to him. He is to follow up on any from his list who are absent and contact them. He will help get out the word on special days and revivals etc. by calling those on his list. He will keep the pastor informed of any on his list who are ill, hospitalized or who need the pastors attention. Deacons shall hear testimony of those requesting membership and then determine if those persons have:
(1) A clear testimony and understanding of their salvation.
(2) A Biblical baptism by immersion subsequent to their salvation.
(3) Agreement to the church constitution and Statement of Faith.
In the event the church is without a pastor, the deacons shall select three (3) from among their number who shall serve as a pulpit committee. Deacons may select 2 or more men from the membership to aid in serving on the pulpit committee as needed. In the event the church does not have qualified deacons when the pastorate is vacant, a pulpit committee shall be elected from the membership.
The deacons shall act as trustees for the corporation, in compliance with the corporation laws of the state of California. As such, they shall be empowered to execute deeds of trust, mortgage liens, promissory notes or other pecuniary obligations, and to transfer, assign, and convey all church property or any part thereof upon official recorded instructions of the church. The deacons shall sign all papers with this title (trustee), affixing their names and signatures only as members of the board and not as individuals. The deacons, acting as trustees, shall not be personally liable for any financial commitment of the church. Included in the deacon’s responsibilities shall be development and proposal of the annual budget of the church.
The deacon board, following each annual administration meeting of the church, shall elect from among their number a chairman who shall serve as vice president of the corporation and a secretary to keep the minutes of the deacon’s meetings.

-Pastor Ryan Rench

So, we met. And we carried on the teaching of God’s Word. And we sang. And we fellowshipped. And everything was fresh and exciting again.

Has that worn off?

I hope not. Church life is like dad life… it goes on day by day, but it’s the greatest thing in the world. The most meaningful moments of your life happen at church and home—not so much at work. Work pays the bills, sure, but when you’re gone from life, HR hires someone to fill your position. Your family can’t do the same.

Father’s Day, for some, is a time you’d rather forget. But for others—and this is the majority we celebrate on a special day like this—dads are the family anchor. Dads are the rock. Dads bring a special humor named after themselves, and dads bring a level of fear that’s healthy and good for a family.

It’s not all glamorous, though. Being a dad is about the mundane stuff. Waking up. Going to work. Bringing home the bacon. Providing. Protecting. Loving. Living selflessly.

I preached a couple years ago on Father’s Day about the man’s need for respect—a craving that exceeds his desire for love in the vast majority of men (about 75%.) Today, a really great gift for men is to acknowledge and appreciate his contribution to your life.

He may not do everything perfectly—and he probably knows it better than anyone else—but for those areas in which he’s living the routine, don’t forget to be amazed with him every now and then. Not every joke has to be about how he messes up. Sometimes you could say something outrageous to him like, “You decide,” or, “Wow, it’s amazing to me that you can…” or, “Thank you for going to work.” And saying it seriously (not sarcastically,) too.

Most men aren’t much on sentimental lovey-dovey stuff.

That’s why a lot of men are turned off to church. Dim lights, eyes closed, breathy voices, and soft messages offer something emotional for the wives, but where’s the rally call for a cause? Where’s the part where we men can go destroy the devil and fight for Jesus? Where’s the part where we sing like a Marine running cadence instead of a 6-year-old running a marathon?

This is Father’s Day, in case you missed it! We’re handing out beef jerky and tell you to not be a jerk! We’re printing your bulletin on sandpaper and telling you to “BE TOUGH” today. We’re making you do push-ups if you’re late to Sunday school, and preaching God’s Word straight, like always.

We’re excited to be together, but let’s not get carried away… none of this “holy kiss” and lovey-dovey stuff, right?

Right.

Happy Father’s Day. Man up.

-Pastor Ryan