February 2011
Volume 6 #2
Wading River Baptist Church
P.O. Box 438, 1635 Wading River-Manorville Road, Wading River, NY 11792
(631) 929-3512; 929-6022
www.wrbc.us
A recent article in the Lifestyle Notebook
of World magazine set me thinking the
other day. It is entitled “Loosening
Knot,” and explains something we all
know, namely that “marriage is in trou-
ble.” During the month of February, as
we traditionally acknowledge human
love on Valentine’s Day, it is worthwhile
to remind ourselves that love is a com-
mitment and not a frivolous recreational
activity.
According to this article, extensive
polling by the National Marriage Project
(NMP) reveals that although the mar-
riages of the best-educated Americans
(those with college [and graduate] de-
grees) seem to be stable and even getting
a little stronger, among the majority of
Americans comprising the “educational
middle” (high school and some college or
trade school) and the “least educated”
(no high school), marriage is weakening.
The poll reports that 75% of Americans
still think marriage is “an important
ideal,” but on the whole, the survey is
bad news. More of the American popula-
tion than ever before is embracing loos-
ened moral values. They accept premari-
tal sex, divorce, and even adultery as
normal. Increasing promiscuity and
infidelity mean increasing illegitimacy,
and that trend is wreaking havoc on our
homes.
This NMP poll also identifies an-
other factor in the systemic change we
are witnessing in the moral fabric of
America: the rise of what they call the
“soulmate model of marriage.” Instead
of being the institution that opened the
door to companionship, sexual intimacy,
childbearing, and economic stability,
office@wrbc.us
A Slip in the Knot
marriage is now primarily viewed as a
vehicle for personal happiness and ful-
fillment, yet these values are widely per-
ceived as attainable without the inevita-
ble legal entanglements entailed in mar-
riage. When self-satisfaction is not
forthcoming, then the “relationship” is
easily dissolved.
This lack of a binding relationship is
important to many younger adults who
are rejecting the marriage model because
of what they experienced as children,
growing up in dysfunctional homes and
suffering under the trauma of parents
locked in long-standing adversarial rela-
tionships. Marriage is OK for some peo-
ple, says the typical young adult today,
but just not for me! They assume that
they can enjoy the fun of personal inti-
macy without having to incur the incon-
venience of personal responsibility.
Another reality emerges in this NMP
poll as well. Those with declining com-
mitment to marriage are most likely to
have no commitment to the church (or
any organized religion). They are not
church members, and they rarely, if ever,
attend services or other religious activi-
ties.
So how should we react to this “slip
in the knot”? We need to remind our-
selves of the basic biblical truths regard-
ing marriage. First, marriage is an in-
dissoluble bond. The Lord Jesus re-
sponded to the Pharisees’ question on
divorce by saying, “Have you not read
that He who created them [the man and
his wife] from the beginning made them
male and female, and said, ‘For this rea-
son a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the
two shall become one flesh’? So they are
no longer two, but one flesh” (Mt 19:4-
6a). Second, no man has a right to
separate those whom God has joined
together. The Lord Jesus continues by
saying to the religious authorities, “What
therefore God has joined together, let no
man separate” (v. 6b). Finally, mar-
riage was not instituted by God for its
own sake, but as a divinely drawn illus-
tration of a far more profound reality,
namely, the relationship of the Lord
Jesus Christ and His church. Quoting
the same passage from Genesis 2, Paul
tells the Ephesians that when he writes
of the divine order of the man as the lov-
ing head of the woman and the woman
as the submissive helper to the man he
does so “with reference to Christ and the
church” (Eph 5:32).
Parents, these basic truths need to
be continually reinforced in the thinking
of your children and your young adults,
so that they will view marriage in its
proper light: not as a means primarily
for achieving personal happiness, but as
the Lord’s will for the foundation of a
growing, loving commitment between a
man and a woman, a stable and thriving
family, and an economically and socially
prosperous society. Marriage is the cor-
nerstone of sound education and spiri-
tual nurturing for the next generation.
To marry is indeed to “tie the knot,” and
it is a knot that must not be allowed to
slip, but must be secured for the good of
all concerned today, for the next genera-
tion, and for the glory of the God who
designed it.
⎯ Pastor Ron Glass
1
 Getting Acquainted with Martie Best
There is a new gal in town who has quite
obviously been nurtured in the
south⎯the Mississippi south, bringing a
bit of it with her. Already we have ex-
perienced some of her favorite southern
cooking at WRBC’s fellowship dinners;
have been on the receiving end of her
southern hospitality as she quickly vol-
unteers to help out whenever needed;
and have listened to her southern drawl
as she tells us the stories of the south.
Although she has only been at the WRBC
for about half a year, she has already
developed an impressive history.
Most impressive was the research
Martie did for a church before making
the move to New York—even before sell-
ing their house in Missouri. Tim, the
Best’s resident seminary student, began
assisting her on his laptop in finding a
church near her husband’s new assign-
ment. Thinking that biblically and doc-
trinally sound Baptist churches on Long
Island would probably be a scarcity, she
was not only surprised, but also de-
lighted, to discover WRBC’s website.
Proceeding cautiously, Martie then for-
warded WRBC’s link to five respected
pastor friends for their assessment. Af-
ter getting a “green light” from all of
them, she contacted Pastor Glass, and a
divinely appointed long-distance men-
toring relationship began with Pastor
Glass and the people of WRBC. As a re-
sult of this connection, even though
they’d never been to WRBC, they felt a
sense of “coming home” as WRBC mem-
bers George and Judy Ehmann wel-
comed them to Long Island for the first
time in July.
This new gal in town, as you may
have guessed, is Martie Best. Her
southern roots take her back to the real
south where she was born on December
8th in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Her fa-
ther, Robert McGowen, was a diesel me-
chanic and her mother, Dolores
McGowen, was a homemaker who raised
nine children having a 19-year age span.
Her last child, Martie, was born when
Dolores was 38 years old. Dolores was a
tiny fountain of energy. Not only did she
tend to the needs of her nine children,
but she also wrote a local news column
for a city newspaper, ran a paper route
with the kids, and was the local librarian.
Martie was born into a Baptist home
and came to a personal relationship with
Christ at the age of 11; she was baptized
at her home church in December of
1963. She attended New Augusta High
School where her classmates knew her
for her frank opinions. One classmate of
hers commented: “If you don’t want her
opinion, don’t ask for it.” Martie’s extra-
curricular activities were numerous:
4-H, Beta Club, Girl Scouts, Sunbeams,
Ga’s, and Glee Club, among others.
Thanksgiving at the McGowen home
with their nine children and numerous
grandchildren included a bulging house
and a time of “making memories,” as
Martie’s “Mama” would say; one particu-
lar “cinnamon” memory continues on to
this day. It is important for you to know
that as she got older, Martie’s “Mama”
began to lose her sense of smell. It is
also important to know that “Mama” was
accomplished in her ability to produce a
huge Thanksgiving dinner, in a most
southern way: having everything piping
hot when it went on the table, and mak-
ing sure the bread was last out of the
oven. Customarily, the next-to-last item
out of the oven was the cornbread stuff-
ing (called “dressing” in the South)—a
dish which represented hours of work.
One particular year, Martie’s older
brother repeatedly commented on the
strong cinnamon aroma (which Mama
could not smell) permeating the kitchen.
As the cornbread dressing came out of
the oven, there was no doubt that the
cinnamon smell suddenly became
stronger—drawing everyone into the
kitchen, eyes focused on the dressing
pan. Sure enough, Mama had mistak-
enly reached for the cinnamon instead of
the paprika! Well, that year Mama’s
dressing literally went to the dogs, but it
sure made for the family a lasting (and
laughing!) memory.
“Mama” often used these moments
to teach wisdom to her children; she’d
say, “When everything goes smoothly
and perfectly, events slip quietly away
into the past and out of your memory.
The only ones that lodge in your mind
are the ones where things go every way
except as planned.” And Mama was
right, as usual, as each generation still
laughs about Grandmother’s “cinnamon
dressing.”
Just a year out of high school, Mar-
tie married and went to beauty school.
She earned a cosmetology license and
worked as a cosmetologist for a couple of
years. Moving around the South with
her husband’s job, she worked at various
establishments; one of which was the
Singer Sewing Machine Company, where
Martie was employed as a sales clerk in
both Knoxville, TN, and Selma, AL. She
also worked at a gun repair company as a
bookkeeper, at an optometrist’s office in
Selma as a receptionist, and then at a
clothing manufacturing company in Hat-
tiesburg, MS, as a bookkeeper. When
her first child, Rebekah, was born on
March 3, 1983, Martie left the work force
to stay in the home and care for her. The
19-year marriage ultimately failed while
she was expecting Nathan, who was born
Nov. 7, 1988. As Martie struggled to
raise her children alone, she entered the
University of Southern Mississippi in
Hattiesburg where she earned a bache-
lor’s degree in nursing. After graduation
she became—and has remained—a dialy-
sis nurse.
Also studying at USM was another
single parent, Joe Best⎯a gentleman
who happened to be in one of Martie’s
classes. At first, there was nothing about
Joe that impressed Martie and you might
even say that she never even gave him
much notice. But as time went on, they
shared more classes at school and a gen-
tle friendship grew between them (with
neither Joe nor Martie desiring anything
more than friendship). Although both
Martie and Joe had decided to remain
single, God obviously had other plans,
and in time their affection for one an-
other deepened to love, bringing to full
circle a marriage relationship begun of
special friendship.
They were married October 15, 1995,
and in early 1997, Joe returned to active
duty in the military. Thus began their
moves from New Augusta, MS (Martie’s
hometown), to Fort Knox, KY, then to St.
Peters, MO, and now to Long Island.
Here in New York, Martie works at the
continued on page 3
2
continued from page 2
Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead
as an Acute Hemodialysis nurse with
MBMA.
Martie is a high-functioning gal who
spends little time relaxing. She claims
there’s too much of life to live and she
will wait to relax in the old-folk’s home.
We have al-
ready seen her
skills as a talents have graced many of our tables
photographer
on the trip to
Taconic State
Park this past
October. She is not only advanced in her
skills in photography but in the edit-
ing/retouching of photographs using the
top-of-the-line editing programs on her
“The Crisis and the Process”
from Victory in Christ by Robert C. McQuilkin, Part 4
If a Christian when he takes Christ as his
Saviour understands God’s provision for
Christian living, and goes on walking in
the Spirit, he needs no crisis in his life
such as we have been discussing. He
needs of course growth in grace, and he
needs maturity, and will receive greater
and greater blessing as he goes on. Some
young people have the view that when
they take Christ as Saviour they have a
ticket to heaven, so to speak, and later on
they can decide whether to yield their
lives or not. We are saved by grace
through faith. But saving faith includes
a committal of the life to Christ. It is not
possible for a human being to believe he
is a lost sinner, and to believe that Christ
died in his place on the cross, and to take
Christ as his Saviour, while at the same
time he is consciously holding something
back. Christ is a Saviour from sin, not a
Saviour in sin. Therefore every man
when he takes Christ as his Saviour does
yield his life up to the limit of what he
knows surrender to be. Later he may
step aside from that place of abiding in
Christ, and then he needs the crisis to
return.
When this surrender of the life is
made, naturally it is applied according to
the present knowledge of the Christian.
From day to day as he learns more of
Christ, there may be new revelations of
the will of God. Here is something that
he has not recognized as lust, or covet-
ousness, or pride. Here is an outward
computer. We are grateful that Martie
will be taking photographs of our church
family in the near future in order to pro-
duce a WRBC pictorial directory.
If you have attended a fellowship
dinner since Martie has been a part of
WRBC’s fellowship, you may have recog-
nized that she does not come empty-
handed. On the contrary, her culinary
with more than one southern-style dish.
She has even shared some of the best of
the southern secrets. Without a doubt,
one of her outstanding skills is cooking.
Yet to be seen is her ability to write
(which she enjoys), along with occasional
sewing. She claims her skills are a little
bit of a lot of things.
Classics to Contemplate
habit like smoking, or dancing, or at-
tending moving-pictures, or playing
cards. His environment and teaching
have been such that he sees nothing
questionable in these practices. New
light comes, and the Lord speaks to him
concerning His will. If the Christian is
yielded to the Lord, all that is needed is a
revelation of Christ’s will, and instantly
the questionable thing is given up. This
is not a new surrender but simply carry-
ing out in practice this attitude of sur-
render that has been taken. But if the
voice of the Spirit is resisted, and the
Christian refuses to yield, then he steps
out of that place of abiding in the Lord,
and he either is convicted and returns to
the place of full yieldedness, or he con-
tinues his life on a lowered spiritual
level.
Again, it is possible for a person to
be yielded to Christ so far as the con-
scious desire to do His will is concerned,
and yet not have victory. In this case it is
because of unbelief, and unbelief that is
due to ignorance. When we are told to
yield and trust the Lord, it is needful, of
course, to know what we are trusting
Him for. Faith means taking God at His
word. But we must have a correct inter-
pretation of God’s Word if our faith is to
rest on the sure foundation of God’s
Word. From one viewpoint, faith is only
the other side of surrender. We yield our
lives to the control of Christ because we
trust Him. That is, we evidence our trust
As she continues to settle into her
new home in Manorville, she brings to
the WRBC a new burst of energy. Al-
ready both Martie and her husband have
become members of the WRBC and are
about ready to open up new doors of
service. We are still getting acquainted
with Martie and Joe but this we do
know⎯they love the Lord. Martie’s fa-
vorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28⎯“And
we KNOW that God causes all things to
work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called ac-
cording to His purpose.” For sure God
has directed the Bests to the WRBC ac-
cording to His purpose.
⎯ Joan Tyska
by a complete committal of our lives to
Him. Having committed our lives, if we
are worried about whether the Lord is
taking care of every need, that means we
are not believing that the Lord our Sav-
iour is our Shepherd, caring for every
need.
This life of triumph, in contrast to a
life of struggle and failure, has been de-
scribed as “the rest of faith.” The Chris-
tian has learned that he is to live his life
by grace through faith, and yet all Chris-
tians who have had a crisis transforma-
tion in their lives realize, as they go on
living, that it is a conflict. There is a
fight. Often there is failure, and a con-
stant and increasing realization of our
own weakness apart from Christ. Sur-
render does not mean passivity. Faith
includes surrender, and faith does not
mean passivity. It is, as Luther said, “a
busy, active thing.” In one of the early
conferences, Dr. Trumbull described this
faith for victory in the figure of floating.
If a man tries to float, he does not float.
He must let go and allow the water to
hold him up. A vigorous young college
girl, a true Christian, said, “I don’t like
that floating illustration. I do not want
to float. I want my life to count for as
much as possible.” I began to think
about her protest. I recalled an experi-
ence in my life as a boy that seemed to
illustrate perfectly the relation between
these two apparently contradictory
continued on page 4
3
continued from page 3
things⎯the rest of faith and the conflict
of faith.
My childhood was spent in the cen-
ter of a large city, surrounded by miles
on miles of brick houses. I decided that
every boy should learn to swim, and so
paid my fee in one of the indoor swim-
ming pools and took the lessons. I did
not specially like the water, and was
careful not to get my head under. After
the third night, to my great delight, I
could swim around the pool. It was hard
work. I recall that I lost nearly ten
pounds in the exacting work of learning
to swim. On one night toward the end of
my first week at the pool, I swam around
twice and then, completely exhausted,
stood at the shallow end watching a man
who had gone around three times while I
went around once, and he seemed more
at home in the water than on solid
ground. As I finished one of my strenu-
ous laps, this man came just behind and
stopped to speak in a friendly way. He
had evidently been watching me. He
said, “You are working too hard.” I knew
that. I thought it was the only thing to
do in this serious business of learning to
swim.
Then he said something like this:
“You are struggling to hold yourself up in
the water. You do not need to do that.
You need to learn that the water will
hold you up. Now I want to make a sug-
gestion.” I was quite ready for a sugges-
tion from this man. I knew that he knew
what he was talking about. “The next
time you take a stroke, just for a moment
relax every muscle of your body, as
though you were lying in bed.”
I looked at him to see if he really
meant it. Of course, I knew what would
happen if I did that. Still, I was ready to
try anything, and especially to try some-
thing suggested by a man who could
swim the way that man could. I started
out and took the stroke. Then, for the
first time since I had been in that water,
I did relax. My first impression was that
I began to sink. “Just as I expected,” the
thought came. But I had decided to give
this man’s suggestion a full trial. I fig-
ured that when I did go down to the bot-
tom, as I probably would, I could turn
quickly and run back to the shallow part
without too much discomfort. After the
momentary sinking, there came one of
the discoveries of my life. To this day I
recall the impression. It seemed as
though the water was actually lifting me
up, and I was doing nothing. I had
learned something at least of the secret
embodied in a Chinese proverb concern-
ing swimming, which I heard later: “If
it’s hard, it’s wrong.”
Now notice the point of this illustra-
tion with regard to the surrendered life,
and the life of conflict and struggle. That
secret of floating did not mean passivity.
It meant that all the physical energy was
now directed to the work of going
through the water, and to the enjoyment
of swimming, rather than struggling to
keep my head above water and fighting
against the fear of discomfort or drown-
ing. Thus it is in surrender. We are not
to attempt to do what only Christ can do.
He does one hundred per cent of all that
He has to do. But we are called on to do
one hundred per cent of all that we are to
do. This calls for the greatest activity, for
the diligent use of every means of grace,
but all of it in faith, rather than in an
effort to get to the place of faith. The
men who swam across the English
Channel could not use any energy in
fighting against sinking. They must use
all of their physical powers to go through
the water. In all gymnastics, and in ath-
letic feats, there is a secret of using the
physical powers without strain or stress.
There is a like secret in the use of the
voice in singing. These natural things
are illustrations of God’s plan for living
the human life in the power of the Holy
Spirit. When we yield and trust Christ,
that is, believe that His grace is suffi-
cient, that He is doing everything for us
that is needed, then we go forward with
freedom, on our part giving all diligence,
not to win the victory, but because the
victory has been won for us on Calvary,
and is being won in us by the indwelling
Holy Spirit. As Dr. A. J. Ramsey has put
it, “We are delivered from the Christless
struggle that we may engage victoriously
in the Christian conflict.”
We are to have “hearts at leisure
from ourselves” to live all of our lives for
the glory of Christ and for the good of
others. The secret of living the Christian
life, which is a victorious life, may be
summed up in the two ambitions of Paul.
The word translated “ambition” in the
margin of the Revised Version is used
only three times in the New Testament.
Literally it means “I love the honor.”
Twice Paul uses it in personal testimony,
and in these two cases he sums up the
meaning of his life and service. These
statements became an exposition of his
testimony, “To me to live is Christ,” and
of his declaration, “Christ liveth in me.”
The first is in Second Corinthians 5:9:
“Wherefore also we make it our ambi-
tion, whether at home or absent, to be
well-pleasing unto Him.” This ambition
is linked with the personal return of the
Lord Jesus. Looking forward to that day
when he must appear before the judg-
ment-seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), all his
ambition, whether at home in his body
or absent from the body and present
with the Lord, is to be well-pleasing to
Christ.
When a man has an ambition to be
well-pleasing to Christ, then he must put
at the center of his life the thing which
was the central passion and purpose in
the earthly ministry of Christ, and in the
ministry of the ascended, glorified Lord.
This is the ambition to preach the Gospel
to all who have not heard. Paul ex-
presses it in Romans. “Yea, making it
my ambition so as to preach the Gospel,
not where Christ was already named,
that I might not build upon another
man’s foundation; but, as it is written,
They shall see, to whom no tidings of
Him came, And they who have not heard
shall understand” (Rom. 15:20, 21). Not
all Christians are called to be foreign
missionaries, but all who would be well-
pleasing to Christ are called upon to
make central in their lives the great
commission to preach the Gospel to the
uttermost part of the earth. It was no
accident that the message of victory in
Christ should have come out of a mis-
sionary conference, and that the mis-
sionary message should have a para-
mount place in all the Victorious Life
conferences since that day.
And it is not an accident that the
hope of the personal return of the Lord
should also be a precious, central truth
in the life of every Christian who has
yielded to Christ and is seeking to be
well-pleasing to Him. As the personal
holiness of the Christian has as its great-
est incentive the personal return of the
Lord (1 Thess. 3:13), so the ambition to
make Christ known in the uttermost part
of the earth is directly connected with
the hope of His coming. His promise to
be with us even to the consummation of
the age is given in connection with the
command to preach the Gospel to all
who have not heard. Let us make Paul’s
two ambitions ours, if we would abide in
Christ, and have Paul’s testimony true of
each of us: “To me to live is Christ.”
Chapter 5 will be published next month.
4
 Missionaries of the Month – Ralph and Sandra Thompson
After a visit back to the states for a short
home assignment, Ralph and Sandra
Thompson and their three children
(Ryan, Alyssa, and Alana) returned to
Kenya on August 17. The Thompsons
returned fully supported and equipped
to serve for another term in East Africa.
Bwana Asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)
Their son, Ryan, is now in his sev-
enth year of school; Alyssa is in her sixth
year; and Alana is in pre-school. Alyssa
needed to have three teeth extracted and
was admitted to the hospital for this pro-
cedure. All went well, with the anesthe-
siologist remarking that Alyssa was one
of the sweetest and most cooperative
girls he had ever worked with.
Again⎯Bwana Asifiwe!
How Should We Define Evil?
When people are asked what the differ-
ence is between good and evil, their re-
sponse usually can be summed up with
some variation of the Good Samaritan
parable (Luke 10:25-37). The good guy
would take care of the injured person
and the really evil guy would step on
him. Sadly, it seems that not much more
thought is given to the idea by many
people. This is not to say that it is wrong
to identify the person who kicks the in-
jured while he is down as wicked; but is
the person who acts like the Good Sa-
maritan doing good as God desires? This
article aims to show that a person who
acts in a similar manner as the Good
Samaritan is often not a good guy using
the biblical concepts of our righteous-
ness being as filthy rags and sending a
trumpet out before us (Isaiah 64:6;
Matthew 6:1-18). We should then be
able to better stand against the evil we
encounter.
Ralph has been working on an
online degree through BIOLA University
in Los Angeles, CA. This has been a
three-year commitment which has di-
vided his time and energy. Hopefully he
has completed his biblical studies and we
will soon hear of this accomplishment.
Bwana Asifiwe!
The Fellowship Baptist Church of
Mombasa now has a resource center that
enables them to equip local believers
with books and materials to go deeper
into God’s Word. They are also praising
God for a successful VBS this past sum-
mer. On average, 170-180 children at-
tended each day; 61 children committed
their lives to Jesus Christ. Twenty-five
children came together for a Christmas
musical with high hopes that it would
communicate the Good News during the
Christmas season.
For over a year, Ralph and Sandra
have been holding home Bible fellow-
ships, with the membership grouped
according to geographic location. One of
the groups, which consists of about 13
adults and four children, meets in the
Thompsons’ home to devote time to per-
sonal Bible reading and also to pursue
discipleship with the guidance of a book,
Navigators.
If we define evil by how much harm
a person is responsible for against God's
creation, does that change how we view
evil? When certain classes of criminals
are discussed, there is little to no argu-
ment as to whether or not they are bad
people. Mass murderers and rapists fall
into this category. In sane societies,
these people are put to death once they
are convicted of their crimes such that
no further harm can be done by them. I
would suggest that they are not the most
evil type of people because some people
can do more harm than them. Is not
more damage done by people who de-
ceive others into believing they are good
than by people who are universally and
immediately recognized as bad?
To put it simply, if a devious person
has an opportunity to do what most con-
sider to be a good deed in front of many
people, he may do it, not because he is
good but rather to raise his reputation in
the estimation of the people around him.
They had the privilege of hosting a
WorldVenture East Africa Spiritual Life
Conference in October, which proved to
be a time of physical and spiritual re-
newal. Encouraging speakers and sweet
fellowship⎯all in a relaxed environ-
ment⎯made this conference very
memorable. The conference hosted 79
people from 11 different countries; one of
the guest speakers was Robert Burrelli
Jr., the pastor of their home church in
the US.
They continue to do their prayer
walks and have focused upon the Old
Town, where there is much need for the
message of the Gospel. Recently they
began meeting with three men for a Bi-
ble study at a local friend’s house. Espe-
cially keep the Thompsons in prayer as
they minister to people outside the faith.
The Thompsons feel that it is a privi-
lege and an honor
to serve God in
Mombasa, Kenya,
as they witness
spiritual growth in
many lives and see
the light of the truth shining in a dark
place. May we continue to honor God by
sharing in this important work.
⎯ Joan Tyska
He calculates whether or not the poten-
tial gain is worth the effort. This person
is likely to maximize the good will he
engenders by announcing with a press
release what he has done. He could seek
to become a leader in an organization
that has good will among people if he
thinks this will raise his stock. This type
of person sits on the Elder Board in
many churches! After all, if he gets
caught doing something awful by an-
other person, wouldn't he want it to be
dismissed as ridiculous? “Come on, he
wouldn't do that!” the people exclaim.
After he acquires additional prestige and
power, offended people become afraid to
report him at all. He then becomes more
free to practice his evil.
If this type of person achieves high
political office, he can deceive nations
into going to war or even devour the
people he rules for his own personal
benefit. He would use all the tools arro-
gant (James 4:6) people use to silence
continued on page 6
5
continued from page 5
dissent. Among these are ridicule, fear,
and brute force. How many tyrants in
history rose to power among people who
believed they were evil every step of the
way?
Satan is described in Scripture as the
great deceiver and the father of lies (2
Thessalonians 2; John 8:44). In order to
steal worship which rightly belongs to
God, he must not allow people to believe
solely what is true. What kind of person
would be more valuable to him: a mon-
ster in a cage somewhere, or a false
prophet that comes close to deceiving
Snow, frigid temperatures, and freezing
rain became the big news as we review
the last month in passing. The year 2010
ended with a most dangerous ice
storm/blizzard that made it quite haz-
ardous for our college students to return
home for the Christmas holidays. Re-
turn they did with stories of icy road
conditions, missing plane reservations,
and answered prayers. Katie Glass can
attest to the 24-hour struggle she had,
one which put all of our prayer warriors
on alert.
With Christmas Eve service can-
celled, WRBC barely made it through the
December 26th service before the snow
began its horizontal and heavy descent;
the parking lot was covered before the
end of the service. No one wasted any
time in their departure from the church
that Sunday as everyone began their 24-
hour hibernation in their respective
homes. The enormous task of digging
out was even overwhelming for our pro-
fessional snow removers, so Bill
Mallman quietly volunteered to help
with his snow blower to get the job done.
For your efforts we thank you, Mr.
Mallman.
The service on Sunday, January 2nd,
included a ministry in music presented
by eight young people of the church,
some of whom are our college students
that had returned for the Christmas
even the very elect (Matthew 24:24)?
For example, if instead of many believing
the prevailing “science” of nothing in
particular causing our existence, what if
everyone believed that God created the
universe in six days? How much less evil
would there be?
What can we do about the evil
among us? For starters, we are com-
manded to watch out for wolves in
sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15-16).
Since many things are not as they seem,
we should seek God's wisdom and when
something does not seem right, we ought
A Month in Review
holidays. These eight planned, prac-
ticed, and brought it together on their
own. The presentation, “Before the
Throne of God Above”, included a narra-
tion read by John Moses Piraino; a duet
by Danielle and Esias Perez; and musical
accompaniment by Sarah Piraino on the
piano, Shannon and Linea Piraino on the
violin, Seriah Perez on the flute, and
Sean Feliciano on the guitar. Another
returning college student, Steven
Heuzey, soloed on the piano; he pre-
sented the powerful selection, “There is
Power in the Blood”. All nine of these
young people dedicated their wonderful
talents to the Lord and provided the con-
gregation with a most blessed way to
worship God.
Congratulations are in order for
Danielle Perez as she graduated from
Stony Brook University on December
22nd with a degree in Political Science.
Danielle plans to pursue a Master’s De-
gree in the future and will continue
working in the Emergency Room at
Stony Brook Medical Center.
With all the cancellations due to
weather conditions, one scheduled event
went on without a hitch in spite of the
piles of shoveled snow, hanging icicles,
and undiscovered patches of ice. Prov-
ing their hardiness, 23 seniors showed
up for a Senior Saints luncheon on Sat-
urday, January 15th. Not only did they
show up but they also arrived with rav-
enous appetites for a winter menu of
homemade soups and petite sandwiches
made with spiral hams.
The devotions were led by Chris
Hallstrom as he followed through with
the theme of the luncheon⎯“Prayer
Power”⎯by reading prayer-related
Scriptures. Chris then turned storyteller
not dismiss it or we risk aiding evil. Is it
not easier to confront a person doing
wrong before a small root of evil is ig-
nored and becomes a huge tree? This
may be unpleasant but the person may
be eternally grateful. A popular saying
when someone says something that hits
a nerve is “don't go there!” We ought to
be willing to go wherever The Truth
leads us! But won't this get us into trou-
ble? I believe so (Matthew 24)!
⎯ Carl Chapman
and read a short story by a Russian au-
thor which captured the attention of eve-
ryone as if they were schoolchildren at
the library for “story hour”. Chris had a
wonderful way of pulling this short story
together with the Scriptures; he empha-
sized that our focus in prayer should be
on heavenly rather than earthly matters.
No Senior Saints luncheon would be
complete without a trip to the “Trash to
Treasures” table, an activity which allows
the seniors to rummage through an as-
sortment of used treasures. Pictured at
the table from left to right are Marge
Kurthy, Ann Williamson, Marcelle Ritz-
mann, Bob Drummond, Marie Caputo,
Grace Swift (almost hidden), Florence
Cooke, and Ruth Lindstrom.
Pictured talking to Debbie Bristoll
are Harrold and Gerry Cosgrove as they
take a break between dinner and dessert;
Florence Acerra is also portrayed con-
versing with a newcomer, Joan Hicks.
With more snow being forecasted
and temperatures still below freezing,
may God keep you all warm in your
homes, safe on the road, and surrounded
by His loving care.
⎯ Joan Tyska
6
 February Bible Quiz Questions January Bible Quiz Answers
1) What was the name of the paralyzed man who had been 1) Joses (KJV) or Joseph (NASB) (Acts 4:36).
bedridden for eight years and who was healed by the
2) False. It was at Antioch, the city in Syria
Apostle Peter in Jesus’ name?
(Acts 11:25-26).
2) By what other name was Solomon known?
3) Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother
3) Where in the King James Version of the Holy Bible is (Judges 3:7-11).
Rebekah’s name spelled “Rebecca”?
4) Zoar (Genesis 19:20-23).
4) Who was Rebekah’s father?
5) Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10).
5) Who was the progenitor of the Ammonites and the
Bonus: Docetism [Introduction to the Second Epistle
Moabites?
of John (NKJV); cf. 2 John 7].
Bonus: Where in the Bible and by whom is the God of Israel
first referred to as King?
― Felix Acerra

Submit the answers and Bible references to: office@wrbc.us

The Birthday Corner

February 3rd – John Piraino
February 4th – Janet Perry
February 4th – Janise Manges
February 19th – Luke Kelleher
February 2011
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 8:00 AM Ladies Prayer 3 4 5
– Joan Tyska (727-5998) 6:30 PM
7:00 PM Prayer Meeting AWANA
and Exposition of Psalms

6 9:45 AM Sunday 7 8 9 8:00 AM 10 11 12 11:00 AM-

School⎯“The Road 7:00 PM Ladies Prayer 6:30 PM 6:00 PM Free
to Jerusalem” Board of 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting AWANA Seminar on
(Doug Heuzey) Deacons and Exposition of Psalms Islam at Grace
11:00 AM Morning Meeting Reformed Bap-
Worship Service tist in Merrick

13 9:45 AM 14 15 16 8:00 AM 17 18 19
Sunday School Ladies Prayer 6:30 PM
11:00 AM Morning 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting AWANA
Worship Service and Exposition of Psalms

20 9:45 AM 21 22 23 8:00 AM 24 25 26
Sunday School Ladies Prayer
11:00 AM Morning 7:00 PM Prayer Meeting
Worship Service and Exposition of Psalms
Church Fellowship
Night – details TBA

27 9:45 AM 28
Sunday School
11:00 AM Morning
Worship Service

7
PO Box 438
Wading River, NY 11792
Wading River Baptist Church
• For the Exaltation of God in All Things
• For the Proclamation of Faith in Christ
• For the Transformation of God’s People
Our Purpose
1. To glorify God through sharing
the good news of salvation by God’s
sovereign grace through faith in His
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. To nurture believers through a
strong program of Christian educa-
tion, youth ministries, and expository
Biblical preaching.
3. To provide an opportunity for
Biblical worship, service, and fellow-
ship.
4. To extend our ministry through-
out America and around the world
through participation in home and
foreign missions.
WRBC is affiliated with the Conserva-
tive Baptist Association of America
and the Conservative Baptist Mission
to the Northeast.