“Let him declare what he seeth…”
In the comic book genre, there is a group of anti-hero, super heroes. In other words, they fought injustices and crime, but had gross moral corruption in some cases they themselves. This group was called the Watchmen. They were considered to be extremist vigilantes. There enemies, the masses and criminal minds, would graffiti a slogan. “Who watches the Watchmen” for police sympathy.
Today, our ranks are very similar. We expect our super heroes to be full of integrity and honesty. We assume what they give us is exactly what we need. We assume our pastors will give us the whole truth, no matter the outcome. But this has proven not to be so today.
This cannot be over stated, we cannot simply trust the man of God today. I could care less how long you have known them or all they have done for God. I remember telling a Christian once that a pastor lied. The immediate response to that was, “He could not!” That was alarming. This Christian did not respond, “He would not!”, it was “He COULD not!”
I will take this moment to put us all on the same playing field. Though there may be positions of leadership, there is no preeminence in the body! There is no pastor that does not sin! There is no missionary that cannot sin! There is not one evangelist that is sinless. There is no pastor who is above reproach or even needful correction. The same flesh that tempts the wicked pew warmer is the same flesh that tempts the pious preachers.
“You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else"
Integrity and honesty with God’s word has taken a back seat to tradition, gimmicks, and dare I say, flat out “ponzi-like schemes” designed only to perpetuate brick and mortar, and personal kingdoms that have been built through defrauding and soliciting the body of Christ through private agendas.
Many preachers think of themselves as watchmen. So, who is watching our watchman? Should we just assume they are leading the flock right. If someone does, they must be discredited speedily before it spreads and starts to disrupt the working order of our religious machines we have created. Our assumptions and naivety in man has destroyed and so clouded our view of God’s book, I feel many will never see it, as it is, without holding to the overt, subverted, Baptist influences and propaganda being read into it.
It is why any Baptist publication today may spend the first 4o pages establishing their “big idea”, or position, and then, only after the position is displayed, they get into the scriptures to mold them around it! This is the same tactic as a Mormon or Jehovah’s witness. This is a backwards position and makes us no different from any cult or any Popish establishment today. But we can’t even acknowledge this truth.
So going through this over and over, what is one to do who observes the watchmen of his day blindly, and oft happily, swimming in such corruption, completely oblivious to actually how far away from the old paths they actually are. They may be on old paths of men and traditions from previous ages, but under further Biblical examination, they are not on any correlating NT path, or pattern that exhibits the true inner workings of the body of Christ.
The facts remain, many of our churches are run by congregational tendencies, and run by well played tyrants and dictators of doctrine and standards. There is no open and participatory activities today among our gatherings. Spiritual gifts, talents of others, and the allowances of these things being employed within the body are being downtrodden with stinginess and power hungry spirits who seek to remain in control.
They call you brethren, but in no way treat you like family unless you are faithful to all the families duties and mandates. The individual priesthood of each member in the body is absolutely denied in our churches today. We follow traditions and gimmicks.
In the NT it is strongly insinuated that there was a full unity based on reasoning together, commending one another, submitting to one another and coming to truth together, not this fake, Rodney King, “lets just all get along” for the overall good nonsense.
I know how the above is being construe when read. I know how it sounds. Believe me! I know what people think of me now. “Oh, you are one of those folks, in and out, never faithful, trying house church, just rebelling against the system. I just don’t care anymore!
Tell me I have a bad attitude. Call me a maverick, heretic, whatever you wish. Call me bitter. Tell me how deep it is, and tell me I need to repent. At every turn, I am told I am wrong. Not proven I am wrong.
Among our sort, no one argues beyond scoffing. At every turn! Weak arguments, pathetic explanations, and horrifying wresting of the scriptures. If you go against any normal, accepted, standard teachings of Independent Baptist men, you will maliciously be dealt with with no love or charity whatsoever being present. It really is sad.
No one could give a rip about the individual priesthood of the believer. They say they do. Oh, they say they do. But individualism, and the individual’s ability to read the word of God has been trodden down, and everything now hangs on the fundamental foundations of doctrine. Thats why when one is considered to be “out of church”, it is always of the assumption that he had a rebelled against the church authority and God’s command to not forsake the assembling. It’s always, “if they would just get back in church”. They equate leaving church as leaving God. “He is lazy, or just wants to watch football or have a day off”.
Today, we just decide what the doctrine is that fits for the time, and then add the scripture to it. It should be the other way around. And trust me, the word of God, specifically the NT is about a individual relationship with a individual person! And a individual, personal, intimate relationship forms, which down the road I guess, when one matures a bit, he understands that he has a HIGH priest, an individual relationship with THE higher power. Because of what I am, and what HE is, and the power that HE obtains, I am what I am, as Paul said. It’s simple. When Paul stated that, he was talking about his past. He couldn’t change it. The things he went through simply made him the man he was. Am I to be blind to my own experiences, and hardships in the ministry and life. Do another brothers considerations on certain bible passages not have precedence because I hold no letter of membership? Am I to just “suck it up” and do 7 years of faithful service before there is any serious attempt at allowing me bother you pastors with “off the deep end” examinations of some of our most loved traditions and sacred cows. Do you men out there even know why you are doing things? Can you defend these things with the scriptures?
Someone might wonder how I got here to this point? I can’t change the past and all the things I have observed. I can but open my eyes to my environments around me. One does not have to look hard to see blatant, rampant apostasy. I can amen truth anywhere, my problem is I am not hearing much truth. I am hearing traditions and this do likewise. They don’t truly want you to be an individual member of the body. They want you to assimilate to their customs, standards and interpretations of things. They don’t want you to even consider that they could be off, they want you to assimilate to their standards and follow them.
Much of what I may say may seem erroneously offensive to many who read this...if any ever do read this. Much may sound to seem almost immediately like heresy. It may sound like bitterness, and murmuring. Just try for a moment to shut your Baptist part of your brain off for as long as you need too. God will not kill you for questioning traditions of men even among the Baptist. Who knows, maybe you will convince the apostate heretic such as my self to sway. Maybe you will persuade the backslidden wayward one to repentance. But the problem is, rarely is there even a debate or discussion over some of these divisions. It is usually handled quite differently. There is a cutting off, a withdrawing, a sort of social suicide and a shunning of those who are thought to be living in a reprobate, heretical state. It can range from extremes of getting nose to nose with the wicked backslid sinner and yelling at them in the local Wal-Mart or simply not shaking their hands when your paths happen to cross in town. Who cares of actually restoring the heretic back to his former glory when there is so “much more important things to do for the Lord!”
Forgive the sarcasm but as they keep saying, I am bitter, and “out of the mouth of two or three this thing shall be established”, so it must be true, so what do you do? All I get is scoffs, comments, looks, “a few fundamentalist phrases”, and the occasional, you are out there “brother” and those disappointing “I will pray for you” looks as they piously withdraw inform me they must withdraw themselves from my company. “You are off balance” is a common one. So I ask them, “balance me then”. “Well, maybe next time we talk, I have to study and prepare for the service.” Every thing is cast aside as trivial, or straining at gnats because of my lack of experience or standard of how much fruit they think a person should have to be compared to them and their minions.
Fundamentalism is now as sickening to me as religious Roman Catholicism. It’s always this “answer a question with a question” bull, the same kind of techniques that you get from Atheist and religious Evolutionists. They hide behind their authoritative rule, their circular reasoning, and their Baptist mob mentality. Many times, when you want to seriously discuss these things, all you witness is the misdirecting questions and the inability to converse with people in whom they differ. It’s childish and juvenile. Some of these pontificators, orators and so called pastors have the social skills of gorilla children.
Look, I admit, the pastors, evangelist, and missionaries may have the experience, and may have the titles to prove their worth. They may even have their heart desires int he right place. But I must ask, has our experiences and our ministries become proof for sound doctrine.
Do these positions alone mean they are right? Do we follow the man because he has been the pastor for years? I don’t care how much someone has done for God or how much experience in the “ministry” they have. What is the relevance of that when discussing a book authorized in 1611 that every man can read.
You can’t put the book in a corner like you can some un-submitted, non tithing, unfaithful church member who doesn’t know better and is just not matured spiritually yet. You can’t ask the book to find some other place to worship!
We don’t need degrees, schools, clicks, camps, fellowships, conferences, or any such like thing to have the truth of God. Where our debate lies is in our varying interpretations of passages. I suppose it has to run it’s course the same way heretics are necessary to establish truth. It is how the church age will end. In total apostasy from Biblical truth.
Who watches the watchmen? Well, I can’t do it obviously. I have been told as much. Just sit in church, and get fed! Obey the pastor and get involved. God will give you something to do. God will open the doors. Just be patient! “Who do I think I am anyways?” “Mr. Critical and all!”
I am a Dr. of absolutely nothing. I hold no PH.D or accredited education past the 12th grade. I have no accolades or past experiences that would bear a high enough standard for any critic so why list them.
I spent my saved life preaching and teaching the word of God. I do not pastor, preach, teach or minister in any local autonomous Fundamental Baptist church, not for lack of desire, just from lack of opportunity. I mean c’mon, would anyone reading this want a crackpot like me tending to the flocks? Get real! I will never fit that mold again, and I have accepted that after years of desiring it.
I hold to know fruit for evidence of my labors, to show men, because that would still not be enough for the critic, and more importantly, I deem it useless, in that our strength as a body is derived from not comparing ourselves among ourselves as higher denominational groups do. So go figure. They still want it. They still require some sort of work in you to prove you are his. They still ask for evidence, even upon supplying it, they won’t more. So why give it to them anymore? It’s all a game!
The way pastors are these days with their pulpit stinginess is sick! They have young men, who have gifts, and desires to share the word of God with others, and they are NEVER allowed to exercise these gifts or desires unless it’s in the bus ministry, children’s church, or the church janitorial closet!
These 20 and 30 year old men in our churches, upstanding young men, aren’t bar hopping, fornicating, getting drunk, living it up, or any such like thing. They WANT to be used in some capacity, but in most cases, they are left to rot in the pews while the pastors do their thing.
How many seminary students, sacrificed the time and years to study for the ministry and things of that nature, and upon graduating, they find out they have to sit under a Laban for many years before they are afforded such opportunities. How is this sort of thing upheld, knowing what we know from God’s word.
Assistants who have been in churches for years who have never fed the sheep outside of bus kids and random crap shoot Sunday School classes. Do they not have gifts? Are they called or not? Do they not have godly desires? Did they not “desire the office?” Why else do most of these young men go to these Baptist colleges? I know this, none of the men I went to seminary to go to some church and be tested for years and years before he is allowed to exercise his gifts given to him of God because a man says that how it has to be. You do not see this principle in the NT.
Who watches our watchmen?
If your able to wrangle a serious, biblical discussion out of a fellow pastor or preacher and he is backed up against the wall, he may require answer of thee as to what you have done by way of enlistment in the Kings army. He may inquire as to what services and merit badges of honor you have to show. “How many notches do you have?” “How long have you been in the ministry?” “How many churches have you preached at?” “How many people do you witness to in a week?” “When is the last time you did something for Him?”
I mean, the proofs in the pudding right? Ye shall know them by their fruits right? “Have you been on the front-lines?” “Have you passed the ammunition?” And so on, and so on, and so on, like a broken record. These things and questions are common and sometimes are found on our church and ministry websites by way of polls. These sort of comparing among ourselves is insane!
Sometimes I wish the Lord would permit cussing.
Why even have a Bible study if you are not allowed to study your Bible? Why have a pastor if all you get to your questions is pre-fab answers and seminary, systematic theology? Why even plod through the word of God if we really don’t care what it actually teaches? I mean in our circles, why bother right? If you try to put something out there to help others you are discredited because you don’t hold to the ruling clans views and traditions so it becomes about your pride, arrogance, or bitterness. They laugh about you and use you for their twisted illustrations as infidels who “rejected the words of the preacher.”
But still, some would ask upon me questioning their traditions and doctrine, “Are you trying to live a holy life?” “How much Bible do you read?” “How faithful are you to God’s house?”, “How much do you tithe?”, “How much did you give to missions last year”, “How much did you give to Faith promise?” “Where is your fruit?” How many tracts have you passed out?”, “How many souls have you led to Christ?” When the original question you may have asked them has already been bypassed to ask you these 10 others. There is other things at work then men really trying to seek truth. To question the ruling clans mandate is just not allowed and is viewed to be very tabboo.
To bring something to the table, or into question, then to have the motive of the question distorted as now inconsequential dependent on my labour and service for God is a tactic used when people will not discuss real truth. They do not want to have the discussion because they may find that their pet traditions and the things they advocate and practice that brings in their salaries might be threatened. So they focus in on your pet sins, which is another reason we should follow Jesus an Paul in regards of being “blameless!”
A preacher I once knew said, “It is fascinating how a doctrine becomes entrenched into the collective thinking of a group of people.”
In these days, there is not a better statement to describe much of our practices, ways of worship and ways of performing the work of God.
Do we, the IFB churches really KNOW why we believe what we believe? Or have we listened intently to those we trust in positions of leadership. Because “they” would never teach a falsehood. “They” would never teach anything for personal gain. “Not my pastor, NO! “Not us Independent Baptist!”
I am not attempting to draw away Christians in teaching heresy, but only to provoke thought into these matters. We have no unity in anything anymore! Why! Why won’t we discuss certain things? Did God just intend on us to be in agreement only on Salvation?
We have become seperated camps of do, and camps that don’t. The reasons of the “dont’s” are again, inconsequential to the work of God. The ruling clans dictate definitions and terms, who is in the ministry and who is not. Facts are, there are positions of true leadership and positions of Pontificators who are authorities over the churches.
Who watches the watchmen?
If not anything, this utter confusion and unstableness in a Christians walk may allow people to see the absolute confusion in a simple minded uneducated Christian to prompt overall reexaminations of our doctrines and practices. Wait a second, who am I kidding? Reasoning with restoring, yeah, right! They won’t listen, they won’t change and no one cares. And you know I am right!
What if there is massive amounts of evidence to suggest that certain fundamental traditions we have are based on Men and not God? “Brother, there is much to be done, we need not discuss this stuff. Who has the time anyway” “The fields are white unto harvest, I just don’t have time to debate!” “We could be passing out tracts, or winning souls.”
But what if? “Brother, you have to get your mind on the bigger picture, you have been led astray.” I am talking about things we practice and defend tooth and nail. What if we are following man? What if?
It’s a question for goodness sakes? Don’t toss me out of the camp just yet. Oh, lets face it already, I am not actually listed as to be in the camp anyways. There I go with false humility again, See, I am so persecuted. There goes that bitterness again! Forgive my sarcasm and jadedness, I beg of you! Seriously, don’t write me off as a heretic just yet? Read more and see how twisted I really am, or, study your stuff for my sake, prove me wrong, restore me, and maybe we will find the truth together. Why are we afraid to abandon our usual traditions with such stubbornness and denial? Why do we fight with such fervor and deflecting to discredit the one bringing another consideration?
Why are certain thoughts as to doctrine and church matters dogmatically shut down from our pulpits, conferences, camps, institutes, and churches? The questioning the “Lord’s anointed”, our pastors and their errors? Why are those so willing to just scoff, shake their heads, and not even have a discussion? The clicks and camps are impervious to infiltration of any dissenting thoughts that could damage the running machine of the local church. It is pure assimilation or methodical ostracizing.
Maybe I am a true heretic? Maybe I need to have a discussion? Maybe I am so jacked beyond belief. Maybe I have turned into one of those crazy Christians that you come across from time to time that have lost there mind and I just don’t know it. Maybe I need a intervention from my many Baptist friends I have met through the years, who never call or writes or shows any interest in our lives outside of where we attend church every time the doors are opened? Oh, did I say that out loud? I no! Am I writing out loud?
Why can’t it be that I am just observant and recognize how much people truly do not care about our existence as “their brethren” unless it pertains to status updates from FB and when we darken the door of the local church. After you leave a church, you rarely hear from anyone unless you reach out to them. They are to busy in the ministry. This is always the answer. I’m just so busy! They are doing something for God. Seriously, they don’t have time for you, unless it’s at church.
Do you care? Or do you just agree with everyone that someone must be a heretic? Do you care about the restoring of the supposed heretic? Or do you care about the fact that “He is now a heretic?” Just another lunatic that went off on the deep end. They may be quick to label you a heretic, because it may require to much of their time in attempting to straighten out the heretic. “I just have to much to do for God!” With all the preparations, the material, the visits, who has time to actually delve a little deeper, or go a little further?
Just another fanatic that took it too far, or a crazy person who tried to be too literal. Another psycho that “clearly” has to much time on his hands. Another disgruntled Baptist who is straining at gnats again. Maybe if he just got another job, or kept himself busy more. Maybe if he just sold out and got in the fold things would be fixed. Maybe if he submitted himself to the pastor and the local church, it would solve the problems.
These are not solutions to anything. They are only acts of alignment and submission.
My point in all this madness is why discuss anything if no one will discuss anything? We have our pre-planned systematic theology, and pamphlets ready to hand out. We have our books of Baptist propaganda with Baptist influence and landmarkism pouring out of it. We have our traditions and ways of doing things for years that we gobbled up from the rest of the Protestants.
To what point and purpose would I want to have a fellowship or union with this sort? It’s a life of peace when you are living like them. If you are not like them, you are of the devil. You know that’s how it is! It’s not fellowship, it’s assimilation. The solutions that they give you to getting back on the straight and narrow always has to do with the assimilating factors.
So, this is what we know of myself so far if your keeping notes, I am a deceived, bitter, jaded, skeptical, sarcastic, cynical, pessimistic, heretical, and a basket case. So I would avoid myself! I mean really, who has the time for correction, and instruction in righteousness these days.
“There are so many souls to be saved and much work to be done, I just don’t have time to deal with the heretic that has lost his way.” “The 10/40 window has to be passed through”. “Maybe if the heretic walked in my shoes and produced the fruit I produce, I would waste my time on him.” “Maybe if they preached like me or had ministries like us, we would give them our attention and support.” “If they want to talk to me they can do it in the house of God! Because outside of that, I am just to busy”. How many good men and women have simply wasted away to obscurity because they realized they were in a family of which they were the only ones attempting to be a family.
They didn’t leave the church to riot and sin. They didn’t walk away from the established local churches on the corners because they wanted the greener grass or the rose garden. They left it because they were no longer agreed. But you can’t leave it at that can you pastors. You have to make yourself seem innocent of any wrong doing, ya know, your position and all, and for the sake of the ministry.
We have become so corrupt.
We usually just let the heretic fade away into apostasy and go save more souls to report about to others like us that are just as deceived in our traditions. Let the Christian just fade into his despair and bitterness. He is just a big fat waste of time now. “Go witness to the masses, fulfilling the Great Commission.” Because after all, thats really what it is all about anyways right? Right!?
Forget about the edification of a heretic who is in the body, saved and secure in Jesus Christ. He is to be rejected, there is no time to restore him! He is to much of a mess. God has left him, or shelved him. That’s what it’s all about right? Converting the masses, bringing in the Kingdom of His glory on Earth, and “Earnestly contending and disputing for the faith”.
We are ignorant of the judgment seat of Christ if we believe that it will all be about souls and service in the ministry. It is about our lives!!! All our works as Christians, not just the appointed times of worship and service and certainly not whatever ministry we invent or the what the voices in our heads are telling us to do.
We are not even biblical in our rejection of heretics!
Titus 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Admonition is the Gentle reproof; or counseling against a fault; or instruction in duties; or caution; or direction. In church discipline, public or private reproof to reclaim an offender.
We know all about that “gentle reproof” don’t we? We counsel the drunkard and fornicator right? Please! All we do now is throw a few misapplied verses at the heretic or sinner and ask him to leave cause he is rocking the boat or bringing up questions and things that pastors must put down like a horse who threw a shoe, or force them to leave by disfellowshipping or disassociation.
Who’s to say an admonition is a standard Facebook “repent” comment or a short and sweet email, or perhaps two 5 minute phone calls that is the other telling you how you are wrong, or even the “after church pow wow we can’t hang out anymore because of...”. When you try to talk it out, it’s just the discrediting, and redirecting questions. What if it’s 2 attempts that covers hours of discussions over a year or 2? Who’s to say? What if? Let’s go to the Greek!
We don’t trust the King’s english? This is problematic. The problem is the heretic reject and the rulers of a ruling clan many times believe the same Bible, which is expressly the purpose we should ask these questions, to the intent to answer the dividing questions amongst the ranks of the Independent Baptist Church. But who cares about unity, and real fellowship in the spirit.
Being rational and logical in Biblical discussions is not dabbling in worldly philosophies of Intellectualism or Rationalism, it’s using the brain God gave you. The faculties and functions that we were so blessed with as HIS creation. We are members of HIS body, and not another.
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