The “Abominable” Sodomite versus the “Froward” Preacher

We don’t believe this as a whole in the Bible believing society, or the Fundamental society for that matter, but a person can be saved, and never see much growth.  Their works will most likely go the reprobate route.  Disobedient and abominable.  A sinner can get saved and still do any wicked imagination of the heart.  This foundation must be understood, or you might as well not continue reading.

A saved, washed in the blood sinner, has a standing with God and a state in this world, and they are two different positions.

Does salvation bring good works?  No!  Salvation brings a new man.  There is MUCH scriptural support for this.  Salvation does not spiritually cut away our sins from our flesh.  We are still in our sins until our death or resurrection.   After salvation, yielding to God’s word and his spirit is what gives good works?  If a man or woman does not submit themselves to the spirit and the book,  they will never grow in grace.  

If sinners after salvation do not grow, it usually consist of lack of discipleship, lack of seeking God’s truth in the book, and other Christians making the mark of service so far attainable to the new Christian’s tender mind.  Some sinners don’t give up certain sins for years.  Some do.  Much like Jesus showed us in the parable of the sower.  As us Fundamentalist are wholeheartedly focused on fruit bearing, why do we not remember such a illustration from our Lord on seed bearing.

Matthew 13:18-23~Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.  

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

The "Old Paths" for New Testament Christians?

"Ask for the old paths!"  Stop it already!!!  I realize I'm stepping on toes here, but I have thought about this for years.  Let me come right out of the gate and just say, the "old paths", whatever they are, whatever you may define them to be, whatever men in history  you may associate with it, they are not for us.  Why do men yell about the old paths so much? Men talk of the old paths, the same way men harp on the old time religion, and the ol' timers.  Some talk about how it used to be 100 years ago, as if they have some real inkling other then grand stories and romanticized nonsense.  Some focus the idea more on scriptural implications.  This ideology is so big in the Fundamentalist, hardcore, militant Independent Baptist ranks today. The glorious Old paths!  Old paths ministries, Old Paths Baptist church,  "We walk the old paths here!"  What does it all mean?

Jeremiah 6:16 says Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].  This is the only time it shows up in the Bible.  It's amazing how men will focus so much on what God focused so little on isn't it. "We should ask for the old paths... " is inevitably followed by what the preacher says he thinks the "old paths" are!  And it usually has the ring of all the things the preacher stands for.  And if it is a pastoral authority control freak preacher, you already have a monster on your hands.

I used to prescribe to this notion myself when i was a Fundamentalist successionist.  The old paths!  It was a neat idea.  Many preachers love that Jeremiah 6:16 is in the Bible.  It is a good springboard for rabbit trails and hobby horses.  People?  Why are we messing around in law and prophets so much?  Why are we wanting to allude to some mystical old paths, some mystical realm that only exist in the preachers minds.  Whether you preachers keep trying to get your young preacher boys to be like Hudson Taylor, George Whitfield, Sam Jones, or Lester Roloff, or you are using the prophets as good examples of public ministry, you guys need to understand what age you are in TODAY!  You are using his word too loosely.  You are no longer teaching our young men to be individuals with a book.  But you  are pushing them to follow traditions of men, claim the same callings of men, follow the same commissions of men and to practice preaching styles that are not fitted for NT men.

Fade to Black ~ Part 4

IF the Evolutionist, or Atheist, or NASA astronomer, or astrophysicists, or pagan is RIGHT, and IF I am wrong, then when I die, I exist as one with the universe, or reincarnate, or get stuck on a tropical island in the south Pacific, or maybe just nothing at all, total blackness.  Big deal!  Sounds interesting, bring it on!  

Maybe I will start over as a spongy amoeba, or strand of DNA, in some enveloping, ever expanding universe, within other universes, within other galaxies! Lets roll the dice baby! Maybe I will be a monkey on another planet, and start the whole evolutionary process over again. Maybe I will be a star, that can move anywhere I want.  Maybe I will be a speck of galactic dust.  Maybe I will be an evolving ring on another planet, maybe there will be a great light, a big explosion. Maybe another Big Bang. Maybe I will enter a Stargate, trance-like  journey! Maybe I will start a life a new on a new Earth, maybe it will simply be the end.  The God Denier has all kinds of mumbo jumbo speculation too. Maybe it all will just fade to black, and there will be nothingness!

Now, since you love hypothesizing, and listening to new theories on life, and existence, listen the other argument, that IF the believer is right, there is two, ultimate, totally distinct, totally separate, totally final, eternal resting places.  That is, our celestial bodies, based upon the doctrines of the Bible will either be simply with God in Heaven, or with a literal figure, who is sometimes in fact called, “the devil”, in a place called in scriptures “a lake of fire”. Hell will not be in the new earth!  Hell in scriptures is a place of torments and flames and burnings within the present Earth. 

To hot for even technology we possess, elements we have found , and knowledge to explore the heat in the depths of the Earths core.  Remember, it’s HIS Earth! Everything in it since Adam has been cursed, but it serves a purpose.  Think about all the thousands of dormant underground volcanoes, those are there to serve a future purpose!

"Hyper-Deputationalism"

I coined a word!  I think? You know those bad words or terms in Baptist societies and churches that are thrown around to label people; such words like, "Hyper-dispensationlaist" or "Double Inspired" and many more.  What these terms and phrases mean are really a matter of perspective, due to so many people defining them differently. Let it be stated as well, that such words are used as divisive and incendiary comments! Therefore, I have created Hyper-Deputationalism.

But c'mon, joking aside, lets not beat around the bush, for every 10 decent, honest, true, laboring missionaries you know that are on the foreign field doing their "service" to the Lord, there is 50 that never made it to their intended fields.  For every 10 ten that answered "the call", there are 50 that also answered, but could never reach their place of burden, or calling.  There are many reasons for this.  The economy would be one. Lack of support from Christians. Family hardships would be another.  Financial strains of selling houses and quitting jobs, etc.  But what about the processes and turmoil of gaining ones support that many call "Deputation", why does it seem to work for some, but not for others?

Deputation defined is simply "the act of appointing a person or body of people to represent or act on behalf of others." Money, is not involved in the definition, nor the gaining of funds for the representation of anything.  What you find among a lot of Christians, is many of our divisions are because of our definition of terms and phrases.

Reproving and Rebuking as it Relates to our Conduct in Ministry

This may shock some, but here goes, I believe not everyone you come in contact with must hear the word preached!  You gasp at this! Chalk it up how you like.  

I also believe in answering questions instead of parading biblical superiority.  I believe in “a door of utterance”, not knocking on 500 doors.  

I believe in the holy Spirit’s guidance and leading.  You just can’t understand how someone could say such a thing.  Many public ministries are simply effective only in doing something offending people.  

And they know it, and brag about it even and purposefully attempt to do it.  They think they are doing God a great service!  Our public ministry should be our examples in public, not something we do on Saturdays in front of the Gay bar!  

Public ministry is about planting and watering.  But today, it is loud angry men with bullhorns and enough scripture banners and signs to cause traffic impediment at busy intersections.

This is not effective fishing of men, or being ambassadors of Christ nor does it typify what we see from the practice of seed planting and bearing.  

We don’t preach at our plants, and fruits for not blossoming.  “Grow stupid plant”.  “Repent of your  stubbornness you filthy weed!”  We give them “nourishment”, water, sun light, time, care, patience, longsuffering, and tender care.

Don’t be ignorant of Satan’s devices. We preach against “time saving” technology but we use their same core production valued principles we preach against in public ministry. Our “Over Efficiency” in our evangelism has given way to irresponsible behavior with the word of God. 

A New Priesthood ~ Part 2 - Vital

A Treatise Against the New Priesthood

~A kick against the fundamentalist pricks~

Every time you tell me about God doing some great work and a soul getting saved, I will tell you about the 10 families I know being displaced because of Popish pastors!  Every time you tell me about the rare soul saved on the street, I will point out to you the hundreds and thousands of seeds ripped out of good ground, for the sake of “our call to preach!” 

Every time you point out the exceptional bus conversion or VBS conversion, I will point out the hundreds of young people who are being manipulated for numbers to report, and confused from the many different presentations they get from all the varied, but yet zealous workers.  

Every time you tell me some grand missionary story or missions endeavor, I will bring up the flip side of missions, the controlling mission boards, the gambit of deputation, the separation, the division, the business side of the missions minded men, the white families living like kings with attack dogs, razor wire fences, and servants among poor natives.  I will tell you about the loss of innocence and youth of children who grow up on a mission field, the destroying of families, the ripping apart of families, the church splitting, the Westernization of other cultures, and the monetary-hedge-fund-like corruption done by those who say they are “the called” on a foreign field.  Every time you read some good prayer letter, I well tell you about hundreds of defrauders and con-men that write good prayer letters too.

Every time you tell me about the one wonderful, teacher and pastor, I will tell you about the 100 others who are pastoral authority, rage ruling lunatics.  Who control with fear, manipulation, resentment, and anger trying to pass it off as righteous indignation. Every time you cry to me about being faithful to the man off God and not forsaking the assembling, I will point out to you the thousands of good Christians who read the book, talk with the Lord, have a relationship with God, and are imprisoned in their churches in traditions, under a popish Baptist pastor!  What are they to do, be faithful to error, get out of church, start their own?  What?  You tell me oh great knowing pastors out there.  You have the answers for everything!

Every time you tell me about the 10 street preachers that do it right, I will tell you about the army of ministries that now exist solely to confront, do battle, scream, rail, yell and tell people to quit their sodomy, drinking, dancing, fornicating, adultery, idolatry, completely devoid of any gospel presentation, of his death, his burial, his resurrection, his grace and his blood.  Horribly and incomprehensibly damaging the message we are supposed the be preaching for any hearers within the sound of our voices.

What if we did not have the Church?

Of course when I ask this question, hopefully it is understood, that there is a difference between the body of Christ and the physical "church" buildings we go to on Sundays.  We are the church, but what if we did not have the churches to go to? Sometimes asking difficult, even incomprehensible questions, can provoke us to think, and it can also expose our flaws!

Sometimes, examining the hypothetical can illustrate the kinks in our armor, or the holes and weak points in our shields! It is the shield of faith that we are supposed to have above all!

You hear these sort of things: "I don't know where I would be without the church".  "You can't live for God without the church of God!" "If I didn't have the house of God and solid preaching, I would be in prison or dead."  If we didn't have the house of God, where would we be?"  Where would you be?  A valid question, although these are all rhetorical statements, meant to stress the importance and adherence to attendances of the physical structures we have built as mankind in the 21st century. Oh yes, we have Temples, just like the Early church had the Temple!  Make no mistake, the presence and power has become the institution. It's all very denominational!

What if there was no church?  What if we were prohibited from meeting, and doing our things, whatever things they are today?  What if all your traditions and observances were suddenly brought to a halt.  What if you were powerless to resist?  These sort of things have happened in history, but I fear Americans today, who can't even "hear" truth, would see serious repercussions if they no longer had the ministry, or the "house of God" to worship in at our appointed times.  Would our Laodicean stripes and colors shine through then?

"Prognosis Negative!"

I have often thought, as I add my occasional write ups or rants, to my forum of choice, "I am to negative!"  I'm sure many preachers struggle with this thought in preparing thoughts and sermons. I have positive studies, and sermons!  I have messages about heaven, charity, the apostles, Old Testament saints, and joy and peace.  I love preaching, teaching, studying, writing and dwelling on Jesus Christ, the gospel of the grace of God, the wonderful stories in the Bible, however, I have chosen to put different things on this blog.

I have been accused of "adding to the problem" with my writings, and some have even suggested that I am in heresy, and have grown contentious and dividing! What I have found in seeing this behavior displayed a multitude of times, from many walks of believers in fundamental ranks, of the baptist persuasion, is this pattern of deflecting or misdirecting. It is just there way of hiding or running from what they are hearing.  They are SO knowledgable many of them, but as the young rich ruler, "yet lackest thou one thing".  These topics, or "things" that people like myself bring up, some of it is shocking, I know!  Some things I have said to people, they look at me like I am a devil, or led by one! It breaks my heart.  I wish they knew!  I wish they knew the real me. The talk about my negative words, while ignoring their negative results.

Sometimes, even to my self, I sound like a broken record! I don't want to come off as if I am justifying my positions to strongly, but because of what I know of the internet, and the millions of "Christian" blogs (a vague title today) available on the world wide web, why bother with the basics and the milk? We are over saturated with milk sup messages!  Why re-hash the traditional? Why keep defending the same positions, while never dealing with our great many contradictions within the body of Christ.  They are many.  Not just throughout the entire body, but more specifically, the Independent Baptist, of which I was first introduce to some element of biblical truth for the first time!  Thank God for them!

The Dangers of Having Youth in Public Ministries

So I guess I will play the bad guy again, and point out more then just "Oh look at our little fireball preach, isn't he precious!" Yeah, look at the expectations we put on them before they are 7!

I have seen young people as young as 6 and 7 preach behind pulpits, and on the street corners.  Using God's word, without even understanding it.  Talking about sin, as if they know anything about it!  Arrogant prideful parents who think their children are anointed for service because of some baby dedication service!  Your kid is special to you but he is not special enough to be ministering to adults and hardened sinners, he is a kid like my kids. 

You say "he can handle it", he has been in the ministry!  You tell a young christian in the pew to abstain from such events, then you take your kids there to behold  all the rioting?  I thought we are supposed to abstain from all appearance of evil.  Oh, that only applies to the compromiser who buys bread at the corner store that sells liquor.  It somehow all of the sudden doesn’t apply to you, the street preachers and public out reach operators who mingles yearly, monthly, and weekly with the sodomites, drunkards, and revelers at their gatherings.  Because someone has to tell them right?  Your going to preach to them,... I know.