What if?

Recently a family member whom I respect and love deeply approached me with a barrage of questions as to why I believed a certain way.  They were informed I was way off the tracks by someone else. 

I can usually handle myself in situations like that but these were delicate matters, family was involved and I didn’t have all the answers.  I also didn’t want to have the appearance as someone who could thrash them with scriptures.  They just seemed so shocked and genuinely hurt with my change of core beliefs.  They even asked about my finances in regards to my giving during this discussion.

I pretty much summed it up by saying to him that after examining things for many years, I just can’t blindly give to men I don’t know, respect, align with or understand. I can’t just go, “Well, God just told me to give to the work so here you go”.  I’m against that mindset. It’s foolishness to me.  It lines up more with the OT philosophies of physical blessings because of offerings. We don’t give to receive any blessings! We give today selflessly, to recieve nothing in return. 

Now, months later, in retrospect, I guess I would say to them, “I just view the church drastically different than you.  I don’t buy in to the nonsense in it.” It's formulas and modern day programs, gimmicks and contemporary styles. It’s not about being disillusioned either!  It’s about waking up to the blatant reproaches! Many fail to acknowledge or examine the symptoms of these reproaches because of the work of the ministry. 

It is so much more than the giving principles and following commissions! How long can we listen to pragmatic teachings and traditions over and over and over? I see so much of “the machine” in our doings, in all of it now that I fear that the best of the independent local churches are now average traditionalist churches, whether they realize it or not!  Just an observation.  Just an onlooker.

The Wild Bunch ~ A Testimony of a Baptist with Independent Tendencies

Personally, for me, it was in fact a Independent Baptist man that led me to God and the saving power of his Son Jesus Christ. It was a Independent Baptist that showed me a clear presentation. It was the Independent Baptist that showed me the gospel to where I clearly understood it and grasped it’s significance.  The Independent Baptist taught me and showed me the truth and infallibility of the King James Bible.  

On a practical note, an Independent Baptist preacher taught me the invaluable definitions of balance.  An Independent Baptist showed me the importance of individual liberty.  I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for all the Independents Baptist in the sense of the truth and certain positions they have maintained for decades. The wars they have fought and the battles they have won, yeah, I can claim their name to certain extents, knowing their true history.  And I am proud for it.  

I remember being introduced to the first “real” Christian men I ever met.  They were men in a small Independent Baptist Church, 50-70 strong.  An eager bunch to say the least.  All sermons where edifying, instructive and admonishing.  The teaching was verse by verse. About 7 guys in all were all allowed opportunities to preach from time to time, very rare among pastors today to be so selfless with their pulpit.  The song leader was a charismatic man that loved the old time hymns, thank God I was exposed to true song and worship at infancy in salvation so I did not carried up in praise music and charasmania. 

The Independent Baptist were also the first REAL Christians I think I ever met outside of my own family.  It was the first evidence of real Christianity that I ever saw in my entire life.  I was 16 at the time.  I had also grown up my entire life in the Bible belt town of Columbia, SC.  Pastors would kick me, the skateboarder off the steps of their church, but never tried to build dialogue or relay the gospel to me.

These men loved God sincerely and genuinely, those dear people, they loved that old book.  They loved preaching and many of those men to this day still do.  They loved singing and fellow-shipping.  I mean, clean stuff.  Hymns, no mumbo jumbo, just classic old songs from the 17 and 18th century. Get togethers and such, BBQs, just hanging out with like minded decent people. Laughter, love, joy, peace, times of my life I wanted never to end. 

A Convoluted Commission

The fact remains is that men have long made it a practice to use the word, and I cannot stress enough how serious I mean to say, “use the word of God” for private agendas and to further their private kingdoms.  For the common good or whatever lies they have to tell themselves these days, many just continue on, examining others, never examining themselves.  Men will privately interpret passages for private reasons.  It is a common practice displayed among decent and devious men  alike and has been in the works since the time of Christ. 

Missionaries and preachers have long claimed unfounded and loose interpretive callings for ministerial nonsense and money grabbing shakedowns by way of using the Great Commission. They have long found, as the definition of commission states, their doings, performing, perpetuating, sending, act of entrusting, duty; and it is now their proper authority and warrant for exercising certain powers, administrations, and duties in the Great Commission passages.  

These passages in the gospels have been used for centuries to solicit services and funds from among Christian bodies.  Sure their is gain, but no one ever discusses the other spectrums of disorder. To use these passages to solicit service, or even funds and offerings is unscriptural and dangerously close to adding to his word.  

In many cases now, I can only see it as defraudation or using guile and gimmicks to obtain an desired affect.  By applying a teaching or doctrine to these scriptures, then saying they are directly for the body of Christ is adding to the doctrinal position of the passage.  To do so, one must ignore the scriptural integrity of Gods book.  There is a very specific reason for men to deny that there is any disorder.

You will see variations of this in every evangelistic, Baptist church you can find. It is the big idea that is fully entrenched in well fortified Baptist traditions and preserved by some mafia like omerta! It is why there is never a real discussion or theological sit down over it.  Men will look at you like a two headed dragon just for suggesting this may be an off base position. They act this way because the great commission is the prominent “big idea” that many Fundamentalist, and Evangelical, Bible Believing Christians have in their minds for the reasons for doing much of what they do.  Who would ever dare question it right?

"What if it's the Pastor that is the Heretic?"

Heretic~A person under any religion, but particularly the christian, who holds and teaches opinions repugnant to the established faith, or that which is made the standard of orthodoxy. In strictness, among christians, a person who holds and avows religious opinions contrary to the doctrines of Scripture, the only rule of faith and practice.

I listed this definition to prove a point.  The established faith is in the word of God.  It’s in Paul’s gospel.  The gospel of the grace of God was revealed to him.  The inner workings and administrations were revealed to Paul from Christ. It was by the order of Christ. If we operate outside that umbrella, we are heretic’s are we not?  If we hold and teach opinion contrary to the established faith, the faith Paul, Peter, Jude, and James wrote of, we are heretics!

Titus 3:10~A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

When most people think of withdrawing from heretics, or others, it is usually because of false doctrine, perversions of the gospel message, gross sin, or many other unruly things. But sometimes, believers must withdraw for other reasons.  When most think of heretics they have a picture in their mind but they would never think their own pastors, or those they run with as heretics.

For reasons that may be more apparent than you may think.  What if men lie and speak not the truth? Are we not to withdraw them?  We have every right according to scriptures to withdraw and separate from men who hold not to the Pauline Epistles, and the gospel, doctrine, tradition, and commandments found therein. We have every right to depart from disorderly men.  Let them know you love them, pray for them, and walk on.  Why is this so difficult for us.

Traditions to Hold Fast

God gave the gospel that “we believe” to Paul.  Prior to Paul, it was a mystery.  The disciples didn’t get it either.  Peter certainly didn’t get it.  God had to go to a lost man, a religious man, a pharisee, a traditionalist, a zealot, and reveal himself to this religious  sign-seeking Jew, through a sign and wonder, a Jew, and convert him, by belief and faith alone in the risen messiah.

Any character you want to pick in the entire word of God, no other had such a unique  revelation or knowledge of this mystery.  It is for this risen alone, that our gospel messages, and preaching align with Paul’s sound doctrine on the matter.  If we therefore preach anything contrary to this mystery, the gospel of the grace of God, we will be found wanting, reproachable, blameable, and an offence to him, and the world. 

If you men dabble in the law, you are left wanting, you play in the prophets; If you are following the spirit of the prophets you are in open rebellion of God’s word, and the wholesome words of the Lord; If you flirt with the message of John the Baptist, you are following the spirit of error;  If you try to mesh the gospels and Paul’s distinct gospel of grace, you are carried about by another wind of doctrine; If you mistakenly assert some “repentant of all your sins” mentality into a gospel, you are preaching another gospel and are led away by the error of the wicked!

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.

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.

A New Priesthood ~ Part 1

A Treatise Against the New Priesthood

~A kick against the fundamentalist pricks~

This is “the get it off my chest” part.  If I thought it proper, I would name names, and let the chips fall. You schemers and defrauders! I have the letters of your tall tales and your manipulation of men.  I know what was swept under the rugs, and kept from the congregations.  I know the inner money changing, and hand-shaking.  I have seen the protection of your own kind at the expense of the sheep.  I know why positions changed, and men were removed or renounced.  And what some of us have missed, God has surely seen it all! Amen! 

If I my mother didn’t teach me better manners, if that Book had not rub off on me, I would call all you suckers out by name.  Your wonderful followings, and loyal members, they have no idea what kind of men you are. But I know!  I know what kinda man you are!  

All your charades, all your little speeches, and many of you are nothing but common thieves. All your secrets, all your dirty little inner strifes and turmoils that are kept hidden with such precise calculation.  You are expert in your cloaking of your own self righteousness.  It is hard for me to understand how we claim to serve the same risen savior?  I have to love you, and hope with great faith, that somehow, God used you in his way that I cannot see, as he did with a “jackass” in the OT. 

At this point in the game, it is now apparent to me that there have always been bully zealots and fanatics, who pervert THE gospel, and implement private interpretation contrary to the scriptures.  Every true Christian body, or sincere believing society has had to deal with brutes, ogres, fools, jesters, and oafs! 

In every generation, in every reformation and awakening, in every church age there has been, they have existed. They are found quite possibly in every denomination, but are more prevalent in the fundamental ranks where they can easily blend and infect. They are the pharisee of the modern day. 

Cognitive Dissonance in Believers

Do you ever just get sick of lying to yourself?  There are so many questions we have that are never answered because of the greater good or pragmatic traditional positions, not  to mention the much work being done 24/7 building the Kingdom of the Lord, socializing and reforming all society!  At what point is the body of Christ allowed to discuss our divisive matters openly?  When do men just get together to plod through the scriptures on a subject that comes up continually?  I don't care how long something has been happening or who says we should keep doing it.  

Paul laid down specifics on sound doctrine and church discipline (withdrawing) with the intention to establish truth and put down heresy and false gospels, not to just to cast the sinners out or the ignorant heretic. Heresies are a work of the flesh like anything else (Gal 5:20).  Heresies must be for the word of God to be established as the authority. You're approved by sticking to the Book, and those things left to the body of Christ, not by hanging around in the OT, the prophets, the gospels, and early Acts.

1 Cor 11:18-19 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

If there is division, there is heresy.  The body is meant to be unified. It's a work, and it  won't happen overnight. Dealing with false doctrine is how a church comes to a unified position, established in the faith.  The gospel being confirmed, and defended. When Paul talks of dealing with a man that is a heretic, it is an admonition (gentle reproof, counseling against a fault, instruction in duties, direction, to caution).  It is one thing if a man is openly subverting, seeking preeminence, drawing sheep away, but for a brother in Christ to bring valid arguments to some long-standing traditions, he is not attempting to teach heresy, he is attempting to understand the present conditions of things as they relate to the scriptures, more specifically for us living today, parts of the NT to keep himself from losing his marbles!

Call a Spade a Spade!

“We are an independent, fundamental, Bible believing Baptist church!”  You may have seen an advertisement like that for a church on a tract, a website, or the phone book.  All the lingo and talk is used: pre-millennial, missions-minded, sin-hating, King James Bible-preaching church.  It has all the persuasion and influence that all religions use.  It’s why we are so aggressive in getting people to come.  We believe we have it, hook, line, and sinker.  We follow the fundamentals of the faith, we preach the truth.  We are not as they, we do things right.  We have order, our statements of faith and the beloved fundamentals.  Which I guess that is all fine.  Other denominations can make erroneous claims, why not the IFB?

I just want you to understand, my mindset and my view is not about starting a revolution, making everyone see my point of view, or to get all the churches to change their format and so on.  I just want others to be aware of the fact that we are no different from the other vain religions who have a great many things wrong at their core.  

It’s just being honest.  Wake up! We are not some special class of Christian that God has called in these last days to stand in the gap and show everyone else their faults and traditions.  In fact, we have many similarities to the religious that we preach against.

Who Watches the Watchmen? ~ an essay

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. Isaiah 21:6

“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"

The Sunday Scare Hour

The day I dreaded arrived today, when some Sunday School staff/children’s church worker came up to me and informed me that my 7 year old son had gotten “saved”.  He then put him on the spot to describe this life changing event to me at which point he looked at me with a “dazed and confused” look.  Now to some parents, this might have been a joyous occasion to hear of their son's salvation.  But to me, it was one of my worst nightmares.  Here is why.

The arrogance in our evangelism is alarming!  Is it God’s design for Dad and Mom to instruct, read the Bible to, and discuss biblical matters with their children?  Yes.  But all of the sudden, in children’s church or Sunday school, workers get this thing in their head that the children are there for them to push for a decision on spiritual matters and eternal salvation without even discussing matters with the parent.  

As if they know the child, or have anything to do with him aside from asking him questions and prompting him to raise his hand.  They view it as “God brought them to me.”  It’s a twisted view on the providence of God.

What is the Sense?

Make me understand, explain it to me like I’m six.   Don’t hand me a book by some established evangelical or fundamentalist.  Talk to me!  Show me.  Spend time in prayer and study with me longer then the 5 minutes in the Pastors office after Sunday church.  Show me in the scriptures!   Make me see it as you see it!  

Why do we tithe again?  Seriously.  Aside from running to Genesis, Leviticus, Malachi and Hebrews, what grounds do we have to ask any one today, removed from Temple worship and affairs, to tithe?  How can we possibly lay this at the sheep’s feet? Stop with all the explanations and attempts to Christianize it.  I can read!  It is a new practice in this country dating back to the 18th century, so don't tell me we have "always done it".

Why do we adhere to gimmicks like Faith Promise?  Do I even need to waste my time on this one?  If you want to live in Charismatic fantasy land and carry this on with the prosperity gospel nonsense, help your self, but quit distorting the scriptures in a feeble attempt to make it look biblical.  You are lying to your people!  I don't care how much fruit or money you are getting.  Our blessings are spiritual, not physical.  Don't be deceived.

Why do we keep talking about the great commission as if it is something handed down to the church?  Please people!  The gospels and Acts are not play books on outreach.

How Does it Help Again?

The osmosis that is the local church.  This is the magic show that many expect to happen.  Like being together with a group of people in a building is the solution to all of life's problems.  We are led to believe this! We live our lives in such manners. I am not against people going to church, far from it, just upset at what the church has actually become to most.  How does the modern church setting  actually help?  I look for a blessing like the next person, but sometimes I think we just lie to ourselves.  

You get the kids loaded into the car, probably late from kiddy circumstances, you rush to the church, get them out, one of you takes the little one to the nursery, the other takes the older kids to the special kids churches or Sunday schools.  And you, the adults go to the big peoples church.  You shake hands, see smiling faces, maybe even take part in some chit chat or banter.  The music director takes center stage, and you find your places.  You all begin to sing in unison.  

Are we reading the words, or thinking about the words? Do the hymns speak like they used to?  We have a few announcements after the singing, then it’s the offering time.  The deacons and ushers do their thing while some young person does a special, or we have special music played during.  

Then the message, while we stare at the back of others sitting in the pews in front of us, unless you are a good front row Christian.  The distractions, the teenagers talking, cell phones going off, visitors coming and going, one man talking, ushers getting the head count, ushers letting parents know about Nurseries to get the babies out of the Sanctuary.  Then the preaching, speaking, sharing or screaming, whichever man are found doing today. Then the altar call and the slow invitational music.  Next, the show of hands.  Then the closing in prayer, then the shaking of hands again on the way out.