The modernistic movement has not corrupted the church or the gospel any worse than we have through our own traditions. In fact, we as Independent Baptists have adopted many modernistic traits. The modernists are bringing newness in the way of liberality, Pacifism, Christian Psychology, and worldly worship with improper music tending to our emotional strings, while we are falling into modernism by adopting modernistic traditions of ages past and traditions of men. We hold to our own traditions much like other denominations hold to theirs.
We alone have made the Independent churches what they are, and now the change is done. It is what it is. It is us. We are apostate. We are just another part of the Laodicean church age like the rest of 'em. We are in the last days, not to sound like a prophet of doom and gloom as seen in Hollywood. But we have the spirit of truth and error, the spirit of discernment. We know exactly where we are as it pertains to history and the ages seen in Revelation 1-3. We are a part of the Laodicean church, whether we like it or not. But we have to remember that we are also members of His body!
Our Independent title means absolutely nothing now. We have made the church and the body into what it is today. Saved and lost men alike in this world, with our hands, our pride, and our glory, have changed His words. We can calculate and slice the word of God to fit any mode of service we want. We can shoot down any cult member or false religion. We have become masters at persuading our flocks by using the Word. We know how to make it right for us instead of rightly dividing. The light of the glorious gospel of Christ is no longer visible to many sinners, but only another form of religious service and worship. We are no longer a lighthouse standing fast in the storm, shining through the darkness of the world, but a watchtower, which have no light in them, holding armed watchmen sighting down the next enemy to notch in the stock of our M1. (image above, WWII watchtowers of the coast of Delaware)
I feel the need to strongly emphasize that I am not a Calvinist, Amish, Plymouth Brethren, Lollard, “Hyper”, Primitive, Independent, Freewill, Hardshell, or Southern Baptist. I am most certainly not an AnaBaptist or of the Waldensian line.
I do consider myself to be, at the core and based on certain distinctives and only based on those distinctives, a Baptist. I do not believe it necessary to join a local assembly by way of membership, a fact which I will discuss later. Say what you will, this stance is against no scripture. We are members of HIS body. I am a Christian. These statements have nothing to do with fellowshipping, assembling with believers, and unashamedly testifying of Christ, which I still maintain and practice.
My intentions for writing and for the Christian reading these things are to build up, help, edify, and exhort, by way of examination and consideration, striving to provide all things honest, and in all things, shewing thyself a pattern of good works, in doctrine, shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity. When attempting to examine, edify, or exhort the believer with “sound doctrine”, the very effect of this practice will expose heresy and false doctrine. This work of the Holy Spirit, in exposing false doctrine or false gospels with the scriptures, will in turn manifest the workers of such heresy and doctrine.
I thought it fitting for the first post in a forum such as this to also say that, though I fervently and wholeheartedly believe in these things having to do with love and charity in the Christians' conversation of life among the brethren, and all men, saved or lost, I also firmly believe in preaching straight and hard to convince and persuade sinners and saints. We are to preach the offence of Christ, without giving offence. This is clearly a biblical practice as we will see in coming posts. He is the offence, He is the stone of stumbling.
I am not opposed to powerful preaching nor am I opposed to truth being proclaimed. But we have been given guidance. We were not left to our own minds to know the manners in which the gospel is to be preached unto all men. I am not opposed to the furtherance of the gospel of the grace of God. I believe preaching the Word is a way God gave us to proclaim His gospel and ways for those who desire to know. I am most assuredly not opposed to being an effective, vocal witness for God to lead people to God. He that winneth souls is wise! Any Christian should be unashamed in testifying of their salvation and their Savior.
What I am absolutely against is the blatant disregard of decency and the intolerance showcased triumphantly by "mean men" in pulpits and otherwise. I am against pastors and preachers who protect their own brothers of the sword in other pulpits, while they destroy the masses or multitudes that are underneath the sound of their voice. I am against pastors and preachers who make the gospel of Christ with charge and rob the sheep for their own works, who labor in vain, who take pleasure in proclaiming the God of the Bible and His laws, instead of Jesus Christ and His principles, methods, and commands of the New Testament. These are men who are destitute of truth, use the Bible to build their kingdoms and to set themselves up in a position of preeminence, who look for occasion of the flesh to create strife and contention to be seen of men. Some Independent preachers dangerously pervert the gospel of Christ into the gospel of the Kingdom with their misappropriated preaching and scripture references, further reproaching His Word and His name. Instructions were directly given to Paul for the New Testament Christian, including commands, doctrines, ways, and manners about which Paul was very specific and which matched the manner of our Lord Jesus Christ when it came to giving out the Word of God, the way of God, and the gospel of God. This is the way in which we should be walking. We must stop accepting references, but demand context.
Through these studies and examinations into our traditional ways, and through the scriptures and their inspiration, my hope is that the Christian gains encouragement, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, for all these things are profitable with all longsuffering and doctrine, for the perfecting of the saints.
We need clear definitions of terms in our day. What is ministry? What is sound doctrine? What is sanctification? What is faith? What is liberty? What is the gospel? What is our conversation? What practices have been twisted and distorted to lead men into a captivity of religion, preaching for doubt and with doubt, persuading in fear not in faith, and going about to scorn, not to correct? We should strive in these last days of the Laodicean age to be more of a Christian, and less of an Independent Baptist. Not to separate ourselves more, but to lead men to the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection, according to the scriptures. We are Christians. We are ambassadors.
The practice of labeling is often used to control people, keep them in our camp, secure our market share, and mask our insecurity to deal with folks who don't fit our grid. - Unknown
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:5
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews, a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks, foolishness.
1 Corinthians 1:23
