So Great Salvation

Last we was a frenzy of activity, since we were home for a few days.  I made a list and was checking it twice, trying to make sure that I completed all the necessary items before leaving town for a few months.

Winter clothes were removed from the trailer, summer clothes were dug out of storage bins in the house and placed in the trailer.  Junk was discarded, too-small items were given a new home, school books were switched out for the approaching school year (I really don’t even want to think about school starting yet), papers were graded, new clothes were sewn…  You get the picture.  The kids, reveling in their summer vacation, were everywhere at once, dragging out toys and games, and generally making a huge mess wherever they went.  It was absolute chaos!  Add to that, our church was hosting our annual missions conference that week, too. 

It was one crazy schedule.  There were times that I sighed within myself and wished for one whole uninterrupted day to get some things done.  Thursday was especially hectic, and my attitude was one of despair as we hustled out the door to go to church that evening.  I still had so much to accomplish, and I didn’t even seem close to getting it all done.  I am ashamed to say that I thought about staying home.  However, I went.  I decided that I would honor the Lord and just let the house be a disaster, if that’s how it ended.  I am so glad I did.

That night, in the invitation, Daniel, my youngest, asked me if he should go forward.  “Why?” I whispered.  His serious little face looked up at me and said, “I need to get saved!”  My heart leapt for joy, and I sat down and held a whispered conference with him, asking why he thought he needed to be saved, what is sin, and was he a sinner.  He answered each question with understanding, and I told him we would wait and talk with Daddy(who was playing the piano) after the service.  I knew Paul would want to be a part of this precious time. Accordingly, he talked to Paul, who quizzed him over the same things and was satisfied with his understanding and answers.  Then Daniel bowed his head and prayed the sweetest little prayer, asking Jesus to forgive his sin and come into his heart.  Tears of joy ran down my cheeks and I hugged him tightly, thanking God that salvation is so simple that even a little child can comprehend it. 

The next evening, since it was to be our last night at church for several months, Daniel was baptized.  It was hilarious!  The water was quite deep, so the pastor had placed a stool in the baptistery, but it floated away when he turned his back to reach for Daniel.  He picked up Daniel, who was quite excited until he saw how deep the water was, and the baptism proceeded.  Daniel had such a death grip on the pastor’s arm that he could hardly extricate himself.  In the end, Daniel was baptized, and we praise the Lord for this first step of obedience.

Excitement and anticipation

Explanation of what will happen in the baptistery

Getting ready to go in the water

Uh-oh!  This is pretty deep!

There is no way I am letting go of Pastor’s arm!

Down into the water!

My sweet boy!  I am so proud of him!

Why I Am Still an Independent Baptist #2

So after yesterday’s long background explanation, let me tell you why, in spite of all these things, I am still an Independent Baptist.

1. God’s Word does not change. The true Baptist believes that the Bible is the only authority for faith and practice. The problem is that many church members do not know the Bible for themselves. Instead of searching the Scriptures to see whether these things are so, they allow someone else to tell them their interpretation of what the Bible says and accept it as fact without even thinking about it. This is dangerous, because the Bible is the greatest check and balance given to man, and it puts the power of doctrine in the hands of those who read it. Do not get me wrong – I believe in leadership, and in the authority of the pastor, but only as far as he follows the Bible. It is up to the average church member to know what the Bible says and to make sure that he is being taught truth.

2. I am an independent Baptist. The term independent means that I am not connected with any other church. Just because the Baptist church down the road teaches that ladies have to have hair down to their knees with six inches of split ends to be spiritual, does not mean that I have to accept that. That is one man’s interpretation of Scripture, not a direct Bible command. They do not have to follow the same order of service as my church does. They even have the freedom to have their midweek service on Thursday night if they wish (gasp)! The beauty of the plan is that no matter what the individual church policy is on any number of things, one day, we will all stand before God and give an account. The pastor will give account for his behavior, practices, preaching, and teaching, and the church members will give account for the way they have lived, including the way they have allowed themselves to be led. All of it will be determined by God’s Word. The safest course of action, then, is to filter everything through the Word of God.

3. I can think for myself. I do not need someone else telling me what the Bible says. I have learned much from pastors, teachers, evangelists, my husband, and even friends over the years. When God’s truth is presented, most of the time it does not need lengthy explanations. I have seen way too many people trying to figure out “deeper meanings” of Bible doctrines by reading the works of educated heretics, and in almost every case, they have turned their ears unto false doctrine, swallowing the lies of men rather than accepting the plainly stated truth of God. God does not contradict Himself or His Word. I can, with study, take a verse of Scripture and, by comparing it with other verses in the Bible, come to a proper conclusion. I do not take this privilege lightly. I will one day give an account for all that I say and do. A proper perspective of the Judgment Seat of Christ is enough to make me very careful in the explanation and application of Scripture.

In retrospect, as I look over this post, it all boils down to one thing: God’s Word. These scandals that I have mentioned came about because someone, or several people in some cases, was not following the Word of God. Every abuse of power, every hurtful situation is a result of sin – it is not condoned by Scripture, no matter how loudly some critics may claim that it is. God is not abusive, nor does He want His people to be abusive. He does not want His flock to be abused. The prophets of old were descried for their abuse and misuse of God’s people.

My question is this: Why do people who (should) know this leave the Independent Baptist realm and claim that all Independent Baptist churches are the same? That assertion is not logical or founded in truth. I personally think that they are using a bad situation as an excuse to do what they have wanted all along. Too many people have a casual view of God and His holiness. The fact that most IFB churches have high standards is a reflection of what the Bible says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” I believe God has a high standard for His people, and it is set forth in many principles in His Word. My husband has written a whole book on holiness and standards, so I will not cover that here. What I see is a widespread dislike for standards, especially in music, media, and dress, and those who have been “forced” to conform lose sight of the holiness of God that is to be reflected in our manner of living. The result is rebellion and abandonment of personal separation. Many times, they find a church with a more “acceptable” view of separation and end up with a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From there, it is a slippery slope into a more relaxed view of theological separation, and the story almost always ends badly. The farther you stray from God’s Word, the farther you will be from His will. Those who love God will love His Word, His people, and His church. I am sick of people leaving good churches for stupid reasons. Just tell the truth – you are leaving because you are carnal, bitter, and rebellious. You don’t care what God’s Word says, you want a church that allows you to live as you please. Beware! You are on dangerous ground! Yours is not the final authority – you will give an account one day.

Why I Am Still an Independent Baptist #1

Recent years have brought a rash of books, articles, blog posts, and testimonies of people who have become, for one reason or another, disgruntled with their own independent Baptist church (or their parents’ or friends’ church).  There has been an outbreak of biased and misinformed documentaries by major media scandalmongers on the proverbial witch hunt for IFB aberrants.  Some of what they say is true, but I know for a fact that some of it is nothing but yellow journalism designed to cast a bad light on anyone who believes the Bible.  It is not scholarship, it is speculation and slander.  They do not have all the facts.  I find it interesting that their claims of presenting the “facts” only give credence to the perceived “victim’s” side.  I am not denying that in some of these cases, serious wrongs have been committed by certain people in leadership.  But I also know human nature – angry, disgruntled people who are not right with God will say anything to make themselves look good and the church look bad.  There are true victims – people who have been badly used and terribly hurt.  I cannot deny that.

I myself have been in more that one “bad” church.  When I was still living at home, we had a succession of three “bad” churches.  I say churches, but really, it was the pastors.  The first was having an adulterous affair with another woman in the church.  When my parents confronted him, he denied all charges and our family quietly left the church.  During the next year, the church members were told not to have anything to do with us.  All but a few families did as the pastor commanded.  I think back on this time and wonder how hard it must have been for my parents that year.  They had worked in the church for several years, pouring time and money into the ministry.  Helping that church get started was the main reason for our coming to that area.  About a year after we left, the truth came out.  The affair was discovered by the pastor’s wife, who then committed suicide, splintering the family and church even more.  The pastor resigned, his lover divorced her husband, and the two of them were married shortly after.  It was a terrible blot on the church name in the community, and to be honest, the church, which had been thriving, never fully recovered.

The second bad situation was in the church we began attending after leaving that one.  It was a financial scandal, this time. The church had several families on staff, and though the church was a very giving one, some of the staff families were barely subsisting.  Further inquiry into the matter showed that the pastor was giving himself the lion’s share of the money.  I believe the pastor should be paid well for his work.  However, I do take issue with the fact that someone can afford $400 cowboy boots and new suits while his staff members literally eat bread and water.  Things were eventually made right, but another church name was smeared, and more people were hurt.

The third church was seemingly okay on the surface, although fraught with internal problems due to excessive “family influence” within the church.  At this point, we were in survivor mode.  During our brief membership period, there was a family that joined the church.  The man, a church camp director, was accused of molesting campers.  The pastor was involved in the cover-up, claiming that the alleged victims were just trying to cause trouble.  The man did go to prison, but the fallout was disastrous.  I know at least one of the young victims who testified against this man committed suicide shortly after the trial.  Lives were ruined, and the testimony of the churches involved were damaged.

I say all of this to make a point.  I have been in some bad churches.  I have seen terrible things covered up and excused by the people at fault.  But in most cases, the church members did not willingly side with evil.  They were either misinformed, or not informed at all.  The danger of leadership is that people will follow the leader.  Throughout time, we have seen ample evidence of people who made bad judgment calls and followed their leaders to their own demise.  The followers of Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Mohammed, along with many others have blindly followed the dogmas set forth by their religious leaders.  People follow leaders – that is how it works.  There are several motivations for following someone.  Some follow because of a lack of personal vision, others out of love for the leader, devotion to the cause, and still others out of fear.

I will publicly state this: those bad churches were full of good people who loved God and wanted to serve Him.  In each case it was not the church that was bad – it was a person who used the power of the church to cover or excuse sin.  I will also state that I have been in several wonderful churches, with godly leadership and not a hint of scandal.  In our travels, I have met hundreds of pastors, none of them perfect, but most of them serving the Lord and doing a tremendous work.  The majority of pastors that I know are not abusing their authority.  Why do people assume that because they have been in one, or even two bad churches, that God is not who He says He is? 

Just because I may discover that I have been given a counterfeit bill does not mean that I quit using money altogether.  Most money that is in circulation today is the real deal.  I know Wal-mart tests every bill $20 or greater with a special marker, but seriously(I must admit to rolling my eyes whenever they do this), I doubt they find many.  I see this excessive black-balling of IFB churches, as they are called, in the same light.  Only this time, the accusers are marking every dollar bill with the marker, looking for a fatal flaw that is not there in most cases.  They are trying to scare people into abandoning Independent Baptist beliefs altogether because of a few bad Christians.

To be continued in tomorrow’s post…