Day: July 2, 2007

BF&M -The Church

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

I heard of a man who walked into the pastor’s office and began telling the pastor that he was a missionary for the “Invisible church”.  He was asking for support in his “Mission work”, to which the pastor of the local church responded, by giving him an invisible check.

Most Baptist believe in the authority of the local church.  The local church is visible congregation.  It has a visible congregation, with officers pastors and deacons, and members who serve the other duties of that congregation.

When you look at the epistles [letters] which Paul the apostle wrote, they were written to local churches.  The letters of Jesus Christ in the Revelation chapters two and three, is addressed to local congregations.  There is much more emphasis put on the local church than on the idea of an “Universal or invisible church”.  The Body of Christ functions in local churches.

The following is our Statement of Faith concerning the church:

VI. The Church

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.

As Baptists we do believe that the office of pastor is reserved for men.  There is plenty of Scriptural evidence for this belief.  In First Timothy 3:1-7 the qualifications of the elder/bishop/pastor is related directly to the male gender.  For instance; “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…”.  I have a friend who pointed out, “When a woman can be the husband of one wife, then I can accept her as a pastor”.   I believe he would have meant as long as she met the other qualifications.

The local church was established by the Lord Jesus.  Each local church is made up of born again, baptized believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Every member is regenerated by the Spirit of God, reborn in Christ Jesus, and baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and into the local church.

This will be addressed later: Baptism is by immersion, ie., putting under the water.

The Ignored Spirit of God

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

Genesis 6:1-22 continued…

“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:3 (KJV).

The LORD looking down upon the human race of that day was not pleased with what He saw. It did not surprise Him. He was not shocked by it. He has “foreknowledge”, and so this all really was fitting well with His plan.

The word “Strive” means to contend; to minister judgment; to judge; to rule, etc.. The ministry and work of God’s Spirit is to not only draw people to God, but also to restrain evil.

If the Holy Spirit ceases to work with man the end is judgment. When the Spirit withdraws from an individual or a group they are left to themselves to work havoc and ruin. There are many who think that man is basically good; that is a grave and evil error; a tragic mistake that has eternal consequences. If it were not for God’s Spirit the “Total depravity” of man would be so clearly seen, by any who are holy, our society today would look like utopia. Mankind is ‘totally depraved’. Without God we would be completely without hope. The only reason man is not as evil as he could be is because of the Holy Spirit’s restraining power –

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way” 2 Thessalonians 2:7 (KJV).

There are many who do not even realize the Spirit of God is working today. I am sure that many of them did not realize during this day we are viewing in Scripture. The time we perceive the withdrawing of the Spirit it could be too late for renewal – not on God’s part but man’s.  At the time of Noah we see God allowing/giving 120 years for people to repent, and return to the worship and fellowship of God. One hundred twenty years to repent.

When God’s Spirit withdraws mankind becomes more and more wicked, and gets further and further away from God. Man begins to deny God, deny His existence, and begins to believe man can solve his own problems without God. Those who reach this point will say something along the line, “We don’t need God. What has he ever done for us?” They will find a day when they will be crying against Him, and crying for the rocks, the mountains to fall on them, to hide them from the Son of God. That is what happens after the Spirit has striven with man and they pay Him no mind or heart.