Church

2 Thessalonians 3:6  - “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” 2 John 10–11, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds. Romans 16:17 - “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” For years, I have warned the Christians in the churches and ministries I have been involved with and fellow pastor friends about the dangers of not having firm convictions and standards concerning fellowship.  I am grieved at the apostasy I see in fundamentalism and completely frustrated with those who feel that they are somehow immune to ungodly influences.  I have lost so many friends to liberalism, the seeker sensitive, emerging, and reformed church movements…I cannot bear to lose another.

I am saddened and frustrated at the resurgence of Calvinism among Fundamental Baptists.  Simply put, Calvinism is Christianity without Jesus.  All those who believe in it are in error, and all those teach it are even worse.  It is a false doctrine, it should be fought, and it should be kept out of our local churches. Calvinism is a man made philosophy depending on fallible human logic which totally ignores many clear Scriptures, perverts many, and misuses others.  The Roman Catholic heretic Augustine presented this false doctrine long before John Calvin’s time. Here are some Scriptures that soundly refute the errors of the Calvinist TULIP as compiled by a man named John Henry: mailto:KJV@LandmarkBibleBaptist.net T = TOTAL INABILITY (Called in Calvinism, Total Depravity, but actually taught as the Total Inability of man to choose Truth. The Calvinist plays many such word games. The Word of God teaches that God created man with the ability to reason, choose, and receive Truth.):

Mark 6:52 - “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” I was recently at a fellowship meeting where a message was brought from this passage of Scripture, the message was very applicable to us preachers in attendance, and it was very illustrative of what that pastor had and is going though in his own life. As I followed along with the message, the Lord (as He seems to frequently do) gave me a few thoughts that I could develop into messages to present to Berean Baptist Church.

Psalm 116:15 - "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." Today a wonderful woman went home to be with the Lord.  Martha Scarberry may have lost her battle with cancer, but our loss is Heaven's gain.  We are praying for her family as they are going through this time of grief and thinking about all of the wonderful memories Amy and I have of her.  She and her husband Rick, who preceded her in death in 2001, have had a tremendous impact on our lives.  Pastor Scarberry and Martha came to Wisconsin to start Twin Ports Baptist Church in 1970 and through God and their influence, our families have been saved, we have been trained,...

Psalm 92:1 - "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD..." As I am writing this note, I have just finished eating a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my family...deep fried turkey and all of the fixings.  For my family, and all that God has done for me, I am truly thankful.  It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord...is so true.  I love Thanksgiving, because it is at least one time during the year that people will pause and give thanks for what they have.  Sad to say though, there are many people who are "thankful" , but they are not thankful to the Lord.  

II Peter 3:10 - "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." This week we are having lots of snow and very cold temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest.  Last night, when I was leaving the church I thought to myself, "I wish Al Gore was here to warm my car up for me."  I am always curious as to why we don't hear very much from all of the global warming advocates during these unseasonable cold snaps.

We are in a battle in Fundamentalism.  We are fighting against those who attack the Scriptures.  We are fighting against those who attack our Savior.  We are fighting against those who attack the Saints.  With all of the spiritual battles we face from without, it is a terrible thing to have to fight these battles within.  The Bible states in Jude 4, "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." I am afraid that our Baptist churches are being assaulted by the individuals listed in Jude 4.  As pastors, we need...

James 4:13-17, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it sin.” It is the presumptuous sin of the Christian to boast about tomorrow.  James...

"He observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger" (II Chronicles 33:6). Halloween is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a celebration of? And how did this peculiar custom originate? Is it, as some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some ancient pagan ritual? In North America, the yearly observance of Halloween amounts to a multi-billion-dollar industry, second only to Christmas...

The longer I live and the longer God allows me to be in a position of leadership, I am ever more convinced that Trust is the main thing in relationships.  It doesn't matter if it is a marital one, a workplace one, or a pastoral one, if people can't trust you, your relationship and influence will be damaged if not completely destroyed.  I am even of the opinion that trust is more important in these relationships than love is.  So be trustworthy...