Featured What are churches for?

The HS has put it on me to erect a true orthodox Salvation by Grace Baptist church in my community but your right, I get discouraged by the "LACK" ....lack of interest, lack of Love for the Lord, Lack of godly people. I am in a desert & I believe the devil is winning. I was set to join a non denominational church that I thought had roots in Baptist distinctive's till I talked to two of the foundational elders. They were not very excited about being Baptistic, they indicated that the board of foundational elders took a vote to either be Credo Baptist or Paedo Baptist....and the Credos won, 4 to 3. So well here we are, immersion Baptistic folks. When I heard that I saw that they were not happy about being baptist. Prior to that I stood in the lobby after the service & a midsts all the congregating people, nobody came up to me to welcome me to the church. I told the pastor that & he indicated I would have to come more often so that people could warm up to me.

I have also had enough people on this board criticize me for being too difficult in finding a church to fellowship in. Thats correct, I was a Roman Catholic for 32 years & I hated it.....it was so ritualistic & devoid of scripture as well as so many things I can discuss that I disagree with but I staid there because I was raised up there & my mothers family were all RC. My wife insisted on marrying in a Presbyterian Church so we did & we took my son there because we thought it was the right thing to do. But it became extremely liberal & apostate so we decided not to attend. I drifted to a Congregational Church that was a mess & finally l felt the need for fellowship so I found a Orthodox Presby Church where the head Elder told me my dead infant son was in hell & my wife & I put him there.....nice! That killed my wife....that hurt her to the core of her very being & I had long discussions with the Pastor of the Church, another OPC Pastor & a Reformed Pastor in another town....they all tried to convince me that the Elder spoke out of turn however not one of these guys could give me or my wife assurance our son was with God.

I did not go to church for a long time after that....they were my enemies & they also caused my wife to take to drinking, she was soooo hurt. My brother, who became a Fundi Baptist Youth Pastor sat me down & blamed my experience with these Reformed types on Covenant Theology & told (assured) me that Baptists dont think that way. OK so I spoke to a few Baptist pastors (Arminian & Reformed ) & they all confirmed my brothers story.....so I went to an arminian church down the road. I got no spirituality out of them....nothing....like an empty shell & though I went to weekly services I was wasting my time. Even went to a Saturday morning mens study bible. NOTHING.

So I quit there. My wife will not step in any church & it took her years to get over the pain of those friggin Hyper-Calvinists.

My brother gave me series of CD's called Classics of Christian Faith because Id gone back to college for advanced courses & was driving an hour each way....he thought the windshield time could best be used & in November 3 yrs ago I listened to George Whitefield's sermon "The Method Of Grace" This I believe the Holy Spirit used to convict me of my "Sin of Unbelief" & from that day forward I thanked the Lord for showing me my errors. He made me ashamed to have called myself a Christian when I sinned & insulted Jesus Christ.

Ive told the Lord many times that a church needs to be located in my void community but I keep hitting brick walls. I have a wonderful friend in Kentucky who is my mentor & pastor but I am not meeting with other Christians & sharing my Love for God.....and thats what is missing. This Sunday I wil go to a Lutheran Church several miles away because Ive checked them out & they are orthodox but do not believe in a systematic Doctrines of Grace theology. Im doing that as an attempt for fellowship but I know they will also not satisfy my hunger for a true orthodox Baptist Church that is DoG. Thats whats needed in this community.

 

Sounds real radical....who's paying attention?

 

I do agree with this Texas pastor on Fakebook about Christianity being a full time commitment & life changing but Gina has made so very good comments. I would ask these pastors what word of hope do they have to offer the millions who no longer see meaning in their life? What word of hope have they for all the women who bear children and day after day, say in their drudgery, What is the meaning of life? What word of hope do these pastors have for the millions thrown out of work & cant pay their bills, loose their homes & their self worth. Or those who have no medical insurance because of the high cost...you get my drift.

For all the pastors who make church a weekend event, God is not calling you in your heads, yet you have lived in your heads for so long, that the world no longer listens to you. Truly dont need your words without your example... if you sermonize without getting out there nobody is going to pay attention to you.

So I wouldn't put the onus completely on the weekend Christians....there are enough bad pastors that treat church as their own orchestrated business so quit making it all about a gathering place on Wednesday & Sunday, with your lazy church service & go out there & touch the flesh of God thru his people ... be an example & be visible....let them know you do indeed love them by both word & deed. They will believe love, they will believe life given & received. They will want to cooperate because you showed them something nobody does today. You showed evidence by your words, actions & faith that Christ is there in the streets caring about them.

 

The last few posts, by Oldtimer, Gina, TCassidy, and EWF have been excellent! Very moving, very true.

 

George Whitefield -- good ol' Calvinistic Methodist!

EWF, I really feel for you. I pray God will help you get what you need and where you belong.

 

Wow, you actually know what a Calvinistic Methodist is.....too bad they are not around anymore......maybe some down South in the backwaters im thinkin.

 

Their differences in theology caused a rift between Whitefield and Wesley, but later in life they reconciled.

 

Yes I know....my fathers family were all mostly Welsh Methodist (with some pastors thrown in for good measure) ...funny he relinquished me to the Roman Catholics on my mothers side & I should come to Christ through a Calvinist Methodist....in fact, he pretty much started it. Lloyd-Jones tells some beautiful stories about them & their revivals & the singing. I would have loved being a part of that with William Williams as the Welsh Bard......must have glorious!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJCxt2DjZK0

 

My opinion a local church is not so much of geography, but a local autonomus of like faith and order that uses the Bible to define their New Testement Church. The local church in this sense carries out the work of the Lord. The universal church never supported a missionary, had an outreach program, preached the Gospel. helped the poor, prayed, studies Scripture, never administered the two ordinances, and never collected an offering.

There is nothing wrong with churches working together. Denominations with a hierarchy have taken authority away from the local church and have transferred it to high level church leaders that have very little to do with carrying out the Great Commission. I think the denomination that comes closest to Baptist, and it is different, is conservative Presbyterians.

 

Then there is no local church in my community, no presence of one....nada

 

EWF, maybe I missed this somewhere, but how far would you have to drive to find a church like you're looking for?

 

An hour....I clocked it.

 

But thats the point Michael....it should be in the community.

 

But what if it's not?

And since it is not, in your case, do you think it would be worth it to drive that far?

I must say I have faced a similar situation.

 

Thanks, OT

Hearing the struggles of others helps keeps things in perspective in my life. Not that I am glad for what you went through, just that you were willing to share.