What is a Baptist Church?
I.
Introduction
A.
Key Scriptures (Mt 16:18-18; 1Cor 3:11; 1Cor 1:10; Eph 4:4-6)
B.
Why a Study Like This is Needed?
1.
There are
lots of different churches today – claim to be churches
a.
These are
the main ones
1)
Baptist
Churches
2)
Roman
Catholic Churches
3)
Presbyterian
Churches
4)
Methodist
Churches
5)
Church of
Ireland
6)
Pentecostal
Churches
7)
Non-denominational
Churches – no real doctrinal stand
b.
Then
there are others – which are clearly cults
1)
Mormons
– becoming gods
2)
Jehovah’s
Witnesses – working their way to heaven
3)
Seventh
day Adventists – keeping the Sabbath
4)
Church of
Christ – baptismal regeneration
2.
Never
mind the fact that there are lots of different religions
a.
Buddhism
– belief in the eight-fold path to nothingness
b.
Islam –
believe in Allah and his prophet Mohammed
c.
Hinduism
– believe in about 2 million gods
d.
Shintoism
– believe in dead ancestors
e.
Judaism
– believe in God of the Bible, but not Messiah
f.
Evolutionism
– the belief in almighty dirt!
3.
Are there
any real differences?
a.
There is
a major push to get all churches together, under the pope – emphasize no real
differences
b.
The
differences are as broad as the day is to the night – there are only two kinds
of religions:
1)
Either it
is DONE
2)
Or it is
DO, DO, DO, and the DO it some more!
3)
Either it
is by grace through faith
4)
Or Works,
works, works, and mix it with some faith
C.
This
lesson series is intended to help people who believe the Bible, know the
following four things:
1.
Is there
really a difference between some churches?
2.
Can a
Church simply follow the Biblical pattern for being a church, and that be
enough?
3.
What are
the Biblical patterns for a Church to follow?
4.
Should a
church stand for those patterns, those distinctives, and compel other churches
to return to those Biblical patterns?
II.
Lesson
A.
Is there a difference between some churches
1.
The
answer is YES! There are clear differences
a.
Some
churches emphasize Jesus
b.
Some
emphasize Mary and the saints
c.
Some
emphasize architecture and art-work
d.
Some
emphasize the church fathers
e.
Some
emphasize only the Bible
f.
Some talk
about hope, and peace
g.
Some talk
about heaven and hell
2.
The
current direction of the world is to bring all the churches together under one
church
a.
Only talk
about the Spirit
b.
Only
emphasize the goodness of mankind
c.
Replace
the Bible with prayers and multi-faith fellowships
3.
Believe
me, that is not what Jesus died for!
4.
We are
living in an age when those in the religious spotlight are telling us that
doctrine is not important and that it doesn't make any difference what you
believe as long as you are sincere. However, doctrine IS important to God and it
DOES make a difference what you believe. Consider 2 John 9, "Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.”
John's words do not
sound like he is advocating a "doctrine-less" Christianity. Many
Mormons are sincere, but they're sincerely wrong. Many Jehovah's Witnesses are
sincere, but they're sincerely wrong. Hindus are sincere, but they're sincerely
wrong. Moslems are sincere but they're sincerely wrong. Sincerity alone does not
make ones beliefs necessarily true. The degree to which something is true is how
it measures up to the Bible.
B.
How many of you have heard of Dean Andrew Furlong ?
1.
Let me
quote from his own web-page:
·
“all
religious traditions … evolve over time and contain much diversity of thinking
and believing; they are continuously in need of re-interpretation. The historic
Creeds of Christianity, as well as the documents that came to form the New
Testament, were formulated in thought forms that belong to a very different age
to ours.”
·
“One
eminent Fellow of the Jesus Seminar, founded in U.S.A. in the mid-eighties,
estimates that 50% of the words ascribed to Jesus … are not authentic words of
Jesus.”
·
“We
simply do not know when or how the world will end.”
·
“Paul's
view that death is a punishment for sin, lies behind his interpretation that the
death of Jesus is for the lifting of the punishment of death; this theory can
now be seen to have lost its point. Jesus' death had nothing to do with such a
matter. There is another objection to the belief that death is a punishment for
sin; which is that it makes God out to be very wrathful and vengeful, which
conflicts radically with a picture of a God of tenderness, long-suffering,
compassion and forgiveness.”
·
“I
believe that Jesus would be both amazed and horrified if he were able to come
back and meet us today. As a practising Jew, he would have had no idea that a
new religion had been founded in his name, nor of the beliefs formulated about
him, nor of the forms of worship in which his name and his story figure so
prominently.”
·
Why would
he talk about HIS church, and for us to go into all the worlds then? This guy
goes on an on and is like a ship with no anchor!
2.
How do we
determine if he is right or wrong?
3.
Does it
matter if he is right or wrong?
4.
What is
at stake?
a.
Not only
doctrinal purity
b.
But the
salvation of the world – how is this affected?
1)
You can
only be saved by believing what this Book says about Jesus (Jn 6:68: Ps 19:7)
2)
If you
change what the Book says, or water it down, you are damning both your soul, and
the souls of those who trust you (Rev 22:18,19)
3)
That’s
why priests, Bishops, popes, and all liberal ministers are going to receive the
greater damnation (Mt 23:14,15)
C.
Things do change
1.
People
change
2.
Churches
change
3.
Beliefs
vary even from person to person
4.
But the
Bible cannot change (Mt 24:35)
a.
The Old
Testament pointed to the coming of the Messiah, and more written revelation
b.
But what
was already written was fixed for ever
c.
All other
Scripture must match what was already written (Isa 8:20)
D.
How Christians Must React?
1.
What does
God expect of the hearers of the Bible (James 1:22)?
2.
They must
choose sides
a.
The side
of conformity with the world – constantly adapt to the new way of thinking –
new age
b.
Or, the
side of the cross – bearing its shame and embarrassment, and persecution
c.
We are
NOT to be the persecutors!
3.
Do what
God expects
a.
Do right
– comes by believing right
b.
Even
changing churches to get into a simple, Bible based church
c.
Getting
really saved – make sure!
d.
Getting
re-baptized if only sprinkled, or baptized by a bible-rejecting church.
e.
Put
pressure on other Christians to conform their lives to ONE Book, and thereby,
ONE faith (Jude 1:3)
4.
Don’t
be like everyone else today
a.
Don’t
Bible truth – know it, study it, teach it
b.
Don’t
attempt to change the truth – to calm your guilty conscience (2Cor 2:17)
E.
I am a
Christian by the New Birth – I am a Baptist by Choice
1.
No one is
BORN a Baptist
a.
You can
be born an American, and Irish, English
b.
You can
be forced to be a Catholic, a Protestant, etc
c.
But you
must choose to be a Bible believing Baptist
2.
To be a
Biblical Baptist
a.
You need
to be born again – simply obey the Bible
b.
And then
you need to decide what you are going to believe
3.
The Bible
tells us what to believe – that doesn’t guarantee that people will believe
it all
III.
Conclusion – What are we going to be studying over the next few weeks?
A.
What a Church Is
B.
What happened to Christ’s Church
C.
What is a Baptist-Kind of Church
D.
Baptist Distinctive Beliefs
E.
A Look at Baptist History