2011 Nov ← Click here for letter
Church (Baptist) History
25
Oct
Church (Baptist) History – Why I am a Baptist
Jesus said in Mat 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This is sometimes read with the mentality that the true church would be able to survive the onslaught of the “gates of hell’; however gates do not charge against an enemy, but gates are barriers that regulate entrance and/or exit and it is obvious by context, for no one is trying to get into hell, that these gates prevent exit from the condemnation upon all mankind (John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.) and yet the church has power over these instruments of bondage and is promised a perpetual existence (Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.) The gates of hell are empowered by false doctrine which keeps people in bondage. The power of the church Jesus built to prevail against the “gates of hell”, the bondage of false doctrine, is truth (Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.) This promise, “the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” guarantees the existence of true churches until the return of Jesus Christ.
Therefore there have been true churches since the time of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry and they were not resurrected, reformed or reborn in the Time of Reformation following the dark ages of world history, but were in existence apart from the apostate churches which were attempted to be reformed. One identifying mark of these true churches is they would be the object of persecution (Joh 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.) In John 15 Jesus is talking to the eleven as Judas has already departed to betray Jesus and is not talking to all saved people, but to the first church. Therefore the true church would be found among those victims of persecution while bringing forth fruit for God (John 15:16). Is there a group, who has suffered persecution for their actions, which were driven by their faith? For scripture to be without error there must be such a group and this would be the church Jesus built.
Starting with Christ calling his disciples there have been true churches whom did not compromise, but earnestly contended for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3) and resisted unto blood (Heb. 12:4). We find scripture records Christ sacrificial death along with the martyrs John the Baptist, Stephen and James. We find from historical documentation of the following: that Phillip the Apostle, in AD 54, with his head secured to a pillar, was stoned to death in Hierapolis, Phrygia; James the brother of Jesus and author of the General Epistle of James, in AD 63, was cast down from the temple breaking his legs, then stoned, and while still alive and praying for them, was struck over the head and killed; Barnabas, the Apostle, in AD 64, was dragged with a rope around his neck out of Salamanca on Cyprus and burned; Mark, in AD 64 was dragged to death in Alexandria; Simon Peter, the Apostle, in AD 69 was crucified upside down in Rome; Paul, the Apostle, in AD 69, after having suffered many persecutions was beheaded at Rome; Aristarchus (Col. 4:10) in AD 70 was slain at Rome; Epaphras (Col. 4:12, 13) about AD 70 slain under Nero; Priscilla, Aquila, Andronicus and Junia (Rom 16:3,4,7) about AD 70 slain under Nero; Silas about AD 70 died a martyr; Onesiphorus and Porphyrius about AD 70 were beaten and then both together tied to wild horses and dragged or torn to death; Andrew the Apostle, whom when treated with death said, “Had I feared the death of the cross, I should not have preached the majesty and gloriousness of the cross of Christ”, about AD 70 was crucified at Patras in Achaia, hanging on the cross for three days and as long as his tongue would move instructed in the way of truth; Bartholomew, the Apostle, about AD 70 in Armenia, was first severely tortured and beaten with rods, then suspended on a cross with his head downwards, flayed alive and finally beheaded; Thomas, the Apostle, about AD 70 at Calamina in the East Indies, was tormented with red-hot plates, then cast into a furnace and when it was seen he was not dead was thrust through with spears; Matthew, about AD 70 at Nad-davar was nailed to the ground and beheaded; Matthias, the Apostle, in AD 70 was tied upon a cross, stoned and beheaded; Luke in AD 93 in Greece was hanged on an olive tree; John, the Apostle, in AD 97 was banished to the Isle of Patmos and Timothy, in AD 98 at Ephesus was stoned to death. (1)
Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus, Act 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Paul prophecies that wolves, teachers of false doctrines would enter the church at Ephesus after his departing, which was AD 69, and thus corruption of the churches began even while the Apostles were still alive which lead to some churches going apostate and we have many records of heretical baptisms in the second century (2) showing us there were already apostate or counterfeit churches. With many churches going apostate we must ask, especially since Jesus promised the perpetuity of “His” church, were there true scriptural churches and if the answer be yes, who were they? The answer must be “Yes” or our faith is vain as none of the words can fall to the ground and the word of God still be true.
Many groups can be followed through the pages of history that have held to Doctrine of Christ (Heb 6:1) and followed all the way to Baptist in America as well as many other places in the world. The search for the True Churches requires a distinguishing of the counterfeit ones, which is not a waste of time but an encouragement that the Scriptural churches are being studied. “The presence of the counterfeit attests the existence of the genuine. If there was not a true church there would be no false churches.” (3) Tracing Scriptural Churches through the dark times of world history “can only be done in many cases by the light of the martyr fires, or the blood-stained foot-prints of the suffering witnesses.” (4)
Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, Syria upon condemning the emperor, Trajan, for praising and offering sacrifices to the idols at Antioch was sentenced to death for his preaching of the truth. Ignatius was known to make the following statements: “the life of man is a continual death, unless Christ lives in us. Again: The crucified Jesus alone is my love; and if any one suffers himself to be called by any other name, he is not God’s. Again: As the world hates the Christians, so are they beloved of God.” He, in AD 111, after tortured failed to obtain from him blasphemy, was torn and almost totally consumed by two ravenous lions on a feast day in Rome. Shortly after Ignatius death in AD 111, Onesimus, friend of Paul who was saved under Paul’s ministry while in bonds in Rome, was led from Ephesus to Rome and there stoned to death. The blood stained footprints continued as we are only mentioning a few to show this persecution was not isolated. Felicitas, a Christian widow at Rome with seven sons was forced to watch her sons tortured to death then herself martyr, who admonished her sons prior to their torture with the following: “My dear children! be constant in the faith, and in the profession of Christ; for Christ and his saints are waiting for you. Behold, heaven is open for you; therefore, fight valiantly for your souls, and testify that you are sincere in the love of Christ; that you may love him and he you.” Polycarp, disciple of the apostle John, bishop of the church at Smyrna, went down the steps to meet his persecutors and set a table before them to eat and after being threatened in many ways at the demands of “the people” was laid on brush and burnt and yet when they saw the flames did not kill him the command was given and he was pierced through with a spear and the blood flowing from his body extinguished the flame. (5)
This torture and slaughter of the true churches did not stop when Constantine, in the early 4th century, married the church and state (government) to create a unity that God never authorized nor intended, but after the true churches refused to be married to the state they were persecuted almost continually by that unbiblical unity which became the Romanish Church throughout the dark ages and beyond.
1 p.73 – 98 The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized only Upon Profession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus their Savior, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660 by Thieleman J. van Braght
2 p. 100 – 104 The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized only Upon Profession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus their Savior, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660 by Thieleman J. van Braght [Please note, there is much writing here toward baptismal regeneration, which both the Bible (1Peter 3:21) and I soundly reject.]
3 p. 12 Compendium of Baptist History, J. A Shackelford
4 p. 13 Compendium of Baptist History, J. A Shackelford
5 p.68 - The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized only Upon Profession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus their Savior, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660 by Thieleman J. van Braght
My Daddy
22
Apr
April 22, 2011
One year ago today I sat in a recliner most of the night by my daddy’s hospital bed in their living room, dozing off and on, always awaking to what is called the “death rattle” as he struggled to breath. The fluid was building up in his air passage making a gurgling sound with every breath as he spent his last hours this side of eternity. The memory seems so far away and yet as vivid as my fingers and I awoke at one am today, wide awake, sorting through the memories and contemplating my responses, my responsibilities. I turned as I was wont to read the Proverb for today, Proverbs twenty-two. It has been my practice to read one chapter of the book of Proverbs every day, therefore reading the book through each month, for almost twenty years. I halted at the first verse as the indescribable comfort that God had for me in His Word began to unfold.
Daddy, Bobby D. Hinson, Sr, (I am a Junior and grateful to be) born September 1, 1940, passed into the presence of the Lord, April 22, 2010, his fleshly body perishing from lung cancer, apparently contracted from exposure to asbestos while earning a living at ALCOA Badin Works, to provide for his family. As Daddy was passing that morning one year ago, I wrote a few notes that I believe God gave me for a short sermon to share at his funeral and today, one year later, I find “my tongue is the pen of a ready writer”. With God’s help I will share some of the comfort He flooded my soul with in the dark hours of this morning.
Pro 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Daddy had an earned “GN”, a “Good Name”, and he choose it over great riches, but, seemingly, for the first time I saw the second half of the verse, and recognized that in the memories of my daddy, though he was a strict disciplinarian with his children, the rest of the world knew him by his smile and I too cherish that “loving favor” of his smile. A couple just yesterday, from Minnesota visiting their family in the area, went out of their way to visit my mom and my daddy’s grave in Porter, NC commenting on daddy being one of the nicest men he ever met.
Pro 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
I wrote a note in the margin of my Bible some years ago that “it is not our standing with man, but our standing with God that matters. Daddy did not put a lot of stock in worldly riches but enjoyed the world God had created.
Pro 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. Did you ever hear my daddy pray?!
It was not to the “man upstairs”, but with great humility and Godly fear those words flowed softly from his lips to not only communion with the God he knew, but to comfort all souls within the earshot of his voice, not with some put on voice, some flowery language, but he spoke reverence in words, tone and volume that could not be describe.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Right in the middle of what has become, to me, my daddy’s proverb, is the verse so many cling to in hopes of their children’s future. I recently studied the context of this verse, as, though I did not realize this for many years, Proverbs has a context and is not just isolated thoughts. No doubt “the way” is Jesus, for He himself said he is “the way” and “the” is singular, so if Jesus be true, and he is, there is no other way. In addition I noticed recently that the context has a lot to do with finances and the way of obtaining our needs. Let me illustrate:
Pro 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Pro 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
Pro 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
Pro 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Pro 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Pro 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
Pro 22:22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:
Pro 22:23 For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
Pro 22:26 Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts.
Pro 22:27 If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?
I remember when daddy would not spend the money to repair or replace our broken TV and I thought we were being deprived; today I count it a blessing. Daddy, for the most part, was frugal with money and everything else as my children have discovered in helping mom clean out the barn. He taught me to spend the extra to buy quality, but not luxury.
Pro 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
When I was away from NC I came to realize my daddy was a giver. He loved to give things, not necessarily on the worlds schedule of events, birthdays, Christmas, etc. but in his own timing.
Pro 22:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
Daddy taught me to work for which I am very grateful. I have said in many a sermon illustration that all the other children were happy when school let out for the summer as they could quit working, but I was happy when school started in the fall as I could quit working, at least as much. One of the most shocking things in my life was exposure to the public “work force” who, refused to work and still expected to not only keep their job but be paid for not doing their job. I do not remember daddy quoting this verse; 2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. But I know he believed it.
Pro 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
I never remember Daddy quoting this one either, but just putting it in to practice. No, he did not do it perfect, but he did it and I needed it. Someone once accused a preacher of brain washing some kids, to which the preacher replied, “Their brains need washing.”
Pro 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
Daddy set a lot of landmarks; most were set as much or more by actions than by words.
Was daddy perfect? A thousand times, NO. Did he leave me a “goodly heritage”? A Million times YES!
I asked daddy in the last couple weeks we had with him if he had anything he wanted to tell us; I was looking for some great words of wisdom and daddy said, “No”. I was disappointed, but came to realize later that he had told me for all of my nearly forty-six years and it was up to me to remember it and use it and I guess if I had not gotten it by now he may have thought there was not much use in repeating it again. My Daddy left me a Good Name, Lessons in Godly Contentment and a Goodly Heritage. May I, by the grace of God, pass these to future generations as the Lord tarries! Thank you daddy and thank you God for my daddy!
Bobby Dwayne Hinson, Jr.
Back in NC
15
Apr
We are back in NC, working toward a place for us to live when we start the church. Joshua’s knee is doing well, if we can keep him following the therapist’s instruction – no ball, etc. We shared a flu like bug that turned into strep for some of us, but praise the Lord, all seem to be over that now. We plan to be back at our home church in Ohio for Resurrection Sunday and for Joshua’s therapy appointment on the 25th and then we will head back to NC. I have rewritten our family tract and plan to use it to hand out for advertizing the church when we start holding services. I would like to have it professionally printed and am in the process of finding the cost on that.
Please pray for our finances and timing.
I was just told by the doctor that I have kidney stones in both kidneys again. I have an appointment with the urologist, but I also plan to talk to a doctor that takes a natural approach.
Please pray for Mrs. Ray Long ( Pastor Long is the pastor at Sweethome Baptist Church, Albemarle, NC where we attend when in NC with no meetings scheduled). Mrs. Long was diagnosed last week with breast cancer.
Please pray for our facilities in which to meet.
The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. Psa 68:11
02
Apr
Praise the Lord it is finally official our own website! TO be used for His Glory!
Family Update
31
Mar
Joshua’s knee surgery was successful and he is doing well. The therapist yesterday said Joshua was to have therapy for two weeks. We thought it was a one time appointment. This changes our schedule. We hope to have more details tomorrow.
I was honored to preach for my pastor one week ago last night when our pastor was sick. There was a young man there named Joe who came immediately in the invitation and after being dealt with by Brother Grimm trusted Christ as Savior.
