I end up in a baptist church

Greetings,

I am the one started the thread on my experience on "local church" movement. I now attending a baptist church quite away from home. This is my fist time to be in a baptist church though I know preachers here like Paul Washer is.

I am blessed that our pastor is a missionary and has a heart for foreign missions, to the poor, tribes and children and very gospel oriented. He is an American but lived in the Philippines for 13 years straight.
here is the website of our pastor: jeremyferguson(dot)org

there are just some issues that I differ:

they are KJVist

Once saved always saved but are not Calvinists, but they emphasize separation from sin, so I have no problem with it so far.

they believe in tithing

they don't believe in a view of a universal church. This is quite new to me although the pastor said that some baptist do, like Southern Baptists. He said that church is by locality and the said universal view was started by Roman Catholicism (Pyramid system}.

I just want to ask wisdom on this transition, because I don't want to cause trouble though I have strong opinions.

But one thing I've learned, being a christian online is quite different when you are in a church setting. I think God was molding me to be softer yet firm on my conviction by meeting different people.

But recently I am asking myself what the Lord is trying to tell me, by making me see other kinds of Christianity that I have never seen before.

Please pray for us that we will not be offended by Christianity, and by the Lord for that matter but keep our faith and trust in Jesus whatever it takes.

Be sweet, be low in your own esteem of yourself, and seek Jesus like a man on fire.

I wouldn't comment on being in a KJV only baptist church. They are most likely Independent Fundamental Baptists, not Southern Baptists nor American Baptists nor Missionary Baptists denominationally speaking.

You hear from the Lord and do what He says and He will put you where He wants. God bless.

It's been a month,
I believe our pastor is a godly man, however these are the issues of which I have to deal (I already talk to the pastor about these):

I ask our pastor how to be a member and their view on unity.

they are KJV ONLY, I told him that even KJV have some errors . He then said it has none, he will throw his Bible if it has (he is humorous), I then told I will try to recall it to show him.

And their stand on unity is also unity on all doctrines. Not just minor, they are cessationist, so you know what I mean.

and again, they have no concept of the "universal church"

so they interpret 1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

as anyone who leave, is either not a true Christian, (or it is sin?). The only ground for leaving a church is false teaching, they believe that their doctrine is the only Biblical. This is the real problem I think.

We plan to meet this Friday to talk about this again. I don't think I can will the arguments, but I would like to share my testimonny and hopefully God make a miracle to convince him that their doctrine may have some flaws thus to open fellowship with other churches who varies, then I will seriously consider to be a member.

Joliboy11

Friend, you are wasting your soul on this fellowship.

This IFB church may be full of kind people, but unless you go all in with them, they are none in with you. You will walk away from this conversation with the pastor -- if he keeps the appointment -- with frustration and maybe hurt. You cannot reason with a bowling ball. All you can do is roll it. And you will roll with it or be rolled by it, or you may simply walk away. My hope for you is that you will be relieved of this sense of needing to prove to this pastor your worth to Christ, from needing to convince this man whom you evidently admire that you are a bona fide Christian. It is a trap for you, I think.

No matter what he says, if you are Christ's then this man and this IFB church have no authority to speak to your salvation or your spiritual state. But, if you choose to remain, know with eyes wide open that you are submitting yourself to them and you are giving them authority to treat you in the very way they have clearly said that they believe. I do think, my opinion of course, that withdrawing from that fellowship voluntarily OR involuntarily after having submitted to them would be tragic for you, maybe even lead to shipwreck.

Please consider this.

I agree with Tim,

Already the stance on the correct version of the bible makes them divisive and you will be known by those with whom you fellowship.
I can never understand that a bible version can become more important than God Himself and the souls we need to win.

Blessings,

Joliboy:

There are essentials of the Christian faith such as the virgin birth, man's sinful condition and need for salvation, the death, burial and resurrection, and the atonement of Jesus as the only remedy for sin and way to be born again, etc. After that, there is some latitude to disagree on the non-essentials. I would put varying views of eschatology in this category.

If a church feels they should only read from the KJV, I am not categorically opposed to that. But what really alarms me here is that they feel that their local assembly and their unique perspectives on doctrine are the only Biblical perspective. Seems to me like, if you have represented this situation correctly, that if you left you would be labeled heretical for not agreeing with their unique doctrinal points.

I would agree with the other posters here. This does not sound to me like a healthy place to grow in the Lord.

They are American Baptist Association.

I have friends whom are ABA as there are many in my local area.

I agree with them in many area's more than I do with my own fellowship.

But the fact that they are so closed up in thinking outside of there doctrinal box, on almost any issue is a veil that I personally would not be willing to bring my conscience under.

How can those whom have brought themselves under the subjection of such tight doctrinal dogma hear from the Lord concerning those issues for themselves ?
such as the area of cessationism vs continuationism.

As far as KJV is concerned :
A very highly respected SI Preacher : 'Bro Keith Daniels' also holds a very strong view of the inspiration of the Bible.
and several preachers represented on SI hold that the KJV is superior to most modern versions.
Having a strong view of the Sovereignty of God's hand in the anointing and Inspiration of the Bible I would not criticize them over for I agree with them.

But unfortunately there view on the inspiration of Scripture appears to be more doctrinal than personal.
or else I believe that they would not be so dogmatic in so many area's

edit : change "Missionary Baptist" to American Baptist Association "ABA"
I was thinking of the correct group but used the wrong denominational name.

American Baptist Association, fellowship of autonomous Baptist churches, organized in 1905 by Baptists who withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention. Originally known as the Baptist General Association, the fellowship adopted its present name in 1924. It was a development of the Landmarker (or Landmarkist) teaching of some Southern Baptists in the mid-19th century. They believed that early Christians were Baptists who baptized only adult believers by immersion and who were organized in local autonomous congregations. The Landmarkers wished to retain what they considered the "old landmarks” of early Christianity, and, therefore, they refused to cooperate or associate with non-Baptist churches and other Baptists with whom they disagreed. As the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a more centralized denominational church government, the Landmarkers believed the local church was losing its autonomy, and eventually they withdrew to form their own fellowship.

The American Baptist Association believes in the absolute autonomy of the local congregation. Church doctrine among its members is fundamentalist; a literal interpretation of the Bible is accepted, and the Second Coming of Christ is expected. An annual meeting of the association is held, and an active publications program is carried out. In 2000 it reported 275,000 members in 1,760 congregations. Headquarters are in Texarkana, Texas.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-Baptist-Association

Brother, from what I have read
thus far, I have one thing to say
in all sincerity. " Flee for your life."

Our meeting was postponed, it has something to do with the orphanage ministry of the pastor.

I just want to show him that it is possible to work together even if we dont agree on all doctrines but on essentials of faith.

He told me that if we have the same Bible, why don't we olny have one interpretation?

Last two weeks, I ask him to have a Bible study with my co-workers(a couple) in my job, he preach the gospel to them and it was a healthy Bible study. But when my co-worker (not yet a Christian) ask if he preaches to other churches who are not baptist, they said, to only of same faith, baptist, because he said, others have excesses and rely on experiences, but baptist are "people of the book". This somehow shuts me off and i dont know how to approach my co-worker about it. I just pray that this will not be a stumbling block for my co-workers to pursue Christ.

I was thinking, why we welcome a sinner in a church but not brothers in Christ just because of doctrine?

I think i wont attend to the service this sunday, unless this be resolved, hopefully. Anyways, i want our meeting to end without shutting up doors with each other.