The Word of God

There seems to be some confusion about the position of Teens-4-Christ (and me) regarding the Scriptures. In fact, there are some people who are outright lying about it. So, here is the official position of Teens-4-Christ (and me) regarding the Scriptures:

1. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16-17, 2 Pet 1:21, )
2. The Bible is without error (Psa 12:6, Psa 19:7-8)
3. The Bible is complete (Rev 22:18-19, 1 Cor 13:8)
4. The Bible is preserved (Mat 24:35, Psa 119:89, 1 Pet 1:23, 25)
5. The Bible is our final authority for faith and practice (2 Tim 3:16-17, Rev 22:18-19)
6. While the King James translation is not directly inspired (the Apostle Paul, for example, did not speak Victorian era English), the KJV is the faithfully, divinely preserved, text of God's Word for English speaking man.

You can read this, as well as the rest of our doctrinal statement by clicking here.

Now, what does that mean?

1. The Bible was inspired by God. That is, God literally breathed His words into the men who penned the Scriptures. These men were tools the Holy Ghost chose to use to pen His word for all of mankind.
2. The Bible is without error. This seems clear enough. How could a perfect God pen an imperfect work. But, there is an issue here also. That issue is in the translation - we will get to that in a moment
3. The Bible is complete. When the Revelation was completed, so was the Scripture. We do not need (nor has there been) any additional revealtions.
4. The Bible is preserved. Though there have been many people, groups, governments and sects who have tried to corrupt or destroy The Word of God, it still exists today. God has kept His promise to us to preserve His Word!
5. The Bible is our final authority for faith and practice. Where else should we turn? Looking somewhere else for guidance in our lives is like turning to the McDonalds drive-through clerk to get the Space Shuttle fixed. God created us, then He wrote the owner's manual!
6. While the King James translation is not directly inspired (the Apostle Paul, for example, did not speak Victorian era English), the KJV is the faithfully, divinely preserved, text of God's Word for English speaking man.

This last point is really where the issue is. If the Scripture was written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, do we really have the Word of God in English? This is something I have tried to explain before, and I never really do a good job of it. In the KJV, we as English speaking people, have the perfect Word of God. But, the perfect Word of God is also penned in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. In fact, it was in those languages first, then translated into English by Godly, honorable men. Despite the political curents of the day, these men went to great lengths to ensure that the translation was a pure translation.

There are cases where there is not a direct translation from Greek to English. The translation of the word 'love' is an example of this. In the English language, we can discern which kind of love we are speaking of by the context of the conversation. If you know my family, and I (speaking of my daughter) say I love Laurel, you would understand it to be a sacrifical love - I would do anything to protect my child. However, if I were on a mountain side looking at some flowers, and said, "I love laurel" you might think I was talking about the flower called "Mountain Laurel" and you would know that it's ok, but I wouldn't lay down my life for it. In greek, there are actually three words used in the NT which are translated as 'love'. The first is the word 'agape' which is that all consuming love. 'Agape' is the love Christ demonstrated by sacrificing himself on the cross for our sins. The second word for love is 'phileo'. It is a brotherly love. It would be something like saying, "I love my neighbors." I am not saying that anywhere you see the word 'love' in the NT that there is an error. Nor am I saying that you have to know the original languages to be a bible scholar. I am saying there are times when you can get a bit of extra knowledge by knowing the original languages.

There is one other bit of an issue tied in here - the Ruckmanites. Basically, Peter Ruckman has laid the claim that the 1611 KJV is the corrected Word of God. That is - the 1611 translators corrected the original manuscripts - that Paul, for example, even though he was under the direction of the Holy Spirit of God, wrote something down incorrectly and the King James translators corrected this. I think there are some who actually believe that there is a 1611 in the Ark of the Covenant. They add that only the 1611 KJV is the Word of God when, in fact, they do not even use a 1611 themselves! Of course, these notions (from Peter Ruckman) are just plain silly. The 1611 King James translators did not correct the Scripture, they only translated it.

BAPTISTS

I am often asked, “What denomition are you?” However, a better question would be, "What do you believe?" Really, a denomination is nothing more than a group of people who share the same beliefs. So, really, if you get right down to it, there are only two denominations: those who are saved and believe in Christ, and those who are not.

The names we often ascribe to different groups (Baptists, Protestants, Roman Catholic, Mormons, etc.) really are meaningless. They divide and cause confusion, but they are also clear indicators of what we believe and why. I have said this before, but I will say it again: I am a Baptist. Why am I a Baptist? I am a Baptist because I believe the Bible. It really is that simple! As I examine the Bible, and compare it to other sects and religions, I cannot see any other cult, sect, religion or practice that honors and adheres to the Word of God.

In class somewhere, I was given a simple acrostic which clearly defines some of the major differences between a true Baptist and some of the other religions out there.

B - Biblical Authority

Definition

The Bible is the ultimate authority for all matters of faith, practice of worship, and lifestyle of the believer. Regardless of what any single person or group of people may believe to be true, the Bible must be considered the final authority. If the opinions of any person or group of people disagree with the Bible, those opinions should be discarded.
We can accept the Bible (KJV for the English-speaking people) as our ultimate authority because of the nature of the Scripture. The Scriptures is the very WORD of GOD to man. We know that God simply cannot lie, and the Bible has proven itself to be the Word of God!

Men have tried to elevate creeds and traditions to be equal to the Word of God. Most notable of these are the Mormon Church with their Book of Mormon and the Roman Church (aka Catholic) with their various creeds, councils and the ramblings of their pope - all of which see to change the truth of the Word of God to suit the leaders of the church at the moment.

Scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:15-1, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:20, 21

A - Autonomy of the Local Church

Definition

The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. All human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself. Thus the church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church's beliefs or practices. Autonomy does not mean isolation. A Baptist church may fellowship with other churches around mutual interests and in an associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a "member" of any other body.

Many churches submit themselves to other authorities outside of the church. Sadly many Baptist Churches do this as well. We are all familiar with the Southern Baptist Convention, but there is a dirty little secret within our fundamental circles! While we all teach and preach the automy of the local chruch, there are many Independant Baptist Churches which are anything but Independant. In the course of my travels as a missionary, I have visited churches which only support missionaries from a selected mission board. Second, we were in the process of officially starting our ministry, we looked at several options. We just assumed that, as missionaries, we must join some mission board, but as we looked at mission boards and compared them to Scripture, we were shocked to learn some things! For example: Suppose I was called to be a church-planting missionary. There are a couple of boards that insist on some things: First, they maintain ownership of any property purchased on the field. Second, with some of these board, even if the missionary plants a church (effectively becomming that church's pastor in the process), the Pastor of that new church must report to the mission board. Is that new church autonomous?

Scriptures: Colossians 1:18, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 19, 23

P - Priesthood of the Believer

Definition

Priest is defined as one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God. Every believer today is a priest of God and may enter into His presence in prayer directly through our Great High Priest Jesus Christ. No other mediator is needed between God and people. As priests, we can study God's Word, pray for others and offer spiritual worship to God. We all have equal access to God whether we are a preacher or not.

By contrast, many of the other false religions require you to go through some priest. This is not Biblical. In my opinion, this is a ploy designed to keep the individual believer from practicing true worship. The so-called priests maintain a control over the church member and dole out only what they want the church member to know. Effectively, these so-called priests insulate their followers from the Bible and from the truth of the Word of God. The Roman Church even goes so far as to teach that the individual cannot know the Word of God. Of course, they also try to keep the Word of God from the common man. During the middle ages, The Roman Church was the leader in the persecution of Christians. The cause of the persecution? The Christians wanted a Bible that was a faithful translation of the original manuscripts into their own language. Because they dared hold a Bible or even a fragment of a Bible, they were tortured and murdered by the Roman (Catholic) church.

Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:5, 9, Revelation 5:9, 10

T - Two Ordinances

Definition

The local church should practice two ordinances

1) Baptism of believers (those who are saved) by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Baptistism is not a means of salvation. Being baptised will not save you. It is merely symbolic of your salvation.

2) The Lord's Supper; or communion, commemorating His death for our sins.

Scriptures: Matthew 28:19, 20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

I - Individual Soul Liberty

Definition

Every individual, whether a believer or an unbeliever, has the liberty to choose what he believes is right in the religious realm. No one should be forced to assent to any belief against his will. Baptists have always opposed religious persecution.

Although we have the liberty to determine what we will choose to believe or reject, we are still accountable for the the truth of the Word of God. If one chooses not to accecpt the Word of God, that person will be judged according to their works - according to the fruits of their sin nature. Choosing to reject the Word of God does not remove one's respnsibility.

Scriptures: Romans 14:5,12, 2 Corinthians 4:2, Titus 1:9

Saved, Baptized Church Membership

Definition

Local church membership is restricted to individuals who give a believable testimony of personal faith in Christ and have publicly identified themselves with Him in believer's baptism. When the members of a local church are believers, a oneness in Christ exists, and the members can endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Scriptures: Acts 2:41-47, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 2 Corinthians 6:14, Ephesians 4:3

Two Offices

Definition

The Bible mandates only two offices in the church--pastor and deacon. The three terms --"pastor","elder" and "bishop," or "overseer" --all refer to the same office. The two offices of pastor and deacon exist within the local church, not as a hierarchy outside or over the local church.

Scriptures: 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Acts 20:17-38, Philippians 1:1

S - Separation of Church and State

Definition

God established both the church and the civil government, and He gave each its own distinct sphere of operation. The government's purposes are outlined in Romans 13:1-7 and the church's purposes in Matthew 28:19 and 20. Neither should control the other, nor should there be an alliance between the two. Christians in a free society can properly influence government toward righteousness, which is not the same as a denomination or group of churches controlling the government.

Scriptures: Matthew 22:15-22, Acts 15:17-29

Christmas in July

So, what does the inside of our church look like with more than 300 kids in it?

Slam packed! That's what our church looks like with more than 300 kids in it. Thankfully, though, we had plenty of adults there to help. These kids are from our church families, some neighbors of church-members and our fairly new bus routes.

Some people look at this as a bunch of snotty, thankless kids. The Lord sees this as over 300 souls. We need to see this mass of kids as the future of the church and the future of the world. Does your church have an outreach?

Yes, we have a lot of fun. Yes, VBS is a lot of work. But there is also sound Bible preaching.

Bro. Birt is one of our teachers. I helped in his class this year. Every night, we had more than 25 boys ranging from 10 to 12 years old.

I am always amazed at how Bro. Birt can captivate the attention of these young men!

We also had crafts in our class.

Of course, Evan is just too cool or maybe the light in the classroom was too bright.

Hmm…

Yeay!! Puppets!

Somewhere in that pile of pre-teens, there is a golf ball. The object of this game was to move the golf ball with your nose. In total, the ball moved about ten inched, but the guys loved it!

Song leaders:

Bro. Johnny and Bro. R.J.

My wife – she faithfully worked outside helping with refreshments.

Mrs. Kristi. This year, Mrs. Kristi helped her mother, Mrs. Birt, teaching the 5 year old class.

Now, Cassie...

She promised me that I would not get a picture of her. I have to admit, it was a challenge.

I've got lot's of pictures like this. We have to give her credit, she's quick and she has sharp eyes.

Finally, I had to enlist some help. As Bro. Birt and I were sitting, enjoying our snack, I noticed Cassie sitting at the next table. Bro. Birt called out to her, she turned and SNAP, surprise!

I got her! We had hot dogs and chips that night, so I cannot figure out what she was eating.

You know, it's always better to cooperate!

Friends…

I'm pretty sure these two young ladies came in on the bus.

Were they texting each other?

I don't know who she is, but she was too cute to pass up.

Yes, we had a great time, but, the most important thing is that a bunch of kids asked the Lord to save them.

Christmas in July

	Vacation Bible School is always an exiciting time, but when you get more than 260 kids in one place, who knows what is going to happen! One thing is for sure, something is going to happen. If only one child were saved, all the hassle would be worthwhile! Of course, along the way, we hope to change a few lives in other ways as well. Our VBS is somewhat like others: we have an opening session, puppets, shouting, music, and such. Just imagine this crowd all fired up, yelling, screaming, singing, etc. One thing's for sure – something is going to happen!
If you're not sure what they're working on, that's ok. Neither is anyone else. It was supposed to be a six-barreled, air-powered candy cannot. Modeling their contraption after the latest in rapid-fire spud guns, they were hoping to send a deluge of candy over the kids and create the world's biggest dentist bill. Alas, the best laid plans sometimes fail. Sadly, they had to fall back on the old, reliable, single-shot candy-cannot. Sometimes, simple is the best.
	What does a candy-cannon do? What does it sound like? Imagine dumping about two good handfuls of hard candy into a four-inch PVC pipe, then dumping about 120PSI of air into the same pipe. What happens? Candy flies about 100 feet into the air and covers an area of about 150 feet square! Meanwhile, there is an intense scramble among the kids as they fight, scratch, claw, dig, trample and overwhelm each other for a bite. Really, it's just great fun to watch.
As you can tell by the look on these two young lady's faces, sometimes there are events which are just plain shocking!. I don't know exactly what caught their attention, but it must have been something!

Seriously, VBS is always fun, always a hassle, always tiring, but there are always rewards. As I write this tonight (Tuesday), we already seen six (that I know of) young people turn from sin to salvation (by grace alone) in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we drag kids in, bribe them with prizes and candy or woo them in some other way, it is all worthwhile if one is saved.

Please continue to pray for our VBS, as we are seeing victory, the devil is always trying to cause problems.

Well, praise the Lord!

Oh, how I wish I could give you all the details, but all I can say is Praise the Lord! Please, take a moment and pray for this situation, and rejoice in seeing the hand of the Lord move! The Lord knows all the details, just ask Him to keep working in this!

Potter Mania…

Potter Mania…

What in the world is wrong in America?

People have been waiting in lines for the new Harry Potter book. British subject, Joanne K Rowling, is now reported to be worth more than the Queen of England. One newlywed couple went straight from their wedding alter, not to their honeymoon, but to the midnight release of this book at a bookstore.

Why is the world so enamored at this book? I believe the answer is simple: we are in a satanic society. It is certain that we live in a country founded by Christians, but it is equally certain we have traveled far from our Christian origins in this country. We are surrounded by parents who are allowing their children to read the exploits of Harry Potter and dabble in witchcraft.

I know new Bibles are being published every day, but my Bible still says witchcraft is a sin!

 

What do you think?

Clueless

'Nanny' ranted a little about parents who do not know their kids, and think they are 'little angels' who would do no wrong. Ok -I summarized a bit.

A few months ago, with the permission of a 16 year old boy's parents, I began to examine his electronic life...

Sure, they knew he had a little (so-called) Christian Rock on his iPod, but they thought that was it.

As I talked to him, it was clear he thought I <i>just</i> fell off the turnip truck, mere moments before we walked in his house. He lied and side-stepped every question I asked about his online life. As he lied, I (with the help of the Lord) was able to see through his lies and slowly peel back the layers into his hidden life.

First, we talked about the surface of his online life - how the forums he was a part of were deceptively named and were nothing the parents thought they were.

Next, we took cues from his posts on some of these forums and moved to his iPod. The mother thought she had deleted the bad stuff and it was gone forever. She did not understand the technology and did not realize he had all his music stored (in several places) on his PC. The music was horrible, to say the least and certainly not what should be in the life of a Christian, no matter what you think of so-called Christian rock.

The music made it clear that his desires had turned lascivious. My instinct was confirmed by some things I looked at on his PC, then proven when I pulled the veil back from his surfing history revealing the pornography he was involved in. (... quick notes: 1. I did not view any porn, there was enough other evidence to prove what he was involved in without actually viewing the images. 2. He was fully convinced his tracks were completely covered. 3. Don't ask, I am not telling you how I found what I found.)

By the time this was over, his father was red in the face and silent. I later learned from this family's pastor that the more angry the father gets, the quieter he gets. The mother kept repeating, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea," as she sobbed. The pastor was completely shocked that this fine, upstanding leader of the youth group (a well-known, IFB church) would be involved in such stuff.

These parents typify the average parent - clueless.

In short, 'Nanny', parents have absolutely no idea what their kids are up to. If the parents would open their eyes, and remember what they were thinking when they were teens, they would see their kids in a whole new light. Just as we cannot trust our own flesh, we cannot trust the flesh that contains our kids!

Salvation

I have heard people say, "there are many ways to heaven" or, "we're all on different roads which lead to the same place." Some claim that so long as you believe in some God, you'll be fine. All of these are lies. The fact is that there is only one way to heaven: To enter through Christ, Jesus! In John 14:6, Jesus proclaims, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."

Like everything, it seems there are two extremes in the beliefs regarding salvation. We will show that the truth lies in the middle!

One extreme believes that salvation is something that must be earned. In other words, these people believe that salvation is an act of grace put forth by Christ which must be earned by actions. This is a lie. There is nothing we can do to earn or pay for our salvation. In fact, what we have earned is death (more about that later). By adding to the very basic 'grace' of salvation, this group is making salvation unreachable by some. There are some people who simply say they cannot earn their salvation, so why bother. How sad!

The other extreme offers a simple salvation -- the so-called '1-2-3-pray after me' salvation. This group is also a dangerous extreme. In this group, people are coerced into praying a prayer. When they repeat this rote prayer, they are pronounced to be saved by the one who lead the prayer. I do not doubt the intentions of these people. I have met many and I am friends with some. I know, in the depths of my heart, that they genuinely want to see people in heaven. But sadly, they are a tool in the devil's arsenal. By pronouncing someone to be saved in this way, they are, no doubt, giving countless scores of people a false sense of eternal security.

As I said, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Done right, salvation is easier than falling off a log and eternally life-changing.

You must realize your need.

If you are honest, no matter how 'good' you appear in the eyes of everyone around you, you can think back to a time in your life when you did something that you knew was wrong. This is sin. Sin is simply the transgression of God's law. This can be something simple such as a little white lie, or something else. I could create a list of sins here, but I won't. I'll miss your sin! Again, if you are honest with yourself, you know you have done something wrong in your life. You know you have sinned.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

You must realize Christ is the only way.

Good works cannot save you.

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Your good works – the best things you have ever done are merely 'filthy rags' in the eyes of Jesus. This is not because we are so puny, it is simply because we have absolutely no idea how holy God is! Simply, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation.

Sin requires a payment.

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death…

There is yet another part to Rom 6:23, but the first part sums up the need for salvation as well as the penalty for sin. We deserve to die because we have sinned. That is the penalty that Adam and Eve earned when they sinned against God, and that is the penalty that was passed down from Adam to all of us. We all deserve to die for our sins.

Salvation.

As I said above, salvation is a free gift. Before we can accept this gift, there are a few things we must do:

• We must be willing to repent: Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
  

  Repentance has taken on a dramatically different meaning to some than what it really means. To repent does not mean that you have to clean up your life before you could be saved. It does not mean that you have to come to God with a clean heart or life. If repentance meant that, none of us would ever be qualified to be saved. Repentance is simply a change in mind or a change in direction. In other words, it is something like agreeing with God that you are a sinner and that you do not want to sin any more.
  

• We must believe in the Lord Jesus and confess that belief in Jesus: Rom 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
  

Once someone agrees with God about their sin, their need for salvation, the payment for their salvation (Jesus), they need only ask to be saved. Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Usually, someone confesses to Jesus that they are a sinner and simply asks Jesus to save them. There is not a specific set of words that need to be said to be saved. Simply crying out to God is sufficient.

Now that you have asked God to save you:

You are now a child of God: John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

Many people claim to be a child of God. Some pronounce that all men are God's children. This is not so. Everyone who has drawn a breath has received the blessings of God, but they are not a child of God.

You are now a new creature: 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I think this is where people get the cart ahead of the horse, so to speak. They try to say that you must do this or that to be saved. Perhaps this is even where the lie that you must live a certain way to be saved came from.

The fact is simple: if you are saved, you will live a different life. You will want to do different things. You will want to clean your life up. Someone who is saved is not doing these things to be saved, they are doing them because they are saved.

The salvation of the Old Testament saints.

How were the people in the Old Testament saved? Were they saved by their sacrifices? There are some who believe there was a different way for them to be saved. Simply: No. Their sacrifices were symbolic. The shedding of the blood of various animals -never saved a single soul -- not Able, not Noah, not Abraham. No one has ever been saved through the shedding of the blood of an animal. Salvation has always been by faith in Jesus. How were the saints of the Old Testament saved by faith in Jesus before Jesus was? They were saved by their faith in the forth coming Messiah.

There is one faith, one salvation and one Gospel:

Eph 4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Mat 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

KJBO Debate Invitation

I have been invited by some to go to a Ruckmanite forum and defend my position. It has been said that if I do not participate with them in their debate, then I am a coward.

Anyone who is even remotely familiar with me or our ministry, Teens-4-Christ, knows our position on debating: We view debating as a senseless waste of time. In this case, I believe the people extending this 'invitation' are stalkers on a devilish mission of distracting me from God's call.

In case you are not familiar with my position on debate, consider this passage:

Rom 1:26-32 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

What company does God put debaters in? I choose not to identify myself, in the Lord's eyes, with sodomites nor do I wish to waste time in an endless waste of time trying to change the minds of children whose hearts are hardened with bitterness and who choose not honor the Word of God.

Wolves in Fundamentalist Clothing - II

In the first installation of this series, I mentioned how Ruckman could not be qualified for the pastorate as the qualification 'not a novice' disqualifies him. By novice, I do not believe the Lord was referring to 'a total of experience'. See, someone could be a well experienced (and thus, not a novice) sodomite but totally lacking in any Bible knowledge. This person would be a Biblical novice and he would not be qualified as a pastor. A man could be well experienced at divorce, yet still be a novice in relation to Bible knowledge. Thus, he would not be qualified to pastor.

In the light of the Word of God, consider the following statement: "As anyone knows who has spent lengthy hours in studying the Bible, there are about 100 verses that teach WORKS are part of New Testament salvation. There is no salvation "by grace through faith" found anywhere in Matthew 24, 25; Hebrews 3; Revelation 14, Romans 2:6–10; Luke 18:18– 20; 1 John 3:7; and so forth." [100% False Exegesis from Bible Believer's Bulletin Oct, 2006, Peter Ruckman, 10/2006] That's right, you read it correctly. Dr. Peter Ruckman and his followers are teaching that WORKS are a part of the New Testament plan of salvation. He and his followers are teaching salvation through faith PLUS WORKS. You will not find this in the Bible. This is not a mistake proffered by a man, this is a lie from the pit of hell that denies the very power of Jesus Christ and it is open heresy in the face of the Word of God. God's plan for salvation was settled before the creation of the Earth. (Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.) In God's timeless eye, He saw the fall of Adam, the need for salvation and the perfect plan for salvation before the Earth was formed. From the first sacrifice, to the last drop of blood spilled before the cross, every sacrifice represented a kaphar or a covering. These sacrifices did not 'atone' or pay for the sins of the people offering the sacrifices, they only covered them and became symbolic of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus. When Jesus laid down in His perfect salvation, atonement was complete. There was no longer a need for a covering of sin, the final payment for sin was paid.

Does this mean the Old Testament saints were saved as a result of the sacrifices they made? No. The sacrifices made before the Cross of Christ were symbolic. They were saved just as we are saved today: by faith in the (from their perspective) forth-coming Messiah. Today, we are either saved by faith in the Messiah who came to earth and paid the debt for our sins or the Bible is a lie.

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

One of the foundations of salvation, in fact, of the Word of God and the character of God, is that it (salvation) is BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO EARN YOUR SALVATION. If you have done something which you think has enabled you to earn your salvation, you are not saved! If you believe your 'good works' have earned your place in heaven, you need to turn to God NOW! You need to confess your pride in your works to God as a sin. You need to go to God immediately and confess to Him that you are a sinner, turn from your old ways and beg Him to save you.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

 

Are there any examples of faith in the Old Testament? Hmm, I wonder if I can find any:

Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Heb 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (9) By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: (10) For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb 11:11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. (12) Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

Heb 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. (18) Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: (19) Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Heb 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

Heb 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.

Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

Heb 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; (25) Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; (26) Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.

Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Heb 11:28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Heb 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Heb 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Heb 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

 

The Lord says it best by saying:

Heb 11:32-40 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: (33) Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, (34) Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (35) Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: (37) They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (38) (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (39) And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (40) God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

In other words, there is not enough time on the Lord's clock to tell us of all of the examples of faith in the Old Testament!

 

What this boils down to is simple: Either Peter Ruckman is wrong about salvation or the Bible is. If I have to choose between Peter Ruckman (or one of his followers) and the Bible, I'll choose the Bible and stand with God every single time. We must resolve to stand fast upon the word of God and reject anyone who opposes the Word of God. We are in a day when good preachers are hard to come by, but there is more to a good preacher than just being a loud mouth.

Why?!?

Mark 4:36-40 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. (37) And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. (38) And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? (39) And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (40) And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

 

Yes, it is time to confess. For the last two weeks, I have been in the storm, on the deck of the ship being tossed to and fro, while my Lord has been resting in peace! How often do we (myself included) find ourselves in the midst of a storm? The first thing we all do is look for ways to escape. We try to fix the problems ourselves. We run to our friends and family for help. We look to do everything we can do in our own power. Only after we fail, we turn to God. HOW BACKWARD!

The Lord is there waiting for us to come running to Him for help. He wants to help his children so we can give HIM the glory! So, why don't we? I suppose part of it is our nature. We are bent toward the flesh. Our desire is to sin, and fretting over some of the silly things we fret over is sin.

Wolves in Fundamentalists Clothing…

For some time, there has been a group of people running around deceiving people into thinking they are Bible-believers. Not only are they deceiving the weak Christian, they are giving the cause of Christ a bad name and are splitting churches left and right!

 

First, who are these people? They are devout followers of a man named Peter Ruckman. They affectionately call him 'The Doc' and will quickly tell you just how smart he really is. Well, he really is brilliant at his craft: if you read some of his work, you will see that he hides his ignorance in a multitude of words. Ruckman is a pastor of a church in Florida and the leader of a small college. The real irony of Ruckman is that he claims to believe the KJV, claims it is the Word of God, and denies the qualifications of the Pastor. Let's consider the qualifications of the Pastor and compare them to Mr. Ruckman:

1 Tim 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. (2) A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; (3) Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; (4) One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (5) (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (6) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. (7) Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

A bishop must be:

• Blameless: Anytime someone has two of his three wives leave him, he could hardly be called 'blameless'. Second, anyone who openly and notoriously uses as much foul and vulgar language as Ruckman does certainly is not blameless.
  

  The Husband of One Wife: Ruckman has had three wives, not one. He has been married and divorced twice, neither were for adultery. Now, he is working on his third wife.
  

• Of good bahaviour: Again, the man has an absolutely filthy mouth. Is this well-behaved?
  

  One that ruleth well his own house: Which house is Ruckman ruling? The house with his first wife? His second? Or his third? If the man cannot keep a wife and take care of a home, how could we dream to imagine that he is qualified to attend to the needs of a church?
  

• Not a novice: Many people believe this means immature. Though I would contend this aged man is immature, being a novice has nothing to do with maturity, it is a measure of one's lack of knowledge or ability in a given area. Ruckman has demonstrated his lack of knowledge of God, salvation, and ultimately the very Word of God.
  

  In one of his newsletters, Ruckman claims that the apostles used the 1611 KJV. In fact, not only did the apostles not use the KJV, the English language did not exist then.
  

  Ruckman teaches 'Faith+Works'.
  

  Ruckman teaches that the Earth existed, was destroyed by God and then recreated.
  

• Apt To Teach: To teach, one must have some knowledge. By making the claims he has, Ruckman has proven his knowledge is lacking.
  
• Not a brawler: We often think of 'brawling' as fighting with your hands. Again, this is not necessarily true. It would include assaulting someone in any way, including verbally. When Ruckman cannot defeat a logical argument with fact, he regularly results to baseless assaults with untruths and foul language against anyone who he believes is his enemy.
  

 

Sadly, the Ruckmanites have modeled themselves after their leader. Most of them (giving them the benefit of the doubt, actually all of them I have met or conversed with) have become the same bitter, brash, harsh, foul-mouthed, church splitter he has. Not one of these traits are Christ-like. Jesus certainly was not weak or effeminate, but everything he did was in love. This simply cannot be said of Peter Ruckman.

 

Second, the followers of Ruckman are a breed which thinks nothing of splitting a church. Their method is simple. They move into a church and begin to promote their trash. When people disagree, they begin their assault. If the Pastor, the shepherd ordained by God for that church, dares speak out against their heresy, they assault his character, lie about him and spread false doctrine. Ultimately, it reaches the point where the church chooses sides – the church splits and the devil wins.

 

I could continue here. What I wanted to get to is this: sadly, there are very few true fundamental Baptists. When we run across someone who claims to be a fundamental Baptist, we want to befriend them, we want to trust them and we want to fellowship with them. We must be very careful, though. These Ruckmanites are claiming to be fundamentalists, but they are really ravening wolves. If you are not careful, they will destroy you and, if given half a chance, your church.

 

There were even members of Teens-4-Christ who turned away from God to Ruckman. Now, while claiming to be KJV only, they deny the very truths of the Word of God. Some have even sank to the depths of teaching faith + works for salvation, some have split churches, etc.

 

This is the warning: even now, some of you are looking at other forums and getting drawn into Ruckmanism. I am not telling you what to do, but I am cautioning you to be very careful in who you associate with.

 

The easiest way to pick these people out, as well as their greatest flaw, is their denial of the original languages. No, you do not need to know Greek or Hebrew to study the Word of God (and the KJV is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people), but when you deny the Greek and Hebrew texts as valid, you are denying the Word of God.

The Ark – Are You In?

Something is about to happen! In Genesis, God promised that a flood would come.

"A flood – what is that?" "It's going to rain – what is rain?" Surely, there were comments just like that as Noah cried out that judgment was near. Even though it seemed unreal, even though the multitude mocked Noah, the truth was simple: God intended to condemn those who rejected Him and He intended to judge the world. Whether people believed God would judge or not did not change the fact. God was about to judge the world.

As you read Genesis 7, you will see that the preparations are ready and the time has come. The Lord has found Noah faithful to Him and has rewarded him by promising to preserve his very life and the lives of his family. The flood is coming and the earth will be destroyed but Noah found grace! Noah and his family followed God and now Noah and his family would be saved.

As you study this chapter, think about how it is a wonderful picture of salvation in many different ways!

In that day, there was a call to the entire civilization of the world to be saved. Noah and his family believed God and were saved. However there was a multitude who rejected God's call and mocked the preacher (Noah). Today, there is a call going out to the world to be saved. Even this very message is a call to salvation! In response to the call to be saved, the world is mocking God, blaspheming God and rejecting God. Just as God judged in Noah's day, God will judge today. It does not matter if you believe it or not. It is going to happen! We are called to be saved just as Noah and his family was called into the ark. Everyone who heeds this call to be saved will be protected from judgment just as Noah and his family. There were many people who rejected the protection offered by the ark just as today, there are multitudes who reject the protection offered by salvation.

God told Noah to build the ark a certain way, and a certain size. I believe there was just enough room for Noah, his family and the animals which were preserved. Does that mean that God did not provide a way of salvation for the multitude of others who were around Noah? No. It means that God knew who would reject and who would accept the call to enter the ark and be saved. If there were others who wanted to be saved from the flood, God would have had Noah build a bigger ark! But God knew who would and who would not believe, and God planned accordingly. Today, what does God know about you? Are you in the ark? If not, will you come into the ark? Whether you believe it or not, God will judge.

Rev 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Your works will condemn you. You must be saved by the grace of God. Will you allow God to save you today?

Our Position

There seems to be some confusion about the position of Teens-4-Christ (and me) regarding the Scriptures. In fact, there are some people who are outright lying about it.  So, here is the official position of Teens-4-Christ (and me) regarding the Scriptures:

1. The Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16-17, 2 Pet 1:21, )
   
2. The Bible is without error (Psa 12:6, Psa 19:7-8)
   
3. The Bible is complete (Rev 22:18-19, 1 Cor 13:8)
   
4. The Bible is preserved (Mat 24:35, Psa 119:89, 1 Pet 1:23, 25)
   
5. The Bible is our final authority for faith and practice (2 Tim 3:16-17, Rev 22:18-19)
   
6. While the King James translation is not directly inspired (the Apostle Paul, for example, did not speak Victorian era English), the KJV is the faithfully, divinely preserved, text of God's Word for English speaking man.
   

You can read the rest of this post at our blog.