Waymarks 55
Report of Open Air Preaching
27th August
LUTON T. C. Towards the end of my preaching a young Asian
lad came and stood next to me. As he did not approach in a confrontational
manner as some do, I paused to speak to him. He wanted to convert me to Islam!
These folk are so brainwashed, they think all Westerners are blind to the
glories of Islam and have only to be spoken to kindly that they will be won
over in an instant. So I am asked, have I ever read the Koran? I reply that it
instructs Muslims to kill infidels. Not necessarily, he replied. “So when it
comes to it, you will make up your own mind who you kill and who you spare?” “We must kill only the enemies of Islam,” I am
told. Not all infidels are enemies. I tell him Islam is the scourge of
civilisation, and ask him if he is going to kill me.
I asked him about his sin and the coming Judgment. He hoped
when he died he would be forgiven, but on what grounds he did not know. At this
moment three shop security officers walked by. He recognised one of them who
had caught him shoplifting and called to him. So Islam allows you to be a
thief, and tells you at the end that a namby pamby god will pat you on the head
and welcome you to your paradisical harem?
He suddenly remembered he was late for his college lecture. (Which I
thought rather unusual at this time of the year.)
1st October LUTON
T.C. There were several police officers
standing around when I arrived today. There was obviously something afoot.
Could it be terrorist activity, I wondered. I preached for half an hour without
interference.
I learned the following day that if I had remained for
another half hour I would have witnessed Mr Gordon Brown unveiling a memorial
plaque to the policeman who was murdered in Luton
last year. So, unwittingly, I had
preached giving a warning, after death, the judgment. This is not for
believers of course.
15th October LUTON
T.C. I preached and then a man arrived who wanted to talk to me. He told me he
had been away from the Lord for some time (these were his words), and was now
being helped toward restoration by his elders. He hadn’t lost his faith
apparently, though it had become rather weak. He said he had been in the faith
for 37 years. He was a J. W. and his parents had been such before him. His father
had died and then his mother had thrown him out of the house because of his
riotous living. His girlfriend was a street-walker, and he was worried he would
pick up her diseases. He was now trying to hide from her.
Clearly this man had had enough of his evil life style and
was desperately seeking for peace with God. Even so he sought to parry my
attempts to bring the gospel to him. Did I know what God’s name is in the New
Testament? I showed him that Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. He had
never heard this before.
Eventually he accepted a Gospel of John and I warned him his
“elders” would tell him to destroy it. It is highly unusual for a J. W. to
accept a gospel booklet, but he promised he would read it. Pray that his eyes
will be opened and he will be converted. I had a conviction that I could
extract a “conversion” from him there in the street, but this is not my
practice.
By the Way....
Did you ever hear of
a Muslim preacher who told his audience that the Koran was sprinkled
with error? I have never heard of such a thing. But I have been in more than
one gospel meeting where the preacher told his audience, “the Bible is wrong in
this verse”. Such a man is either a dupe of Satan or is actively engaged in the
service of Satan., determined to destroy faith.
This is what Sir Winston Churchill thought about Islam:
“How
dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the
fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there
is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries.
Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of
commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the
Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and
refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan
law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a
child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until
the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems
may show splendid qualities - but the influence of the religion paralyses the
social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists
in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and
proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central
Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not
that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science
against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.”
—Sir Winston Churchill, from The River War,
first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899).No publisher would touch this stuff today. Their premises would be fire-bombed by our home grown allegedly moderate Muslims. Indeed, it appears that this passage has been expunged from the latest edition.
But the leopard cannot change his spots. Islam is as big an enemy as Rome ever was, without its sublety. last week the Daily Telegraph reported that a government minister is urging that “children should be taught about the contribution Muslims have made to civilisation.” Islam remains the scourge of civilisation. We preach to these poor Muslims as they pass us in the street. It would be a very costly thing for one of them\to embrace Christ even in this land of the free.
□ I have included an
article on religious abuse as it seems to be a growing issue among us. I cite a personal example. 34 years ago my
sister died. She was not saved but she was the first person I ever told
concerning my own conversion. She was one year younger than myself and we were
very close. Certain women from the assembly meeting at Onslow
road Gospel Hall reported to the elders that my behaviour at
the funeral had been a disgrace and I needed to be disciplined. I was
surprised, and hurt by the allegation. I thought it odd my parents had not
commented on the matter to me. So I got a dressing down and only after a while
did I learn of my “offence”. I had refused to ride in the leading hearse. This
was entirely false. There was no room for me in the leading hearse. My brethren did not want to know about that!
□ History repeats
itself. Ford said history is bunkum. But if we do not learn from history we
shall make the same mistakes. So because we do make the same mistakes history
is ever cyclic. What about the mistakes in Jeremiah’s day? They are the errors
of the 21st Century.
We read, he that hath my word, let him speak faithfully. Jer.
23: 28. So spoke Jeremiah. Now the men
that mount our platforms place their bible on the dais and read from it. They
read (almost invariably) from the Authorized Version of the Scriptures and then
they tell\us “the good old AV is wrong here”.
A sword is upon the liars, said Jeremiah. Of course,
he was referring to the Chaldeans and Babylonians. Alas, we have too many such
on our platforms. What are we to do? We must obey Scripture.
The men who claim to be our teachers today rely on the works
of Westcott, Hort, and similar men. The Scripture is Have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Eph. 5: 11)
So we raise our voice against those who handle the word of
God deceitfully. And we may need to do it publicly.
On several occasions I have been told “you think you are the
only one who is right.” Jeremiah was right. He stood alone. But I thank God for
so many today who are like-minded with myself and who do not consider the
system to be higher than truth.
□A shibboleth : Get
your bible teacher to read aloud the last word in Revelation 1: 12. If it
sounds like “lampstands” he speaks an alien language and is not a member of the
Bible believing family.
□ We recently heard a
preacher (Joshua Jacob of Bicester) tell his audience that in the light of
Genesis 6; 3, if they rejected the gospel, they might find “they have crossed
the line” and God would no longer allow them to get saved. He taught that one
could pass the point where it would be impossible to repent. He was not
speaking of death and he was not speaking of dementia.
I inferred from his preaching that God’s longsuffering could
run out while a man was still fit and well physically.
I do not know of a line that can be crossed because one has
gone too long in unbelief. This is not what
Genesis 6: 3 teaches.
And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with
man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and
twenty years.
Note: v.1 adam is
plural. Men are spoken of. In v.3 adam
is singular. The race is seen as one. What applies to one man in this
context applies to all. The striving ceases for the whole human race. It is
done because of his being flesh and therefore having limited time on this
planet.
Note also: spirit is with a small s. The Holy Spirit is not
mentioned in this verse. It is the breath God breathed in, as v.17 reveals. The
breath of life.
The fact is we are born into disobedience and remain in it until
we repent and trust Christ, or death takes us out of it. Only then does God’s
grace cease towards the sinner. God’s pleading voice is heard through the
gospel\ of Christ and not through emotional appeals or threats. a gospel
preached on the wrong application of this verse leads to confusion and false
professions of faith.
□D Oliver, in
October’s Truth and Tidings, writes of , (I Quote) “the Biblical
teaching of gathering to His name”. He knows very well that there is no such
Biblical teaching. I challenge him to find one verse of Scripture that teaches
this. All right, half a verse will do! Nowhere in my Bible do I read of
“gathering to His name”. It is the rallying cry of the Exclusive brethren. They
invented the term.
Oliver uses this phrase to suggest that one is not a fully
submissive Christian unless one is gathering to His name, i.e one must be a
member of the Brethren. I quote again, “.... a believer who does not submit to
the Lordship of Christ [who is not Brethren] violates God’s Word and [marrying
such] cannot be His will.
So we learn from him that marrying outside the Brethren is a
denial of the Lordship of Christ and is outside God’s will. There are seemingly
a lot of disobedient Christians among us and some of them appear to be happily
married.
Marrying in the Lord is to marry one of like precious faith.
We are well aware, however, that there are some who are members of a local
assembly but have never experienced a
conversion. For a believer to marry such would constitute an unequal yoke.
We await a BIBLICAL response from D Oliver.
□The Codex Sinaiticus
can now be seen online at codex-siniaticus.net. This is the Greek manuscript
found in a waste bin in a popish monastery. It was rejected by early Christians
because of its being seriously depraved, but excited Westcott and Hort upon which
they built their perverted RV.
I looked to see if the multitude of alterations are visible
and sure enough they are —on every page.
This is admitted on the website where we read
“In the
Codex, the text of both the Septuagint and the New Testament has been heavily
annotated by a series of early correctors.” This speaks for itself. Its
depravity remains visible. Despite this, the BBC reports that
“Fundamentalists, who believe every word in the Bible is
true, may find these differences [found in the Codex Sinaiticus, and in
conflict with every other manuscript} unsettling. Well, we would expect
God-haters and latter-day scoffers to say this. If you found a filthy bit of
paper in a dustbin and read on it that your mother was a whore, you would, in a
rage, destroy your birth certificate, wouldn’t you?
The truth is, all that needs to be known about this
manuscript was discovered more than 100 years ago and its uselessness was
documented then by Bible believing scholars.
Roger Bolton, reporting for the BBC, concerning the
digitising of this Codex, wrote
‘ "It [the Bible] should be regarded as a living text, something
constantly changing as generation and generation tries to understand the mind
of God," says David Parker, a Christian working on digitising the Codex.
Others may take it as more evidence that the Bible is the word of man, not
God.’
What this long rejected
popish relic has to do with the
Bible I read, he failed to explain. I take this and similar codices to be
evidence of the hatred of men toward the things of God.
AV Verses Vindicated
Matthew 1: 25
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn
(protokos) son
“but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a
son” NRSV
This NRSV rendering is ambiguous and not only because
“firstborn” is omitted. It allows the
possibility of extra-marital relations
in the form of fornication. This was the slander of the Pharisees, We be not born of fornication (Jn. 8: 41. The NRSV also mistranslates
this verse.)
The virgin birth of Christ is questioned by the NRSV and
most other modern versions. It is no longer believed by modern clerics and
theologians. Archbishop Tutu has publicly questioned Mary’s morality. It is however a fundamental truth essential to
our salvation.
protokos is
well attested, being found in the majority of manuscripts and in ancient
versions.
John 20:17
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not;
"What He really said was, 'don't cling to me.'
" says one of our preachers. The
reason for abandoning the AV reading is, we are told, that the verb (haptomai)
may be translated as "to cling to, to lay hold of”. But in the 36 times
the word is used in the NT it is never used in this sense. An examination of
some of the references shows that it cannot be used in this sense. Then
touched he their eyes, Mt.8:29., He spit, and touched his tongue.
Mk.7:33. He touched his ear. Lk.22:51.
In 1 Cor.7:1 the sense is it is good for a man to
have not even the least physical contact with a woman. If here it means that clinging
to a woman is what is in view, then lesser physical contact is by implication
condoned.
We are satisfied that Mary never attempted to cling
to the Lord. Why would she do after His resurrection what she most certainly
would never have done before? Who dare say that Mary's touch would have been
more than the touching of the Lord's feet in prostrated worship?
The insinuation of our Bible correctors is a smear on
the character of Mary. They do no more than to slavishly repeat the savage
attacks on Scripture by those critics who have gone before them.
Ephesians 3: 14
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father”. RV.
Modern versions almost without exception (ASV, ESV, NIV,
NRSV, etc., etc. ) follow the Westcott and Hort Greek text and omit of our
Lord Jesus Christ. JND places them
in italics, regarding them as dubious. The NKJV keeps them.
The majority of manuscripts support the AV reading and a few
Alexandrian omit. The deliberate omission is an attack on the Sonship of
Christ. Note also where a similar phrase
is omitted from Colossians 1: 2
Colossians 3: 6
For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the
children of disobedience.
“Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” NIV
“On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who
are disobedient.” NRSV
“The children of disobedience” is a specific class of
people. They are elsewhere described as ungodly (for whom Christ died). They
are the unconverted; without eternal life; perishing. The NIV assumes no
distinction between the saved and the lost.
1 Timothy 6: 20
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust,
avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so
called.
Revelation 21: 24
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the
light of it.
Most modern versions omit “them which are saved”. Bible critics do not like the idea of whole
nations comprised of regenerate men and women. But this is how it will be
during the millennial reign of Christ. All entering into that kingdom will be
born again, all people bowing the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. It spells doom
for the Mohammedan and all\ other false religionists. There is no future for
them. Today’s believers, however, are expecting the Rapture
The Received Text has these words. Though Erasmus didn’t
include them , Moorman points out “the
Aldus printed txt does. This indicated that evidence came to light as the
sixteenth century progressed which convinced the late editors in favour of the
readings inclusion.” — When the KJV Departs from the “Majority” Text; B.F.T.
#1617; 1988.
The Green bible aka NRSV
The Green bible is simply the NRSV with all verses relating
to nature printed in green. The bible with the Lord’s words printed in red is
out, and the green is in. I have a New Testament with all gospel verses
underlined. It is called “the Salvation Testament”. But salvation must now give
way to earth worship so Mother Earth is to be worshipped rather than a Father God.
David Cloud wrote concerning the Green bible;
The Bible does not support the modern environmentalist movement and its frenzy over "global warming."
Bible-believing Christians are not the polluters of the earth and we appreciate clean water and healthy air as much as anyone, but we also know that the earth is under God's curse because of man's fall and is destined to be burned up and replaced. That is the "global warming" we need to be most concerned about. We are not going to save the earth, but by God's grace we can seek to save souls before it is too late. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:9-10). —FBIS News Service; 29/2/08
The Green bible is a New Age book designed for the emerging church. As such it is endorsed by Brian MacLaren, , an emerging church leader.
Plymouth Brethren by David Cloud.
The Plymouth Brethren is a Christian movement which originated in England in the 19th century. According to Roy Huebmer, a Brethren historian and author of Precious Truths Revived and Defended Through J.N. Darby, this movement can be traced to 1827 when John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) and three other men began to conduct Bible studies and to break bread together in Dublin. Darby was the grandson of Lord Nelson of Trafalgar fame. He gave up a law practice to work as a deacon in the Church of England and to preach and do visitation work. He left the Anglican Church in the summer of 1827. He never married, and he used his personal estate to support himself. Eventually Darby moved to Plymouth, England, and the church he established there grew to over 1,200 members by 1845. Darby was a diligent student and prolific writer. William Kelly compiled and published 34 large volumes of J.N. Darby's works (in the Collected Writings). Seven volumes of Darby's Notes and Comments were published from his notebooks posthumously. Darby also produced translations of the Bible in German, French, and English. The Darby English translation follows the Received Text for the most part, though it does contain a number of Westcott-Hort omissions and other textual departures from the TR. For example, the eunuch's testimony in Ac 8:37 is omitted, as is the trinity statement of 1 Jn. 5:7. He did not intend that his versions replace the Luther German and King James English translations; his stated goal was to provide very literal interpretations of the Hebrew and Greek to aid Christians in Bible study."As a result of a division in England in 1848, there are two basic types of Brethren assemblies, commonly known as exclusive and open. Led in the beginning by Darby, the exclusive assemblies produced most of the movement's well-known Bible teachers--Kelly, Grant, Mackintosh, [Darby himself], and others. ... Open assemblies were led by George Muller, well known for his orphanages and life of faith. ... today there are an estimated 850 open assemblies in the U.S. with only 250 exclusive" (Handbook).
"Within these churches, the common terminology is simply Brethren, or assemblies, or Brethren assemblies. The term Plymouth Brethren is not used by the Brethren themselves, but was a label outsiders gave to them in Plymouth, England. The matter of names is a sensitive issue among Brethren, reflecting a historical emphasis on the unity of all believers. The early Brethren envisioned a basis for Christian unity--not in the ecumenical merging of denominations, but rather in forsaking denominational structures and names in order to meet simply as Christians. ... names like Bible Chapel or Gospel Hall, usually prefixed with the name of a city, community, street, or some biblical term like Grace, Bethel, or Bethany, are preferred to Church when naming a building" (Ibid.).
The Brethren have been zealous for Bible doctrine and hold to the evangelical Bible faith in areas such as Inspiration, Salvation, God, the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Resurrection, Heaven, and Hell. Though Bible prophecy was interpreted allegorically by most Christians in the 19th century, the Brethren were instrumental in popularizing the dispensational method of interpretation, which views biblical history as dispensations or eras in which God has been worked out His purposes through men, and which interprets Bible prophecy in a consistent literal-historical manner. The Brethren believe that God's promises to the nation Israel will be fulfilled literally, that the Tribulation and Millennium will be fulfilled literally. The Brethren emphasized the imminent coming of Christ for His own in the Rapture of the saints, though they did not fall into the error of setting dates. The writings of Darby, William Kelly, C.H. Mackintosh, and other Brethren dispensationalists had a powerful influence on C.I. Scofield, and these views are reflected in the popular Scofield Reference Bible of 1909. Another well-known Brethren was Sir Robert Anderson, who was chief of Scotland Yard and who wrote books on Bible prophecy which were widely distributed.
Some of the distinctives of the Plymouth Brethren movement are as follows: (1) The remembrance meeting held each Sunday, during which the Lord's Supper is received. All men of the assembly are free to take part in the service and to testify. (2) Though the Brethren believe in preachers, they do not believe in strong pastoral leadership. The assemblies are ruled by a plurality of elders. They reject any form of clergy/laity divisions, and refuse the title "Reverend." Brethren preachers normally receive no regular salary. (3) Many of the Plymouth Brethren have been opposed to the use of musical instruments, which they traced to the influence of Cain's descendants.
Three Brethren publishers in the U.S. are Loizeaux in Neptune, New Jersey, publisher of Harry Ironside's many popular books, Present Truth Publishers of Morganville, New Jersey, and Bible Truth Publishers in Addison, Illinois. While the Plymouth Brethren have been strong in Bible teaching, pure Christian living, and evangelism in days gone by, that is changing rapidly, as it is in most Christian groups. Sadly, there is a general tendency toward spiritual lethargy and evangelistic coolness today. — Wayoflife.org.
The Five Warning Signs Of Religious Abuse by Rafael Martinez
1) Unchecked Authoritarian Leadership
He continues: "Yes, sometimes they will point to a board of elders or its equivalent, but more likely than not, this turns out to be a faithful inner circle of clones that implicitly accepts all that the leader sets forth. .. Abusive pastors often come from troubled backgrounds and are very insecure persons despite the 'take charge' image they may project. They are power hungry people who crave visibility. Leaders who inflict spiritual violence often hide behind the smoke screen of authority to gain power." (pp. 203, 217, 219 of Churches That Abuse). It is important to understand that religiously abusive church leadership is most visible when it demands public and private attention to be given to the authority and control over the flock by the pastor. Often, in aberrant churches, this is not an easy thing to discern, and yet, it is frequently it is one of the danger signs that are too easily overlooked. Such leaders will seem too quick to chastise members, often in harsh forums of public rebuke.
—spiritwatch.org.
The other four points which can be seen on the above website are;
2.Imbalanced
Congregational Life
3. Conscious
Threats of Discipline
4. Deliberate
Disruption of Personal Relationships
5. Withdrawal and
Isolation From The “Outside”
I put this article in
because we are hearing more of cases of abuse in our (brethren) circles.
Elder A: “So
brother Jones has left us?
Elder B: “Yes, but
he went without a letter.”
Elder A: “We’ll have
to put him out of fellowship then!”
Elder C: “ We mustn’t take sides in this matter.”
Elder D: “Of course not. We’ll remain sitting on the fence.”
Elder C: “ Yes. We don’t want to be accused of being
judgmental.”
Brother E: “I hear you are preaching at the XY conference.
Do you know that the chief brother there believes the Lord could sin?
Big Preacher: Of
course I know. But if I start taking up issues my diary will soon be empty.
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