Featured Went to a Reformed Church tonight

Nope, ... but you might want to pose that question to SATURN NEPTUNE:laugh:

 

"Some men purposely confine themselves to four or five topics continually. Should you step into their chapel you would naturally expect to hear them preaching, either from this, “Not of the will of the flesh, but of the will of God,” or else, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” You know that the moment you step in you are sure to hear nothing but election and high doctrine that day. Such men err also, quite as much as others, if they give too great prominence to one Truth to the neglect of the others. Whatsoever is here to be preached, all in whatever name you please—write it high, write it low—the Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible, is the standard of the true Christian. Alas, alas, many make an iron ring of their doctrines and he who dares to step beyond that narrow circle is not reckoned orthodox. God bless heretics, then! God send us more of them! Many make theology into a kind of tread wheel consisting of five doctrines which are everlastingly rotated. For they never go on to anything else." —Charles Spurgeon, "Preach the Gospel"

 

Since you have never gone.....how would you know? Therefore you just speculate....isn't that judgemental.

 

After much prayer, contemplation,, pm conversations with dear brothers and in obedience to God....we will continue in His wishes to build a TRUE BAPTIST CHURCH for the people of NW New Jersey. God is the motivating force here, not me...but I will be obedient to His will. Praise Him.

I do covet all your prayer's. Thank you!

 

You are catching on Jon. Some churches have to keep everybody in line. You don't want anyone thinking outside the box.

 

Be at peace brother...do not allow some to raddle the cage. There in fact is no cage but everything is of God....His Sovereign Grace and Mercy both protects and blesses us...we are His and to glorify and enjoy our being present with Him.

 

TWO INSPIRATIONAL SCRIPTURES

2 Kings 6:17

New International Version (NIV)

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Hebrews 12:1-3

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

So are you implying that your brand of church keeps people oblivious to doctrine? IE, doctrine is neither taught or stressed? I sincerely hope not.

 

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Easy to blow something off as "past history" when you don't agree with it. Those original Baptists gave us religious freedom and suffered and died for it. Besides, there are still Free Will and General Baptists today.

 

Well, I do, in spite of you. :laugh:

 

I understand where you're coming from and agree to a great extent.

 

You have mine.

 

Thank you.

 

Also can anybody venture an answer as to who do you think the horses and chariots of fire were?

A follow up question I have is, " Do you think God ever provides this kind of protection for us today and if so how?"

 

This was the case when I attended a Calvinist Baptist church. The Sovereignty of God was the main sermon topic in perhaps 2/3's of the sermons and made a cameo in every other sermon. After awhile my wife and I openly wondered to each other why this pastor keeps after this topic which we had accepted as a given Christian doctrine. It got to the point that we would look at each other on the way to church and say, "I bet the sermon is on how great our God is."

Then the eye-opening statement was made. "There are people that God has elected to salvation that haven't heard the gospel yet and it is our duty to bring it to them." Then realized that pastor's favorite preachers were Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, etc. Then noticed they were moving away from calling church officers deacons and going to Elder rule and a different church government.

 

So what....are you stating a preference or are you making a judgment call what is proper to preach & teach & what isn't?

Ive been to non Calvinist churches where they insisted that divine sovereignty must be accommodated to human capability. This was done AD NAUSEUM each and every week with pastors even preaching on the "Evil of Calvinism" with popular themes like John Gill being a Hyper Calvinist who rejected any Missionary Initiatives . I even heard disparaging remarks about Spurgeon which were and still are shameful. Lastly I was encouraged by one pastor, in front of others to wise up and drop my Calvinistic beliefs (and Im not a Calvinist). So I find that the mostly Arminian & Non-Calvinistic churches are just as slanted & biased in their theological outlook quite frankly. However I didnt start this mudslinging but I will certainly give you a much more complete analysis based off of my own personal observations.

 

Both. If you have to be affirmed 40 Sundays out of 52 for half an hour that God is all-powerful, all knowing, and sovereign then perhaps you really don't believe it, perhaps on a subconscious level at the least.