The Independent Baptist:

"Plains Baptist Challenger"

October 2002

News & Views, October 2002 - Edited By E. L. Bynum

Prairie Dogs and Babies - By E. L. Bynum

Low Men in High Places - By Russ Brown

For some months there has been a controversy raging in Lubbock over prairie dogs. The city of Lubbock wants to exterminate many thousands of these little critters from property that the city uses for different purposes. The city sprinkles huge amounts of treated sewage water on a large piece of property that is owned by the city.

This gets rid of the treated waste water, and at the same time it irrigates the vegetation. The prairie dogs are not dogs at all, but they are vegetation-eating rodents that dig deep dens and tunnels in the earth. The prairie dogs moved in as uninvited guests, digging their tunnels and consuming the vegetation. The environmental agency says that the water draining down into the underground dens will pollute the well water for many miles around.

The city had planned to exterminate them which is no easy matter. It is estimated that there are up to 100,000 of these unwanted pests. PETA and the whole animal rights activists from far and near have weighed in on the matter. As far as they are concerned these little pests are an invaluable part of what nature has produced. (These people seem to worship at the shrine of "Mother Nature," their sacred god.) Of course most people are in favor of getting rid of pesky little prairie dogs, but it is surprising how many people are aroused over this.

During the years since Roe vs. Wade, multiplied millions have been slaughtered by doctors in abortion clinics nation-wide. These little human beings are called fetuses by the medical profession and the rest of our godless society. This justifies them as being treated as garbage. When 40 million or more little human beings can be killed without impunity, why are we surprised by the events of September 11, 2001? Our nation is headed for greater disasters, and we have not been awakened yet. What will it take? These precious little human beings have their own hearts, their own brains, and other vital organs. To a godless world they are worthless little fetuses to be disposed of for the convenience of others, but just remember there is a God in heaven, and He is keeping the record.

PETA and all the animal rights people could care less about the murdered babies. They don't protest or say anything about it. They protect the prairie dog, the spotted owl, and only a genius could know what else. They don't want the cattle killed for food and for their valuable hides. That is inhumane to these poor misled rattle brained people. It is too bad that the little aborted babies do not have tough thick skins. We could get all the leather we need from them to make our shoes and other items. We have heard repeated news of babies being eaten in China. If these reports are true, maybe some of these people would like to go over to dine. Yeah, maybe this is a little gross, but we live in a grossed out world.

The charge to Jeroboam, the future king of the northern tribes of Israel, was plain: ...I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee, I Kings 11:37-38. What more could a king ask for? God's promises never fail. But to his shame, Jeroboam, as is the nature of man, chose his own way, blaspheming God with two calves of gold and thus proclaiming, behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Then he further tempted God when he, made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people.... These high places were places of worship, and these priests were his chosen ministers. Neither were placed there by God, nor were they approved of by God. His wickedness persisted, and again God's man issued his prophecy of "heavy tidings": thou....hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back: Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam,.... I Kings 14:9-10a.

Jeroboam's story is tragic. For worldly things, his promised blessings from God were forfeited. He ruined his life, lost his son, the only good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house..., lost his kingdom, and ultimately lost his life when the Lord struck him, and he died.

But what of those priests whom Jeroboam had "consecrated" ? What of these low men whose only qualification was their willingness to be put in a high place? (I Kings 13:33) What havoc these imposters must have reeked on the people in the name of religion! The true and rightful Levites had been expelled, and new, more "up-to-date" men had replaced them.

Imagine the king's justification for such atrocities. "We have to change with the times," he might say; "the old ways are too narrow; we need ministers who understand the needs of God's people in 9th century B.C." "The high place is the worship center of the future."

Three thousand years later, our futuristic worship centers are plagued with priests of the lowest of the people. The true man of God is hard to find. And when he is found, he is not recognized by most. He has been rejected by a kinder, gentler Christianity which favors men who are "in touch" with their flock.

But he that is led by the Spirit sees through the facade. He has learned to "try the spirits," and he smells something rotten. He knows the sure signs of these counterfeiters and is ready to expose their:

Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter, Isa 56:11. The pure motive is the cornerstone in a building of trust, but for many, the days of confidence in a man's "reasons why" are gone. Genuine well-meaning pastors meet frustration as they attempt to lead their churches into a closer walk. But the defenses are firmly intact among the flock. Never again will they fall victim to a wayward shepherd. The deacon board has become the police of church funds. The committee system is the checks and balances of the ecclesiastical government. Secular organizational methods are injected into a spiritual organism, and God is systematically ushered out the door. But who is to blame? Too often the horror story is told of the beloved pastor who bilked the church out of thousands to feed his contemptible motives. For money or power or position or fame or just some personal satisfaction, those who are the "ensamples to the flock" soon find themselves wallowing in the mire of guilt and lost trust after succumbing to the basest desires. Low men are these "wolves"... "crept in unawares".... who "for filthy lucre's sake".... "overthrow the faith of some"low men put in high places.

The ways of these false prophets are suspect at best. A godly pastor understands both his place as an example and his position under the microscope of scrutiny. Every aspect of his life is subject to the evaluation, mostly unspoken, of his flock. There is no time clock which brings with the punching a leaving of work behind. His is a constant consciousness of his role. But this is not grievous to the godly pastor. He knows that his responsibility is one of "conversation." It is not about how he acts on Sunday, but it is a matter of lifestyle. Being the example to the flock is more of what he is than what he does. He knows that holiness is not achieved by actions, and it in no way can be deserved. His manner of life is one of righteousness imputed to him by God Himself.

Conversely, the low man who desires this high place must wrench himself from the worldly pleasures that bring him much happiness. The standard it seems is quite unreasonable, so in sly fashion he seeks to present himself one way before the flock and live another way at home. And while he is away on vacation, no one would even suspect him of being a "man of God." Paul's explicit parameters for a bishop laid down in his letters to Timothy and Titus have been diminished to simple guidelines. Surely Paul knew that such stringency was out of reach of mortal man. Could he seriously expect a man to be blameless and holy? And what about that part about his home? He didn't honestly think that a man can have faithful children, in subjection in all gravity, did he? Loose exegesis is the low man's best ally. His personal life, he says, is his own business, and who are others to question his qualifications?

For the misplaced low man, outward results are the desired end. Who would doubt the genuineness of his calling if enough church growth is realized? He knows nothing of the Spirit of God, so he employs other spirits instead. But these spirits are more fun anyway. They produce a "Christianity" that has fire! He knows nothing of the Power of God, so he seeks rigidly to improve his speaking ability. He can't discern the things of God, so he indulges in all the "how-to" books he can find. Brokenness would be unbecoming to this professional, so he nurtures his charisma instead. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: I Cor. 2:1-4.

It is important to the low man to look good, so he looks much on his own things. The thirst is for "success," so all things must be in place. If he appears weak or wanting, he runs the risk of losing his leadership edge. If he is too stern, he may come across as a Bible-thumping Pharisee. If he takes too firm a stand, he might be called "narrow-minded." Consequently, some biblical principles are delicately manipulated. Humility is okay as long as it is not too humiliating. Suffering is acceptable as long as it doesn't hurt. Rejection is to be expected, but not to the point of ecclesiastical separation. Personal separation, well, personal separation is delicately ignored. After all, his worldly habits are necessary if he is to "reach" lost people. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Eze. 34:2.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom. 8:7 The flesh presents a profound problem to the low man. Why does the Bible have to be so adamant about this issue anyway? Truth be known, the flesh is all he understands. He became a "Christian" because he wanted to. He entered the ministry because he wanted to. He accepted the pastorate because he wanted to. Then he stumbles onto the book of Romans and is dumbfounded. What's all this noise about being carnal and another member working? Why must Paul write of such things as dying daily, counting all but loss, the fellowship of His suffering, and "oh wretched man that I am"? Sadly, in the deepest recesses of his mind, he just doesn't understand such things. They seem foolish, so he chooses the safer route. Since he can't discern the leadership of the Holy Spirit, he decides to follow his own best understanding of life's queries and to seek counsel from others in high places.

On Sunday morning, after nearly an hour of the finest musical performances this world has to offer, complete with praise band and swaying choir, the low man has his time in the limelight. It is time to share. For the next fifteen minutes, the casually clad pastor (his suit was a little too intimidating) will impart a small bit of wisdom from his virtual storehouse, much to the delight of his attentive flock. Near what was once the pulpit, the low man paces, Bible in hand, (a new, smoother version has been chosen so even the natural man can understand) and with polished oratory holds his listeners to his every word. Terms such as "preaching" and "hell" and "sin" and "judgment" are archaic and have been replaced. His gospel is one of understanding, love, and new beginnings. If the young people think him too "ghetto" he has a monumental problem, so he works hard to say "cool" things in a "cool" way in order to win their approval. His allotted fifteen minutes pass quickly, and now it is time for challenge. As the choir begins a soft, hand-holding number, the opportunity to make a commitment is given. The wayward one can choose to add Jesus to his life. Instead of sin to be repented of, he simply admits he has made mistakes and tries to forget them. Emotions run high as additions to the flock are registered. The low man has succeeded. As one, the church sings, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!" ....the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us?...Micah 3:11.

Chapter 6, from the book, "The Religion Racket."

The marks of a spoiled child are all too familiar. He gets everything he wants or he throws a "temper tantrum" and the parents quickly bow to his wishes. A spoiled child has never been disciplined and consequently reacts violently to restrictions. He insists upon having his own way. He has been brought up to be concerned only about himself and has little concern for the feelings of others. Because of over indulgence it takes something really tremendous to please the spoiled child. His demands and expectations become greater and greater and it takes more and more to keep him happy and satisfied.

The spoiled child finally seems to lose interest in everything. Nothing pleases him and he takes his revenge by making life miserable for everyone around him ... particularly his parents. The spoiled child has been petted, pampered and fawned upon to the degree that love has lost its meaning. His antics and meanness have been smiled at and condoned until he no longer recognizes what is wrong and what is right. The spoiled child has been waited upon hand and foot and cared for to the degree that he has never learned to care for himself or to meet his simplest needs. Generally a spoiled child never grows up ... he remains a spoiled child all his life. He may finally marry, but he then demands from the wife the same attention he received from his parents.

A spoiled child is bad. A spoiled saint is worse. Just as the spoiled child is so prominent in the American family, so is the spoiled saint in the religious world. The allegory is almost perfect. The marks of a spoiled saint are just as familiar as those of a spoiled child.

The spoiled saint must have his own way or he will throw a "temper tantrum." If everything doesn't go just exactly as he thinks it should he'll sulk, pout, and stay home to punish the church for disagreeing with him. His attitude is expressed in the old saying, "If you won't play my way, I'll take my marbles and go home."

A spoiled saint reacts violently to any restrictions. Nobody is going to tell him what he can or cannot do. The spoiled saint is concerned only about himself. "What's in it for me?" seems to be his motto. The spoiled saint has little or no concern for the feelings or well being of others.

Because of an over indulgence of religious excitement it takes something really tremendous to stir the spoiled saint. Like the spoiled child, his demands and expectations become greater and greater as he demands more and more. Each religious hayride creates an expectation for one bigger and better. Finally he becomes a sophisticated, hardened connoisseur of religious fare and takes great pride in disdainfully rejecting all that is offered. He loses interest in everything and his only satisfaction seems to be in ruining it for everyone else.

The spoiled saint has been so petted, pampered, and fawned upon by glory seeking, numbers-building preachers and every kind of compromising cult that he no longer recognizes true love.

Spoiled saints! Waited upon hand and foot by a frightened bunch of professional preachers whose only task seems to be to pamper the whims of this sorry lot. These spoiled saints have long since passed the place of caring for themselves. A spoiled saint never grows up but remains a whimpering, pampered, babied, coddled, spoiled saint throughout his entire life.

What is the cause of this condition? Generally, with few exceptions, a spoiled child is the product of well meaning but woefully inadequate parents. Others can have a part, but in the final analysis the responsibility rests with the parents. What about the spoiled saints? Again the source of this difficulty is not difficult to trace. With few exceptions it rests with men who serve as pastors. They are the ones who must ultimately bear the responsibility of raising spoiled saints.

In our day preaching and pastoring a church has become a highly competitive business. A great number of modern preachers labor under the constant pressure of feeling they must keep the saints happy and contented or someone else will lure them away ... and they'll be without a job. This is a sorry, despicable picture but it is an accurate analysis of much of today's religion. So ... in the continual effort to please the saints the process of spoiling progresses. Instead of pastoring his people the average modern preacher pampers, pets, and coddles them. He gives them everything they want. His main purpose in life seems to be to satisfy every passing whim of his people. He becomes a kind of parasitical politician. A toe-kissing flunky!

Modern day religion has raised a crop of saints with no training and no equipment, which would enable them to grow and become strong. Seemingly, there is nothing glamorous and appealing about teaching. It's hard work to teach and hard work to learn and neither the modern day pastor nor people have a stomach for this sort of thing.

Today's religion is characterized by an almost complete lack of discipline. Anything goes. The saint is not taught the standards by which he should live. Today, no one expects much of the church-goer. Is it any wonder he is spoiled and completely unable to determine what course he should follow? The standards have been lowered until there is no longer any difference between the saint and the sinner.

Another contributing factor to the conditions we are describing is that, in a great percentage of religion, entertainment has been substituted for worship. The saint is invited to church, not to worship, but to be entertained. The congregation has become an audience. They don't come to take part ... just to watch while a group of high-powered professionals put on a show.

Each pastor and church feel they must outdo the others to stay in the race of bringing amusement to the saints. On and on the pace goes until the spiritual sensitivities of the goggle eyed saint become dulled to the extent of being void of understanding. Finally, it will take a good sized earthquake, four or five erupting volcanoes, and the ominous ticking of a hydrogen bomb to get him even mildly excited.

All the emphasis is upon a religious good time ... a hay ride of happiness. Get on board and hallelujah, your troubles are all gone. Just sit back and enjoy yourself. What ever happened to those good, old, religious words like sacrifice, service. suffering, self denial, etc.? What's the answer? The situation calls for preachers ... real, courageous preachers ... calling for repentance that will wake up the slumbering saints. We need preachers who are not afraid to spank the spoiled saint.

The Body of Christ is one of the most misinterpreted phrases in the Bible. This misinterpretation is Satan's attack on the most powerful institution created by God. This tract does not present a complete exegesis on the subject, although it does succinctly set forth the scriptural view of the Body of Christ.

A Biblical interpretation of the New Testament church will prove that it is a local assembly. One would have to add to the Scriptures to come up with the theory of a universal invisible church. The writers of the New Testament as well as the believers of the first century knew nothing of a universal invisible church. This is evident in the Greek word ecclesia. It is a compound word meaning "a called out assembly," One example of this is found in Acts 19:39-41.

Those that hold to the universal invisible church view are not being honest to the meaning of ecclesia. Throughout the New Testament, ecclesia is used as an assembled group of people. How can one have an unassembled invisible assembly? That is the ultimate paradox.
Many people talk about the body of Christ as though it contains all believers. This is promoted by those that espouse the man-made theory of the universal invisible church. This crowd believes that when one is saved they enter the body of Christ. This view is not supported by scriptural. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that a person can be saved and not a member of the body of Christ. The burden of proof lies on the universal invisible church crowd to prove this wrong. This, of course, can not be done scripturally. Therefore, consider these thoughts.

The Body of Christ is not to be confused with the family of God. They are not one and the same. Rather, the one is part of the whole. The whole is the family of God which is comprised of all saved people. (Ephesians 3:14,15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.). The only way into the "Family of God" is to be born again. All who are born again are in "The Family of God."
So then what is the body of Christ? Read the following verses:

Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Eph. 1:22-23 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

1 Cor. 12:27 Now ye (the church at Corinth) are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Eph. 5:22-32 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The Bible teaches us that the Body of Christ is the local New Testament church. There are many other passages of scripture that support that teaching. The entire 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians is directed to the local church. Yes, even verse 13, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." If one is to be honest to Biblical interpretation, one would find that this verse does not teach that the Holy Spirit baptizes believers into the body. This verse is teaching that believers are brought into the membership of the local church through water baptism.

Consider the following thoughts:

It has been said that the home is the backbone of a nation. Whether this is a true statement we will not enter into. Does this statement mean that there is a universal home? No, of course not. It is being used in an institutional sense. It can truly be said that the automobile has changed our way of life. Do we mean that there is a great universal automobile that exists in invisible form somewhere? Certainly not! There are millions of automobiles, but they are all local and visible. There are many other illustrations that could be used to amplify this point, but we will let our reader think of some of those.

It is sad that such confusion reigns concerning the use of the words church and body in the Christian world. A great deal of this confusion is due to the failure to understand the abstract use of singular nouns.

Abstract Use of Singular Nouns

"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:23). We have emphasized four singular nouns in this verse by placing them in bold face type. No reasonable person would consider that the above verse teaches a universal husband or a universal wife. We all recognize that these two nouns are used in the abstract sense, and that they refer to any husband and wife and could not be used to perpetuate the idea of a universal husband or a universal wife. Why do reasonable people insist on making the singular nouns church and body into some mystical, invisible, imaginary, and impossible thing? They are to be understood in the same way as husband and wife in this verse.1

1. E.L. Bynum, taken from an article entitled "Heart Disease and the Body of Christ"

Therefore, if one is to be a part of the Body of Christ one must be a member of a local New Testament Baptist church. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact Pastor Martin.