Tabernacle Baptist Church is a fundamental, premillennial, missionary, KJV only, independent (unaffiliated) Baptist church.
We are situated on the South Plains of West Texas, at 1911 34th Street in the heart of Lubbock, a growing city of just over two hundred thousand.
Two Radio Broadcasts Every Sunday
KRFE AM 580
Reaching much of West Texas and eastern New Mexico.
• Hear Pastor Bob Jackson Sundays at 9:15 AM
• Hear E. L. Bynum Sundays at 3:00 PM
Meet the Pastor . . .
A Personal & Ministry History of Bob & Gail Jackson.
Robert James Jackson born September 24, 1945 in Kansas City, MO to James N. & Laurine A. Jackson
Saved following a revival meeting service at the Central Baptist Church in Amelia, OH on July 24, 1961 at the age of 15 years. (This occurred after I had made a false profession of faith when I was 9 years old.) Baptized that same summer at the Central Baptist Church in Amelia, OH.
Surrendered to preach during the same summer as I was saved at Central Baptist Church in Amelia, OH.
Graduated from Pampa High School, Pampa, TX in May 1963.
Loahnna Gail Jackson born February 1, 1948 in Borger, TX to A.E. Jr. & Edith I. Geske.
Gail was saved on December 31, 1975 at the Metropolitan Baptist Temple in Grand Rapids, MI at the age of 27. (This occurred after she had made a false profession of faith when she was a child.) Baptized the following Sunday at the Metropolitan Baptist Temple in Grand Rapids, MI.
Married on July 24, 1964 at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Pampa, TX.
Bro. Bob graduated from the 3-year course in music at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO in July 1968 after 2 1/2years.
Associate Pastor (Music & young adults) at Bethel Baptist Church, Lawton, OK, Forrest Keener, Pastor, from August 1, 1968 to August 31, 1969.
Assistant Pastor (Music & youth) at Salem Baptist Church, Cincinnati, OH, Bill Jackson, Pastor, from September 1, 1969 to March 31, 1970.
Pastor at Salem Baptist Church, Cincinnati, OH from April 1, 1970 to February 10, 1973.
Ordained to the Gospel ministry by the Salem Baptist Church, Cincinnati, OH on April 9,1970.
Associate Pastor (Music & youth) at Buena Vista Baptist Temple, Orlando, FL, Bill Thomas, Pastor, from February 11, 1973 to August 31, 1973.
Pastor at Metropolitan Baptist Temple, Grand Rapids, MI from September 1, 1973 to August 3 1, 1982.
Missionary to Papua New Guinea sent out of Metropolitan Baptist Temple, Grand Rapids, MI, Ed Quakenbush, Pastor, from September 1, 1982 to July 1, 1987.
Missionary to Papua New Guinea sent out of Bible-Way Missionary Baptist Church, Terry Zeller, Pastor, from July 2, 1987 to April 17, 1993. Bible Way Baptist Church at Temnigle, Chimbu Province, Papua New Guinea organized in 1991 under our ministry. This church, as well as other preaching points, is still functioning until the present.
Pastor at Bible Baptist Church, Duncan, OK from April 18, 1993 until June 26, 2005.
Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church beginning on July 3, 2005.
Meet the Assistant Pastor . . .
Jerry Jackson has been called to be the Assistant Pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church of Lubbock, Texas.
Bro. Jerry brings with him a varied ministry involving areas of missions, music, and assisting the pastor.
Tabernacle Baptist Church voted to call him as the Assistant Pastor on August 14, 2005.
Bro. Jerry serves in the church along with his wife, Becky, and three sons, James, Bobby, and Jason. Bro. Jerry and Becky were married on July 24, 1997.
Bro. Jerry comes to Lubbock from the mission field of Papua New Guinea, where he had been serving since 2000. He was sent to this mission field by the Bible Baptist Church of Duncan, Oklahoma. During his time there, he, with other missionaries, worked on translating the Old Testament into the trade language of that country, as well as working to establish the Lufa Baptist Church in the Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.
He is a graduate of the Sturgis Bible Institute, a ministry of the Sturgis Baptist Church of Sturgis, Michigan. He graduated in 1993, majoring in theology.
Previous to serving as a missionary, Bro. Jerry served as the Associate Pastor of the Bible Baptist Church of Duncan, Oklahoma.
A Brief History Of Tabernacle Baptist Church
Tabernacle Baptist Church was first organized as an independent Baptist Church on March 12, 1933, under the labors of Bro. Ben D. Johnson. At that time he was also serving as the Pastor of an independent Baptist Church under the same name in Littlefield, Texas. Bro. Johnson soon became the first Pastor of the young church in Lubbock.
In spite of the Great Depression, the new church, which was at first meeting in a private home, was soon graciously enabled to purchase property near the downtown area of Lubbock.
Some twenty-two years later, it was determined that a new location and larger building would be beneficial to the ministry of the church. A portion of a cotton-field was purchased in 1955 and construction on a new building was begun. That November, before construction was completed, the very first church service was conducted there. That was at 1911 34th Street, the same location of Tabernacle Baptist Church today.
Because of health reasons, Bro. Ben D. Johnson resigned as Pastor on June 18, 1961. At the same time, Bro. E. L. Bynum, the assistant Pastor, accepted the pastorate of the Church. He had served as the assistant from 1953 through 1961, except for one year while he labored as a missionary in Manhattan, Kansas. It was there that he organized and then briefly pastored Manhattan Baptist Temple before returning to Lubbock to assist Bro. Johnson.
Under the ministry of E. L. Bynum, the church prospered spiritually in the Lord’s service. It was early in his pastorate that the church began to seriously undertake—and continue in—world-wide missionary endeavors.
One of the highlights of the year is the annual Bible/Missions Conference, first instituted in March of 1962. Pastors, preachers, and missionaries from around the world attend and preach at this special conference.
Bro. Bynum is widely known as a defender of the historic Baptist faith; for his advocacy of the independency of the local church; and for his defense of the King James Version of the Bible. His practice was to preach the gospel of Christ to the lost, and the whole counsel of God to the saved.
On March 20, 2005, nearing the age of seventy-nine, Bro. Bynum announced to the church that it was time for him to resign, effective as soon as they would call another pastor. He had served as Pastor for forty-four years, and had been in full-time service with the church for a total of fifty-one. He made it clear, however, that he was only stepping down from the pastorate, not ending his ministry. Bro. Bynum, along with Mrs. Betty Bynum, is an active member in Tabernacle Baptist Church, and is available for preaching engagements.
Under the leadership of the Lord, on July 3, 2005, Bro. Bob Jackson accepted the call of Tabernacle Baptist Church to take his place as the third consecutive Pastor.
Bro. Jackson brings with him the experience of an extensive history in pastoring and foreign mission work.
Tabernacle Baptist Church has every confidence, and has not been proven wrong, that Bro. Jackson intends to maintain the same doctrinal standard, while continuing to expand the church’s missionary efforts, as has been done by the grace of God since 1933.
By E. L. Bynum
We have been asked many times concerning the doctrine and beliefs of our Church. Of course the simplest statement of faith that we could make is this: “We believe the whole Bible from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.” However, we believe that it would be good to set forth some of the things which are most surely believed among us. The following statements are not made in an effort to establish a new set of articles of faith, but rather to make plain some of the things that we believe.
There are five words that fairly set forth what we believe. Those five words are: Baptist, Fundamental, Premillennial, Missionary, and Independent.
We Are Baptist
By this we mean that we hold to the historic beliefs and practices which have prevailed among Baptists from the time of Jesus. In every period of time, since Christ established His church during His earthly ministry, there have been churches who were Baptist in faith and practice. They did not always wear the name Baptist, but they believed and practiced Baptist doctrine, which is none other than Bible doctrine.
Baptists did not come out of the Reformation under Martin Luther, for they were never a part of the Catholic Church. In fact Baptists were on the scene long before the Catholic Church ever came into existence. For those who are interested in studying more on this subject we highly recommend The Trail of Blood, by J. M. Carroll.
We do not believe in a so-called “Universal Invisible Church.” We believe that Jesus established a local, visible church, and we are sure that this is the only kind of true church that is in existence today.
We Are Fundamental
By this we mean, that we accept the so-called fundamentals of the faith as opposed to modernism which denies the fundamentals of the faith. We believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, the Genesis account of creation, the Virgin Birth of Christ, His sinless life, His blood atonement, His glorious bodily resurrection, His ascension, and His second coming.
When we say that we are fundamental, we do not mean that this is all that we believe; because we do believe every doctrine and truth in the Word of God without any reservation. No Church or Christian has any right to single out any doctrine of the Word of God and say that it is non-essential. If any of it was non-essential, then God would not have wasted the space by putting it in the Bible.
We firmly believe that God preserved His word through the Masoretic Hebrew text of the Old Testament and the Textus Receptus Greek text of the New Testament. We firmly believe that the King James Version of the English Bible is a true and faithful translation of these two providentially preserved texts.
We Are Premillennial
We believe that Jesus Christ is coming back before the Millennial Kingdom is established. Under the government of man, the world is growing worse and worse morally. This is a fulfillment of the Scriptures which says, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (II Timothy 3:13)
When Christ shall come in the air, “the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain (the living Christians) shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). Then the Anti-Christ will be manifested here upon the earth and the seven years of tribulation shall begin. At the end of the seven years of tribulation, the Lord will return with His saints and utterly defeat the armies of the Anti-Christ. Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit, and then the Lord will establish his kingdom here on earth and reign for a thousand years. (See Revelation 19-21)
We Are Missionary
Every true New Testament Baptist Church should be missionary. Jesus gave the command to His Church in Matt. 28:18-20, that they were to “teach all nations.” He also said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He also said, “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). If people are to be saved, they must hear the Word of God. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:13-15,17). To be obedient to Christ, we must send missionaries to the foreign field, while we are missionaries on the home field.
It is not enough to be missionary in name, but we must be missionary in practice. This means that we should pray for missions, and support missions with the finances that God has placed in our hand. We receive a mission offering every week. We practice Faith Promise Mission giving.
We support sound Bible believing missionaries. Instead of sending the money to some denominational headquarters where 80% or 90% of it is used up in administration costs, we send it direct to the missionary, through their home church. This way he gets 100% of the money and not just 10% or 20%. We have recently raised the monthly support for our missionaries, and by God’s grace we intend to continue to raise it.
We Are Independent
We are not independent to do as we please, but we are independent and unaffiliated, in order that we might do as God pleases. God forbid that we should ever want to be independent from God. We are not “affiliated with” nor do we “belong to” any association or convention. Jesus established the local New Testament Church, and we do not believe that He established any convention or association to lord it over the churches. It is our contention that a true church cannot scripturally join anything nor become affiliated with any outside religious organization.
Churches may work together in the work of Christ, but should beware of entangling alliances which bring them under the domination of boards and denominational secretaries. Conventions, associations, and other like denominational organizations are usually started by men of good faith, but they enter into such organizations without one verse of Scriptural authority. Eventually these extra-Scriptural organizations become the citadels of compromise and doctrinal laxness, with an insatiable desire to dominate and lord it over the churches.
During the period of time covered in the book of Acts the greatest evangelistic missionary effort in the history of Christianity may be seen. In those days travel was slow, radio, television, and even the printing press was unheard of, yet the gospel spread like a flame. In no other period of Church history was so much done by so few. In 30 short years greater progress was made than in any other period of history, in establishing churches and carrying out the Great Commission. Yet, there was no convention, association, or outside the church denominational organization. The plan used in the book of Acts worked, and it is working today among churches who are trying to use it.
It is our desire to contend for the faith without being contentious. We can disagree without being disagreeable. We can stand for the faith without kicking. We do rejoice when the gospel is preached and when souls are saved, even though we might not agree completely with the method that is used. Criticism of another man’s method does not constitute obedience to Christ’s command to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. We must not only believe in the right way, but we must demonstrate the right way.
The church of the living God does not have time for petty arguments, foolish and unlearned questions and the like. This is not the time for factions, frictions, and foolish divisions. This is the time for action. We are approaching the zero hour when we shall soon face Christ. Let us gird up the loins of our mind, put on the whole armor of God and press forward in the battle for Christ.