Moriah Primitive Baptist Church

Madison County, Georgia

What’s the Difference?

October 1, 2010

What’s the difference between Baptists and Primitive Baptists?  I suppose I have been asked that question 100+ times.  The problem is, I’m still refining my answer.  This article will address two responses which have not been successful and why I think they failed.  The next four articles suggest approaches which have been much more successful (at least for me).

First, avoid describing our differences using “religious words,”  such as:

Do you understand how differences in definitions cause differences in doctrine?  And most of the time, once the two of you have finally honed a definition, you’ve run out of time.  I suggest you stick to simple, everyday words that need not defining.

Second, avoid our “We Do Not” list:

·         We do not use instruments, praise bands, choirs or soloists; but worship God with our voices

·         We do not have Sunday Schools or organized activities, but worship as a corporate body

·         We do not  have youth, seniors, women, men, or … groups, but worship as families

·         We do not have seminaries or youth pastors, but utilize apprenticeships with on the job training

Nine times out of ten, stating things positively is much more effective than stating things negatively.  I believe Primitive Baptist have the best story in the history of the world to tell.  If we’ve got a person’s interest for a few moments, why not share what God does instead of what we don’t?   Make sense? …

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The Doctrine of Kickers & Screamers

October 2, 2010

Suggested approach #1:  A difference between Primitive Baptists and Baptists is that PB’s do not believe God asks permission of the children He adopts (Eph 1:5).  He just does it, and He adopts kickers and screamers. 

 Picture this:  God walks up to the chain link fence of an orphanage.  He looks at the children and sets His eye on a little boy.  God tells the orphanage director He wants the little boy named Paul.  God didn’t ask Paul if he wanted to be adopted.  God signed the papers, paid the fees, carried Paul to His car, put him in the back seat, closed the door, and drove him home.  Unexpectedly, Paul kicked and fussed the whole time God carried him home.  That’s how God chose the Apostle Paul.  Paul was a kicker.  He wasn’t invited, but he was chosen (Act 9:1-5, 13-16).

 A 2^nd Picture:  Once again, God walks up to the fence.  He looks at the children and sets His eye on another little boy.  This time God tells the director of the orphanage He wants a little boy named Jake.  God didn’t ask Jake if he wanted to be adopted.  God signed more papers, paid the fees, carried Jake to His car, put him in the back seat, closed the door, and drove him home.  On the ride home, Jake audaciously tells God;  “You can be my Dad if you feed me, clothe me, provide a good home, and take me any-where I want to go.”  Jacob was a screamer.   He wasn’t invited, but he was chosen (Gen 28:16-22).

 See how this approach explains a difference with simple, everyday words yet minimizes ambiguity.

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The “Box of Rocks” Doctrine

October 3, 2010

 Suggested Approach #2:  A 2^nd difference between Primitive Baptists and Baptists is that PB’s believe a box of rocks and an unregenerate person have the same spiritual capacity.  Asking a box of rocks to respond (an unregenerate person) is silliness.  It/he simply cannot believe (John 10:26):

 Explained with simple, everyday words that convey doctrinal differences yet minimizes ambiguity.

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The Doctrine of Clean Laundry

October 4, 2010

 Suggested Approach #3:   A 3^rd difference between Primitive Baptists and Baptists is that PB’s believe Jesus washed and put away their laundry (sin) before they got home.  The laundry has been cleansed without accepting or rejecting.  The purging of sin is a done before we got home (Heb 1:3).

 Explained with simple, everyday words that convey doctrinal differences yet minimizes ambiguity.

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The “Iron Grip” Doctrine

October 5, 2010

 Suggested Approach #4:  A 4^th difference between Primitive Baptists and Baptists is that PB’s believe once God grabs hold of a child by the collar that He never loses them.  Not a single child has ever wiggled free from God’s iron grip (John 17:2).

 No matter how doctrinally sound these four approaches are, they will profit your listener very little if presented in a rote or condescending manner.  But if presented such that your listener believes this doctrine has made a difference in your life, then a seed has been planted.

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Daily Bread

October 6, 2010

 The amount of nutrients in a loaf of bread baked with fresh ground wheat berries is quite surprising.  The vitamins and proteins present are enough to nourish a person.  The problem with bread is that its nutrients oxidize very quickly.  Ninety percent of bread’s nutritional benefits oxidize away in 72 hours.  It doesn’t matter if we grind the grain, wait 72 hours, cook, and eat it; or if we grind the grain, cook it, wait 72 hours and eat it  -  In either case, 90% of the nutrients have disappeared.  So a weekly trip to the bakery for bread or a weekly trip to the grocery store for flour will not provide the nutrients for life.  We cannot stock up.  We simply have got to be in the kitchen every day.

Allow me to apply the principle of bread to three situations:

1. Israel in the wilderness:  God provided Israel bread on a daily basis and it sustained them.  What happened to the manna after a short period of time?  It was no good (Ex 16:21).  What was God trying to teach?  Dependence.
2. New Testament prayer:  The prayer Jesus presented during The Sermon on the Mount has us asking for “daily bread”  (Matt 6:11).  What was Jesus trying to teach?  Dependence.
3. Bible reading:  Some of the most blessed people in scripture were those who spent time in God’s word daily (Deut 17:18, Josh 1:8, Ps 1:2, Act 17:11).  What does this fact teach?  Dependence.

 With regards to Bible reading, can a weekly trip to church provide the spiritual nutrients for life?  Can we stock up or do we have to be in God’s kitchen daily?  Till I come, give attendance to reading (1Ti 4:13).  My prayer is that this publication will help keep its reader motivated to grind, bake, and eat their wheat berries on a daily basis.

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Driving With a Learner’s Permit

October 13, 2010

 Very shortly, I will have set my third teenage son loose on the roads of America.  In five short years, that’s a lot of white knuckled experiences, insurance premium increases, and prayer.  Here is some of the advice that I gave my sons during their learner’s to drive experience:

1. Check your equipment.  Better to fix something in the driveway than on a shoulder.
2. Have a destination in mind.  Gas is too expensive.
3. Look at the map before you leave.  Do not wait until you’re lost to pull it out.
4. Stay focused.  Turn off the cell phone and do not change CD’s when moving.
5. Be alert.  I have confidence in you, but not in other drivers.
6. Slow down.  Do not speed or pass on curves.
7. Stay in your lane.  Do not be a lane shifter.

 Turns out, I’ve been giving my sons similar advise since they could talk.  Here is some of the advice that I give my boys during their learning to live experience:

1. Check your equipment (Eph 6:11).  Make sure all part are present and in good working order.
2. Have a destination in mind (Ecc 12:13).  Time is too precious.
3. Look at the map before you leave (Ps 119:105).  Don’t wait until you’re lost to pull it out.
4. Stay focused (Heb 10:23).  Minimize distractions from outside sources.
5. Be alert (1Pe 5:8).  I have confidence in you, but not in your classmates.
6. Slow down (Heb 13:4).  Do not rush and pass up curves.
7. Stay the course (Josh 1:7).  Do not be tossed about by every new idea.

 Drive safely and courteously.  Have a pleasant trip.

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Report Cards

October 20, 2010

 Remember your school report cards, grades for a half dozen subjects (math, science, language arts, social studies, and a few electives)?  For me, grades in math and P.E. were solid, and things seem to deteriorate from there.  You see, I liked math.  It came easy for me.  The kind of math (algebra, geometry, trig. …) didn’t matter; nor did the teacher.  I typically received a high mark.  But science was an entirely different matter.  My science grades were all over the map.  Physics was cool, biology was boring.  Mr. Maguire was cool, Mr. Porter was boring.  In math I was blessed, in science I was a victim of hard subjects and boring teachers – or so I thought.

 Now consider a different kind of report card, a 1^st Thessalonians Chapter 5 Report Card.  You fill in a grade for each subject:

            Patience (v. 14)             _______                       Thanks (v. 18)              _______

            Vengeance (v. 15)         _______                       Quenching (v. 19)         _______

            Rejoicing (v. 16)           _______                       Proofs (v. 21)                _______

            Prayer (v. 17)                _______                       Appearance (v. 22)        _______

For me, the grades in the right hand column are much higher than the grades in the left hand column.  I like the subjects on the right hand side.  They come easier for me.  The subjects in the left hand column are harder.  You may be just the opposite.   Bottom line:  Do you have an excuse when you fall short in a subject or two?  Are you a victim of hard subjects and boring preachers?  Or do you bear down and hit the book (and your knees)?  May God help us strive for straight A’s.

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Three Prepositional Phrases

October 27, 2010

 Consider the prepositional phrases:  1) for us,  2) by himself, and 3) through Christ.  Standing alone, you’re probably wondering, “What’s the big deal?”  Ah, but now consider the impact their absence has on doctrine; as is the case with most Bible versions.

1Pe 4:1  -  present in the KJV, absent from most other versions (the NIV, ESV, NAV, RSV ....).  Most people on this planet will agree Jesus suffered, but how many agree Jesus suffered for us? 

 Gal 4:7  -  present in the KJV, absent from most other versions.  Most religious people believe in an inheritance, but how many believe in an inheritance through Christ?

 Heb 1:3  -  present in the KJV, absent from most other versions.  Most Christians believe Jesus removed their sin, but how many believe Jesus removed their sin by Himself? 

 We have notes on dozens of verses which other versions have omitted key phrases, and these omissions subtly impact doctrine.  Some of these omissions make sin and Satan look “not so bad;” and some make Jesus, His deity, and His salvation look “not as good.”  Read the study, perform the comparison, and you’ll by more grateful for your “antiquated English.”

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The Kingdom Parables

November 4, 2010

 Seven kingdom parables are recorded in Matt 13.  The seven are listed below with a brief application.  The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto:

1. A field  -  begin with the good, and the bad will try to encroach (v. 24)
2. A mustard seed  -  a little good can explode (v. 31)
3. A little leaven  -  a little bad can explode (v. 33)
4. A hid treasure  -  one spends everything for self                         (v. 44)
5. A pearl  -  another spends everything to pass it on (v. 45)
6. A net  -  the good must be discerned from the bad (v. 47)
7. A scribe  -  the good can be found in both new and old  (v. 52)

 The kingdom parables above have a good theme.  Five more kingdom parables are listed below and appear to have an invitation theme.  The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto:

1. A householder  -  Some receive invitations earlier than others (Matt 20:1)
2. A king  -  Some decline their invitations                                                (Matt 22:2)
3. A virgin  -  Some are not prepared to receive an invitation (Matt 25:1)
4. A traveler  -  Some accept the invitation but “no show” (Matt 25:14)
5. A farmer  -  Some highly anticipate their invitations (Mark 4:26)

 What’s the good?  Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17).  What’s the invitation?  an intimate relationship with the Lord (Luke 10:41-42).  Are you in His kingdom?  Not far?  Or a long ways off?

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Substitutionary Atonement

November 11, 2010

 The word substitute is not in scripture, although the principle of substitution is pervasive:

·         2Co 5:21  -  He hath made Him to be sin for us

·         Gal 1:4  -  Who gave Himself for our sins        

·         Gal 3:13  -  being made a curse for us

·         Tts 2:14  -  Who gave Himself for us

·         1Pe 2:24  -  Who His own self bare our sins

·         1Pe 3:18  -  the just for the unjust

 Most modern substitutions are “down trades.”  For instance, the adult who fills in for an absent teacher and the second stringer who replaces an injured starter are both called substitutes.  Both are temporary and are rarely up to the standard of the person being replaced.  Substituting margarine for butter is a “down trade” in this writer’s opinion, but I trust you understand the concept of trading down. 

 Interestingly, God accepted several “down trade substitutions” and rejected a few “up trades.”   For instance, God allowed the substitution of a turtle dove for a lamb in Lev 12:8 (a down trade), but rejected Moses for a rebellious people in Ex 32:32 (an up trade).  Why does God accept some substitutions and reject others?  The heart!  And Praise God, Jesus’ heart was perfect.  The greatest substitution of all time occurred when our sin passed to Jesus and His righteousness passed to us (Is 53:4-11, Rom 5:6-12).  And without that substitution, we’d be whistling Dixie.

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Event and Date Driven Feasts

November 18, 2010

Lev 23 lists seven feasts, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles, and Ingatherings.  Most of these feasts were date driven (i.e., The Feast of Unleavened Bread was observed the 15^th day of the 1^st month [v. 6], The Feast of Trumpets was observed the 1^st day of the 7^th month of the year [v. 24], …).    However, The Feast of Firstfruits was event driven. 

 If the first of a farmer’s corn was harvested in July, he would observe The Feast of Firstfruits in July.  But if the following year’s corn was delayed by a drought, he might observe The Feast of Firstfruits in August.  And in a given year, The Feast of Firstfruits might be observed in July by a corn farmer, in August by a barley farmer, and in September by an olive farmer.  The Feast of Firstfruits was event driven, not date driven. 

 How might this information profit us today?   My observation has been that man is much more likely to take a date driven celebration for granted than he is an event driven celebration.  Does this mean date driven observances are bad?  Of course not!   George Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation was an event driven request.  President Washington recognized God’s blessings and asked the nation to set aside a day to give thanks.  His was a one-time request.  Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation was a date driven request.  President Lincoln recognized God’s blessings and asked the nation to set aside a day to give thanks on a perpetual basis.  His was a date driven request. 

 The heart determines whether or not an observation is God honoring (Matt 22:36-37), date driven or event driven.  Is your heart prepared for the Thanksgiving that is upon us, or have you taken the celebration for granted?

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Spirit Driven Feasts

November 26, 2010

 I have often enjoyed the following date driven observances:  Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), Independence Day (the 4^th of July), and Thanksgiving Day (the 4^th Thursday in November).  But I have also enjoyed many impromptu celebrations:  graduations, births, retirements, baptisms …

 The celebration thrown for the prodigal son was event driven.  Amen?  The prodigal son’s father said, let us eat and be merry (Luke 15:23).  We don’t have to wait for the 4^th Thursday in November to be thankful.  We can do so in the middle of May and be just as thankful.  Depending on the heart, these can be some of the most spiritual observances of the year.

 More times than not, Moriah Church observes communion twice a year.  Some churches observe communion more often, others do so less, but frequency is not the focus of this article.  One of our communion services is date driven, observed the last Saturday in June.  Other communion services are spirit driven, observed when the church feels a special burden.  I believe both observations can and have been God honoring. 

 When the Lord convicts us, we don’t hesitate to call for a communion service.  Some years we have observed a communion service in the fall, other years we did so in the spring; but I also remember a year or two when we had no second communion service.  And I certainly understand a church which is convicted to delay a scheduled communion service.  Whether date driven or event driven, I pray all our feasts are spirit driven.

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Worldly Trends

December 3, 2010

 The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that “in all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state.”   In other words, things slow down and wear out with age.

When we interpolate the rates of each of the following backwards, we conclude that the earth is less than 10,000 years old:

1. The rate that the earth’s crust is cooling
2. The rate that the earth’s orbit around the sun is slowing
3. The rate that the earth’s rotation on its axis is slowing
4. The rate that the earth’s magnetic field is weakening.

 We also conclude the earth is relatively young when we measure the amounts of the following:

1. The amount of helium in our atmosphere (which radioactive material gives off)
2. The amount of dust on the moon (which is less than an inch thick)
3. The amount of dust in outer space (which is consumed by the sun)
4. The amount of pressure in oil and natural gas reserves (which lessens every year)
5. The size of the Mississippi Delta (which grows every year)
6. The distance of the moon to the earth (which lengthens as earth’s gravity weakens)

 This stuff is not theory.  It’s observable, measurable, mathematical, and cannot be ignored.  Scripture and measurable science says the earth is less than 10,000 years old; they’re in complete harmony.

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Entering the Kingdom

December 10, 2010

The Kingdom of Heaven [KOH] is likened unto 12 things:  a mustard seed, leaven, a hid treasure, a fisherman’s net … (Matt 13).   This article will describe a 13^th likeness.  Allow me to liken the KOH to a Spaghetti Thanksgiving Dinner:

 The Sunday before Thanksgiving my wife asked if there was anything special I wanted for Thanksgiving dinner.  I said, “Homemade spaghetti.”  My wife said, “Really?”  I said, “Yes.”  She said, “Do I have to?”  I said, “Please.”  She said, “OK,”  and began purchasing the necessary groceries.  For me, Thanksgiving as a child meant spaghetti at Grandma Conti’s house.  I was 20 years old before I had ever eaten turkey for Thanksgiving.  Each year we gathered at Grandma’s for homemade noodles, sauce, sausage and meatballs.

 My five children did not simultaneously buy into their father’s meal.

And that’s how the KOH is with us.  We don’t all enter at the same time.  Sometimes tradition keeps us from entering.  Other times, looking forward inhibits us.  How is your fellowship with the Father?

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Jesus = Charity

December 17, 2010

                                                                     If God is love, and He is (1Jo 4:8), then substituting Jesus Christ for charity each time the word charity appears in 1Co 13:1-8 might prove insightful.  Humor me.  Bolden, italicized words show where substitutions have been made.

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not Jesus Christ, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not Jesus Christ, I am nothing. 
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not Jesus Christ, it profiteth me nothing. 
4. Jesus Christ suffereth long, and is kind; Jesus Christ envieth not; Jesus Christ vaunteth not himself, is not puffed up,
5. Doth not behave himself unseemly, seeketh not his own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 
8. Jesus Christ never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

This exercise has given me insight into how to be more charitable.  I need to be charitable as Jesus was charitable; however, I also need to be charitable with Jesus, for I cannot show true charity without Him. 

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12:00  -  a New Day

 December 24, 2010

 Ever read Matt 2:1-23 and wonder what the wise men saw in the sky?  A man named Rick Larson did just that.  He purchased the same astrological software astronomers use to foretell solar and lunar eclipses.   Our universe is highly predictable.  Movements are as precise as a watch, so his exercise was very reasonable.  Larson reproduced the star and planetary movements the wise men would have observed.  He traced the stars backwards to the time shortly before Herod’s death. 

 This is what Larson’s simulation showed:  Regulus, the brightest star in the sky to the human eye, is known as The King’s Star.  Prior to Jesus’ birth, Regulus passed through the paws of Leo [the lion] three times.  Passing through once would have been no big deal, twice would have been a rarity, but three times would have been an extraordinary event which would have caught the attention of any astronomer.  Next, Regulus [the king] converged with Jupiter [the father] and Venus [the mother] and passed through Virgo [the virgin].  And a year and a half later, Jupiter sat on the southern horizon for a significant period of time.

 Larson’s simulation tells me that the universe was created with Jesus as its focal point.  The universe is like a grandfather clock which was made, set at 8:00, the pendulum put in motion, and then at 12:00 the tune played and the chimes clanged.  So was our universe with respect to Jesus’ birth.  The heavens were made, its bodies were put in motion, and at Jesus’ birth tunes played and chimes clanged.  Praise God!

 Studying the stars, the wise men concluded a King was born and they desired to worship Him.  The wise men’s search for Jesus ought not surprise us for, The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork (Ps 19:1).  Studying the same stars today, what do modern wise men conclude (Rom 1:20-22)?  I believe real wise men still search for Jesus.

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All Articles Written by Elder Dolph Painter, Moriah Primitive Baptist Church

pastordolph@aol.com

This site created by Steve McCannon. This page last updated 08/07/2011