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Sovereign Grace Landmark Missionary Baptist Newsletter
Introduction
This is the first issue of the Sovereign Grace Landmark Missionary Baptist Newsletter. The purpose for publication of this newsletter is to make known the Biblical teachings of those who proclaim these scriptural truths. Subscription to this newsletter is through email and may be extended to traditional mail subscriptions if the Lord blesses toward that end. The newsletter will also be posted online through links found at:
http://www.msnusers.com/SovereignGraceLandmarkMissionaryBaptist and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScriptureStudies/.
The purpose of the newsletter is to declare the doctrines of Grace (Sovereignty), the doctrine of the church (Landmark) the doctrine of the commission given to the church (missionary) and to show from scripture and history these have always been the distinctive doctrinal position of the Baptist. You can receive monthly issues of the newsletter through email by sending a message requesting subscription to me at [email protected].
My prayer and hope is not to create contention among the children of God, but rather that I as a servant of God through Christ would be found worthy of producing such a work as the SGLMB newsletter. The Bible expressly teaches that a person cannot take the calling of the ministry upon himself (And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. Heb. 5.4). It is my prayer the Lord would be pleased to bless this effort to provide an understanding of the doctrines of Grace, and that of the church in line with all that Christ both began to do and teach while in this world (Acts 1.1).
Within this newsletter, you will find articles founded upon the scripture showing the truth of these teachings. You will find writings from the past and also from myself. Hopefully this will extend to include writings of some of our contemporary preachers of these doctrines. In this first issue I deal primarily with the history of the mission effort in Cookeville as I came to be involved. In future issues I plan to deal specifically with the doctrine of Sovereign Grace, Landmarkism, Biblical Missions, and Baptist perpetuity.
Blessings in Cookeville, Tennessee: Mission Report to Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Below is a letter written by me to Mt. Vernon Baptist church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Elder Ray Angus is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist church and is the former missionary to the group in Cookeville. This letter is the result of two things:
Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church has covenanted among themselves to support the ministry there in Cookeville through prayer and a missions offering.
The group in Cookeville expressed the desire to constitute a New Testament Church on Sunday March 7, 2004.
The letter I have written is included to provide any concerned with the discussion that followed. This letter does not represent an exhaustive account of the issues necessary for discussion in constitution of a scriptural New Testament church, but I felt these were a good beginning toward that end.
As part of any scriptural organization, there is a legitimate question of first, the source of authority and second of organization. These two issues will be addressed in as much as is possible in regards to the position I hold as a member in a local body at Grider Memorial Baptist in Glasgow Kentucky. These issues also form the core of the issues facing the landmark Baptist in both doctrine and practice. It is certain that in order to be what we say we are we must align our practice with what we receive from scripture as doctrine. The letter then is sent to Mt. Vernon in relation not to the fact they are in support of my ministry as to say they possess an authority over the body where I hold local membership in this matter, but only because they have expressed confidence in the manner in which the ministry is operated among the believers and visitors to our worship services there in Cookeville. The greatest issues facing this body of believers I feel at this time is the question of authority and that of organization under that authority.
Dear Brother Ray,
Below you will find events from our recent visit to Cookeville for March 7, 2004.
We came together for worship services on March 7 2004 in the home of Sister Anna Littrell. We opened our services with singing of praises and had our regular Bible Study. After this we entered into the regular worship services after congregational singing we sought the Lord's leadership by prayer and I brought the message from John 10.1 & 16. I discussed the sheepfold found in vs. 1 and the sheep not of this fold and made some observations regarding these distinctions.
These observations concerned the church and the household of God or the family of God. Distinctions were made in what constituted a NT church as distinguishing it from other works which certainly did contain the participation of members of the body of the elect. But that body coming together in covenant desiring to constitute into a local visible body of believers were necessarily distinguished from others by both doctrine and practice.
Among these distinctions I attempted to show the following as I feel necessary in identifying the NT church.
Important characteristics of the NT church:
1. They recognize Christ alone as the head of the church.
2. They recognize the Holy Bible as their rule of faith and order and covenant together to support the presentation of the word of God to the best of their understanding in the community.
3. They covenant together to support the local body through prayer and as the Lord blesses to support the ministry throughout the community.
4. They covenant together to provide a witness in the community so as not to bring shame upon Jesus Christ and the cause of Christ in the world.
5. That they covenant together to support the spiritual growth in grace and knowledge of the church and to continue in their private devotions to assist the church in providing a sound witness to the command that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem and that this was a continual work of the Church until the time the Lord should return for her.
6. That other bodies of believers not subscribing to the NT example would be counted as brothers and sisters in the Lord in so much as they exhibited an outward manifestation of the 'other sheep' of John 10.16 that are not of this fold because of the Biblical distinctions alone. But that among these are found in accordance with their testimony and the recognition of the fruit of the Spirit bearing this witness of the family of God, so that they be recognized as brethren to that extent but that we cannot enter into church associations with any except those which exhibit the principles of scripture alone including the baptism administered by the authority of a local body and administered upon that authority to believers only. (By believers it is meant that none besides those presenting themselves with the reason for hope of an interest in the redemption work of Christ exhibiting evidence of repentance and faith are Biblical candidates for immersion. That this excludes from church fellowship, but not necessarily Christian fellowship, those who have received a semblance of this baptism or that administer that baptism while professing they are unable to enter into the necessary determination by the Holy Spirit to recognize within those presenting themselves a hope of possessing knowledge of an eternal work of salvation by grace and having received the holy calling to present themselves to the church.
7. That the body recognizes these as honest believers in accordance with their understanding, but cannot walk in accordance with the belief that not all the elect having been quickened from a previous life of spiritual death in trespasses and sins will not by that same Spirit of Holiness be drawn to the Gospel message (2 Thess. 2.13; 2 Tim. 1.9). That a denial of the sovereignty of God in providing the witness of the Gospel of His Son and thereby to call the elect to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus is a misunderstanding of the words of Christ at John 10.3, 4, 14 16, and 27 and at many places found taught by the Apostles and thereby inspired by the Holy Spirit to endeavor to provide to the church a right understanding of this as an eternal truth to be as dear as the doctrines of Grace themselves as this is an inseparable truth found in those doctrines).
These are some things that I discussed in the message brought before the congregation. Closing the message and after singing and prayer we entered into an informal discussion regarding the intentions of each of us to enter into a covenant agreeable to us by prayer and leadership of the Holy Spirit to organize and constitute a local and visible body of believers.
This discussion of the necessary truths found in scripture that are essential to our fellowship and the future peace of the body lasted for about an hour. At the end of this time we determined among ourselves to locate a building which we could begin to meet in the community of Cookeville, Tennessee and thereby begin to make notice of the intention we have of entering into constitution of a NT Baptist church organized upon the principles shown above and in accord with what we receive from scripture as recognized today as an independent body of believers subscribing to the doctrines of Grace, the continued presence of the Lord's church since the time of its original institution in the world (landmark, meaning that we do receive as truth the exhibition of scriptural authority found in the baptism of any who seek membership within our body. However, in keeping with the truth, where it can be best determined necessary that baptism may not be found in a true chain-link record that the candidate's previous baptism will be determined by contact with the body providing the administration and in the case of the inability of this the person would be requested to submit to the authority we believe found within our local visible body and that at no time would the authority extended to the adminstrator of the ordinances of the church which are the Baptism and the Lord's Supper be thought to be a license to perfom in the capacity of providing either or both apart from the purpose of the individual receiving the baptism commit themselves to local membership with this body, nor that persons of other bodies be permitted to the table. The permission to the Lord's Table is not held to be ours to give or with-hold in eternity, but in our present position though we each may be in Christ we hold the administration of Baptism and the Lord's Supper to be held among those covenanted together under the principles and thereby trust the will of God that we would not be found in abuse of these ordinances either personally or within the church.
After closing this informal discussion of what we would hold as essential doctrines that we enter upon in agreement, we discussed the need to locate a building to move our worship services to.
Sister Anna suggested the community center on Old Bridge Rd. about half way between her home and Cookeville.
After leaving Kelly and I drove by the building in question and stopped to look at it. I was able to inquire about the use of the building from a man living near the site and he informed me of its history and use. He provided me with the necessary people to contact to gain permission to open and use this building for our worship services. And stated this building would probably be available free of charge for our use as others using it never paid any kind of fee. He was very useful in providing the needed information. I resolved to contact the authorites of Cookeville to inquire about use of the Bridge Community center for our purposes and we left.
We are impressed with the belief that the Lord has provided a strong leadership in directing us to the work in Cookeville and we are both thankful and humbled by this leadership. We are also thankful and at the same time humbled by the confidence expressed toward us in this work by Mt. Vernon Baptist Church and the encouragement we have received from that body and Bro. Ray Angus in the promise to pray for the continued blessing of the Lord in Cookeville that this work would be found to be a true work of His New Testament church and an effort to continue in the recognition of the words of Christ "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. To which we add our voice with the writer of the Gospel of Matthew and say Amen.
We received on the morning of Saturday March 6, 2004 a mission offering from Mt. Vernon Baptist church in the amount of 50.00 dollars. This is appreciated very much as it has been very used in purchasing fuel for our trip to Cookeville. We wish to thank the brothers and sisters of Mt. Vernon Baptist for this offering. We also wish to express our desire for continued prayer on behalf of our decision to pursue organization as a New Testament church holding to what we recieve as recognizable Biblical Truth commonly identified in history and our present day as Baptist distinctives.
As a servant of the Lord responsible to Him for what is ministered to the body in Cookeville I also submit myself to the loving advice of Mt. Vernon Baptist church recognizing the independent nature of each body in determining the course of their respective stand and submitting ourselves to the Grace of God that we would be found to always hold forth as Biblical truth the principles found above and that where ever a question arises among any church in similar faith regarding our faith or practice that we would be able to continue in dialogue to determine the proper scriptural position.
On behalf of my family and the brethren in Cookeville I wish to express our appreciation of your love for us in the brotherhood of faith that was once delivered to the saints.
May God richly bless your witness there where he has seen fit to call you out from the world and to assemble you together as one of His churches.
Bro. Dallas Eaton
(270) 678-7941
2813 South Fork Rd.
Glasgow, Ky. 42141
[email protected]
[email protected]
Cookeville Mission work support report
March 2004 (General Offerings Record)
Received from Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church, Fayettville Arkansas: $50.00
Received from friend at Grider Memorial Baptist in Glasgow, KY. (Local church which will extend arm of fellowship to the Cookeville group for organization): $20.00
Received from Brother Robert Griffen (Casper Wyoming) $25.00
Total for March 2004:
$95.00
Church offerings $50.00
We appreciate the prayers and support of all who are moved to do so to help with the mission work in Cookeville.
Bro. Dallas Eaton