Hello
 

Hi. I joined this board a day or two ago. I seldom get things in the right order; I have posted on some threads without introducing myself properly. I greatly appreciate being on this board as I have never before found a church or forum that has this level of profound respect for the Word of God. Perhaps I haven't looked hard enough before.

I didn't grow up in the church, I am mostly self-taught (a great deal from my husband and a lot directly from God's Word) and I tend to be very opinionated and don't like let go of an issue until I feel satisfied that I have the answer.

We don't attend any church. We've tried in the past but we have trouble listening to sermons that are either not KJVO, or are Calvinistic, or deny eternal security, or stress water baptism, or are not premillenial , or have women pastors, you get the idea.

As you might imagine, our walk with the Lord is not thriving as it should as a result of having little or no fellowship for 15 years or so. We have lots of doctrinal knowledge, impeccable understanding of biblical prophecy and a deep thirst for the truth of God's Word. We've tried many churches from Oregon to California to Ohio, where we presently live, but have never found one that we like or that likes us. We would love to hear of any churches in Columbus, OH that might be a good fit.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have.

Jennifer

Welcome Sister

You will find that this board is filled with loving God fearing Bible believing born again Christians. There are some posts from bible deniers / critics / scorners and general "trouble makers", I would urge you to "pay no heed" to their guile.
For the most part this forum is to exalt the name of The Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy written word (which we just so happen to BELIEVE he has preserved in the KJB) and edify his body. We don't all agree on everything, but for the most part we are all of "one mind" on the MAJOR doctrines, and there will of course be disagreements occasionally, but by the Grace of God they all get worked out in the end, being reconciled or agreeing to disagree with no loss of fellowship.
I personally am what people would refer to as a "moderate dispensationalist"
and I have found many like minded Brothers and Sisters on this forum who are of the same mind and I would urge that you pay attention to what they teach.
I am a simple man, now let me explain what I mean by this as I was jumped on by another forum for stating that I was "simple"
I used to be full of pride, arrogance, worldliness, covetous, cares of this world and lusts of this world, but by the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, my conversation changed, I became (over time) more patient (still working on that one ) settled, stablished, rooted in his word, humble, meek, and most of all resting in Jesus.
Now these are the simple things to me, the "simplicity that is in Christ" not as carnal christians class simple (stupid). May this forum bring you blessing and edification through the magnifying of the Lords Holy written word.

2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

Jennifer, I am Tony, one of the other dry cleaners in the forum. I'm over here just 14 miles west of Springfield and about 19 north and slightly east of Dayton. In looking for a good grace-based, dispensationalist, fundamentalist church, try and avoid the Stamite/Bereans if you can, unless they have renounced Cornelius Stam's hyper-Calvinism and his multiversion bible authority. There is a small grace dispensationalist church in town here, about 60 miles west of you. You are in the same area as John Hinton, a very strong and powerful defender of the KJV.

Information@graceimpact.org.

Send an email to the address above or email me off the forum and I can give you their phone number. This is Pastor Richard Jordan's church and ministry. Jordan was president of the Berean Bible Society in the mid 80s for a short time, Stam fired him because of Jordan's insistence on the KJV as the sole Bible for the Bereans. They will be able to give you a list of grace churches in your area. www.graceimpact.org has a lot of information you will find of a fruitful nature.

I have no problem attending an IFB church but I'm usually denied membership due to my convictions on water baptism and the "great commission". I believe our first responsibility is to our community, and only then worry about Kazakstan or Cambodia. If you compromise on one conviction, comprising the second and third and fourth and fifth is not that hard.

Grace and peace to you and welcome to the forum.

Tony

Welcome to the forums Greenbear, I hope your walk with God is blessed through your participation here. I pray you never give up completely on finding a suitable local church, this side of the rapture!

Tony,
Howdy, neighbor! We are definitely checking out your information on Pastor Richard Jordan's church and ministry. We really want to thank you for responding. What a blessing you are.

I couldn't care less if someone calls me a hyperdrycleaningdispensationalist or any other name. I care nothing for tradition. I'm sensitive and can get hurt feelings from personal affronts or attacks but I don't get upset by insults about what I believe scripture teaches. If I didn't believe a position I take I wouldn't take it. If someone's argument from scripture proves me wrong, and I can see it, I will change my mind and admit it. Although I like to be right just as much as the next person, I pray the Lord will show me when I err. I feel bad when brothers and sisters in Christ resort to methods of debate that even those who only possess worldly wisdom reject, namely ad hominem attacks. It reveals the "attacker's" insecurity about the position they hold.

May you rest in his grace and peace,

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer, welcome to the forum! I hope that God will lead you and your husband to a good Bible believing ministry. Good churches are getting harder to find. Take care.
Tim

peopleoftheway,

Thank you so much for your welcome and the godly wisdom you shared. My lack of an earlier response to your post was nothing more than being mildly scatter-brained. I thought I had already responded! LOL

As you have suggested it would be, I have indeed found this board to be edifying and a blessing.

I'm not too concerned about the members of the board not agreeing on everything. We are only looking through the glass darkly and hopefully we are reflecting the light on each other that the Lord has shined on each of us. Of course, there is only one correct answer to every question but I'm not sure any one of us has every single answer to every single question. I could be wrong about that, there may be people on this earth that are so submitted to the lord that their understanding of God's Word seems perfect compared to my own.

Thank you Kiwi Christian. I feel welcomed and God is already blessing me through my participation here. I feel that we may have some reason to be optimistic on the local church front. I look forward to getting to know you all.

Thank you for the welcome! I believe the Lord led us to this wonderful board so I have complete confidence He is also leading us to "face-to-face" fellowship. I vaguely remember praying several weeks ago as I was falling asleep that He would provide Christian fellowship for us. He is so faithful and loving.

Perhaps sometime in the near future when I am not vehicularly challenged we'll get together.

If you feel comfortable in a grace church environment, I'm sure Richard can recommend something in your area.

Sister, I don't debate much anymore. I give the Scripture and let a Christian make their own mind up. Dr. Ruckman likes to call us dry cleaners "church splitters". I wish he had taken more of a stand on the Spanish NT issue back in the 80s, that split a lot of churches. I'm no repector of denominations: If a Baptist church is held together only by water baptism, if a grace church is held together only by dispensationalism, if a pentecostal/charasmatic church is held together only by tongues, they need to be split. The Holy Spirit is what holds churches together.

Grace and peace sister, let me know what you hear from Richard:)

Tony

Welcome to you greenbear,I hope you find good fellowship here,so along with the others you have my good wishes too.:p

Mrs Hayseed

Tony,
We would be very pleased to meet you. We could travel to you, Lord willing. We never go anywhere, so it would be a treat!
Or we would love to have you visit us whenever it might be convenient for you.

I didn't see a doctrinal statement (other than grace and dispensational) on Grace Impact homepage but I requested that info as well as church locations. The website looks interesting, though.

It seems apparent to my husband and me and I believe you, as well, that the underlying reason for the splintering of the church into so many denominations is the failure of the church to distinguish between the commandments and promises to Israel from those given to the church during the age of grace, the mystery revealed through Paul.

I'm not up on all of the different dispensational positions, and I have never heard of Ruckman before this board and I don't think I will bother to investigate him. I think that the "moderate" dispensational view at least avoids the major stumbling blocks for understanding salvation by faith alone and a pre-millennial, pre-tribulational understanding of biblical prophecy. I can agree to disagree at that juncture, if I must. God forbid that we should believe that we inherit the promises that God gave to His people, Israel. The church is only a tiny blip in God's program. We are just the wild olive branch, grafted in, partaking of the blessings of the cultivated olive tree, which is Israel.

The debate over water baptism for the church age is of great significance. How many millions of people have been lost because they believed that they were saved for the reason that they were baptized as an infant? How many adults have believed that their decision to be baptized ensured their salvation without believing on Christ? These people are suffering the unimaginable torments of hell. They will spend eternity in the lake of fire. No scriptures that are given to the gentile church command or suggest water baptism.

Unity of the Spirit can't be achieved by compromise or agreeing to disagree. Church traditions obscure the truth of God's word. There is nothing new under the sun.

Thank you, Mrs. Hayseed. I appreciate your warm welcome. I'm finding good fellowship even as I type this response! :typing:

We'll touch base soon sister.

You and your hubby are exactly right. One of the things I emphasized to a new member of the forum(Buzz)when he asked where he should start reading the Bible, I told him to start with the books written to him: Romans through Philemon. It's odd that 99 percent of people who do not understand or are against dispensational Bible study quote 99 percent of their doctrine from Romans through Philemon, and are unaware of why. Just as nearly all churches have a mid-week service on Wednesdays and do not understand why. Christ was crucified on a Wednesday, not Friday. I told Buzz the same thing I told a young Jewish lady who is a convert to the gospel: Learn the difference between a Jew and a Gentile, the Body and Israel. Learn what God did yesterday, what He is doing today, and what is yet future.

In all the history of the Body of Christ I honestly could not say which is the greater contention among believers: The Scripture authority/"version" issue or water baptism. Clearly, the teaching we are regenerated by water baptism in whatever form is a heresy. Basing fellowship, church membership, even having it in a doctrinal statement is as I have said: It's not heresy, it's not sin, it's not a fault even, it's a doctrinal error based on not rightly dividing the word of God. The major cults who base themselves on Christianity(Roman Catholic, Mormons, JWs, Church Of Christ, Jesus Only Pentecostal, Way International, Worldwide Church Of God, etc.) all practice baptismal regeneration as a doctrine because regeneration is not the key within their systems, works afterwards are, plus you can lose your "regeneration". Regeneration is secondary to them, it is primary in true Christianity, and the key to eternal life.

I've had people ask me what is the correct form for water baptism: Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, and I give them the Scriptural answer: None of the three. Water baptism is a washing.

I'm going to save any further comments on the practice among believers for the water baptism thread. I guess the rest of the forum thinks I have abandoned that one and the dispensationalist thread, I have just been busy with other thread and topics.

I shall return.

Richard Jordan, his church, their doctrine, are strictly fundamentalist. The reason Richard broke with Stam is mostly because he was fired from the Bereans over the KJV. Richard is not Calvinst by any means as Stam was, and if there is one man I'd stack up next to Dr. Ruckman as far as a teacher, it would be Richard. I have many of his cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and little tracts and booklets and he and I differ only on the "Lord's Supper". He does it, I don't.

As individuals each Christian rightly divides the Bible with just a few slight variations. I don't know if you are familiar with High Street in Columbus, but close OSU and High Street dies. Bars, clubs, eateries, record/CD stores, computer/console game stores and most of all, used book stores make up High Street. It goes 24 hours a day 7 days a week. What I think is great about this forum is take me, you, your hubby, Richard Jordan, Brandon, George, brother Parrish, Clint, Luke, and put us on High Street and observe us as we witness. You would not be able to tell us apart. The similarities between us grace believers with our IFB brethren and sisteren are greater than the differences, and the differences are not worth fighting or debating over. Discuss yes, fight, no.

Grace and peace sister, I look forward to hearing from you again.

Tony