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Today's so-called fundamental churches have a "form
of godliness" in that they practice separation, conservative dress, play biblical music... however the gospel
message that is preached is not the gospel message of the Bible. This makes these churches more deceptive than their
more liberal counterparts because they appear more holy and are thus able to fool even the most discerning. The closer
to the Truth something is, the more deadly it is. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:5) Anyone who is a true believer attending a fundamental church should follow the Biblical
Truth that these churches actually teach (to separate from error) and should apply this teaching to himself and leave that
church. A.W. Tozer writes: “Fundamentalism
has stood aloof from the Liberal in self-conscious superiority and has on its own part fallen into error, the error
of textualism, which is simply orthodoxy without the Holy Ghost. Everywhere among Conservatives we
find persons who are Bible-taught but not Spirit-taught.... It was religion that put Christ on the cross, religion
without the indwelling Spirit. It is no use to deny that Christ was crucified by persons who
would today be called Fundamentalists.” (Tozer, The Divine Conquest, p. 78, 103)
Scripture tells us to not keep
company with those who teach/believe in 'another gospel' (1 Timothy 6:3-5 is one example). If you do, the Bible teaches
that you will slowly be deceived, darkened, and eventually you will wonder why you had any misgivings in the first place;
and you put yourself in danger of spiritual death (that is if you were born-again to begin with). If you were never Biblically born again, the good and strict rules of Christian living and pious looking
people will lull you into thinking that everything is okay, only to have you wake up in hell. May the Lord awaken such
as are in this grave situation by His grace and may they obey His commands to break off such ties/connections/attendance. Here is a glimpse at Biblical Christianity:
- "Give me leave to ask
you, in the presence of God, whether you know the time, and if you do not know exactly the time, do you know there was a time,
when God wrote bitter things against you, when the arrows of the Almighty were within you? Was ever the remembrance of your
sins grievous to you? Was the burden of your sins intolerable to your thoughts? Did you ever see that God’s wrath might
justly fall upon you, on account of your actual transgressions against God? Were you ever in all your life sorry for your
sins? Could you ever say, my sins are gone over my head as a burden too heavy for me to bear? Did you ever experience any
such thing as this? Did ever any such thing as this pass between God and your soul? If not..., do not call yourself Christians;
you may speak peace to your hearts, but there is no peace. May the Lord awaken you, may the Lord convert you…”
(George Whitefield 1714 - 1770, Select Sermons, p. 79)
- “To see these things revealed in the Bible is nothing. To
hear them preached by one of God's ministers is nothing. To receive the truth of these into our judgment and to yield to them
an unwavering assent is nothing. Thousands have done all this who are blaspheming God in hell… a man must have salvation
as an internal reality, as a known, enjoyed, tasted, felt and handled possession, or he will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
(Heavenly Birth and its Earthly Counterfeits, Joseph Philpot, 1843)
- "Alas, alas, God's way of salvation is almost entirely unknown
today, the nature of Christ's salvation is almost universally misunderstood, and the terms of His salvation misrepresented
on every hand. The "Gospel" which is now being proclaimed is, in nine cases out of every ten--but a perversion
of the Truth! Tens of thousands, assured they are bound for heaven--are now hastening to hell as fast as time can take them!
It is the bounden duty of every Christian, to have no dealings with the evangelistic monstrosity of the day, to withhold all
moral and financial support of the same, to attend none of their meetings, to circulate none of their tracts. Those preachers
who tell sinners that they may be saved without forsaking their idols, without repenting, without surrendering to the Lordship
of Christ--are as erroneous and dangerous as others who insist that salvation is by works, and that heaven must be earned
by our own efforts!" (from Present Day Evangelism Arthur Pink - 1886-1952)
- “This
is a day of much lip-profession without real heart work, and the "kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."
[1 Corinthians 4:20]. The "kingdom of God is within you." [Luke 17:21] This is what Satan seems in this
day to be most fighting against. He does not oppose a general profession of religion, which is now deemed respectable. Nor
does he mind great strictness in outward religious forms--as that is often a means of lulling the conscience into false peace.
He will not even disturb a sound creed [doctrine], and much zeal in contending for the truth of the Bible--so long as the
truths rest only in the natural mind, whereby they induce vain confidence and terrible self-deceiving. The great enemy of
souls will endeavor to keep all in peace who have "a name that thou livest, and art dead." [Revelation 3:1]. And
if one of his subjects passes over either from gross sins or from the more refined pleasures of this perishing world to an
outward profession, he will not be alarmed. For he cares as he gets them into his own fearful damnation. Nay, I believe if
he sees one become restless under some sense of sin, and that he cannot urge that poor soul on further in the old sinful way--he
will transform himself into "an angel of light" [2 Corinthians 11:14], and recommend reformation and external religious
duties, such as reading and hearing the Word--taking care to substitute "form" for "power" [2 Timothy
3:5]. Ah! my beloved friend, it is this stronghold which Satan fights against--and fallen flesh is in league with him!
He may tolerate outward forms and external religious exercises--but inward power is represented as contemptible, unreasonable,
and is called fanaticism and enthusiasm! Yet the eternal world of glory is full of this, swelling broader and deeper the anthem
of praise to the holy Lord God and the Lamb. Without this divine life within, no soul of man can be saved, as the great day
shall declare. It is, indeed, fearful to think what that dreadful day will reveal; and of all characters, I think those are
in the most fearful condition--who have had Christ on the lip--but not in the heart, as in Matt. 7:21-23. My heart often says:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23, 24.)” (The Marvelous Riches of Savoring Christ:
The Letters of Ruth Bryan, 1851)
The stance of this website summarized:
Repentance Based Way of Salvation ♦ Fundamental (in the sense of holding to the doctrines of the Bible, the ones
to which the persecuted church has always held - today's North American fundamental independent churches are apostate) ♦
KJV (as the best English translation, but not without error - only the original Hebrew/Greek text is the preserved Word of
God) ♦ Independent ♦ The Bible emphasizes repentance (both initially for salvation and then constantly
in the believer's walk) and the necessity of being "begotten of God" (born again); as well as obeying, abiding, holding fast, mortifying the flesh (old nature), working out our salvation with fear and
trembling all in the power of the Holy Spirit, Who provides assurance of salvation, illuminates the meaning of the Scriptures, and teaches the believer. It is possible
to depart from the living God, die outside of Christ, and perish. - 1. Note that if a person 'got saved' by 'accepting Jesus into his heart' and was assured of a home in heaven; that person should know that this is not how the Bible teaches the way of salvation
and that this teaching leads and is leading multitudes of church-going, baptized, professing 'christians', along with their
pastors, to eternal destruction. (The Lord Jesus Christ warns about this in Matthew 7:21-23.)
- 2.
It is possible to be "in perils among false brethren" (2 Corinthians 11:26). In the book Heaven
Taken by Storm, Watson writes to keep company with such as are 'violent for heaven' (Matthew 11:12); in other words, those
who hold to the Gospel of the Bible, who have been "begotten of God" - born again (have two natures), who
are taking up their cross and following the Lord by obedience... Todays churches, including the most fundamental, are
apostate. If you are a born again believer listening to and learning from the teachings of, and fellowshipping with,
'christians'; know that since this is disobedience to God's Word, it gives Satan the power to slowly blind and destroy you
(1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12). That is one reason for all of the warnings in Scripture to not keep company
with those who teach/believe in 'another gospel' (1 Timothy 6:3-5 is one example). Slowly you will be deceived, darkened,
and eventually you will wonder why you had any misgivings in the first place; and you put yourself in danger of spiritual
death. May the Lord awaken such as are in this grave situation by
His grace and may they obey His commands to break off such ties/connections/attendance. "Be not deceived:
evil communications corrupt good manners." (1 Corinthians 15:33)]
"Save yourselves from this untoward generation."
(Acts 2:40b)
Introduction: If anyone today cares about finding out the Truth, the only place to find It is from
the Bible and the writings of the old saints (usually dating back at least 100 years). As Tozer writes: "The
flush and excitement of the soul in love must be sought in the New Testament or in the biographies of saints; we look
for them in vain among the professed followers of Christ in our day.” (Tozer, The Price of Neglect,
p.26) What passes for christianity in
North America today, even in the most fundamental circles, is NOTHING like the Christianity of the persecuted church from
the time of the apostles. The gospel in today's churches in NOT the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles.
It is a perverted, watered down mixture that ignores Holy Spirit heart work (a real experience), misdefines Biblical concepts/terms,
ignores or misdefines repentance, and as such CANNOT lead to being "begotten of God" (new birth) and the
Holy Spirit's inner assurance (Romans 8:16). Since nobody has the inner assurance of the Holy Spirit, but they
are all assured by their pastors that the Spirit is living in them - everyone pretends that He is - thinks that this is 'as
good as it gets' - and can quote a Bible verse when they have doubts. The result is that those who 'accept Jesus into
their heart' (no such concept in the Bible - it is the Lord Jesus Christ who accepts us, and gives us the faith to receive
Him; when we come to Him on His terms - seeking, repenting, believing; in response to His drawing and the work of the Holy
Spirit in our hearts) and are assured of a home in heaven which they cannot loose by pastors; are in fact still on their way
to hell. (If you are honest with yourself, with your conscience, can you say that you have the inner assurance of the Holy Spirit of your salvation?) Today's pastors are false prophets: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto
the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out
of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say
unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you." (Jeremiah 23:16-17)
Since 'christians' today have never 'seen
the real thing' and are so used to this 'fake' 'religious' christianity, they think everything is normal. But, -ohhhh- just read the Bible, the old saints, the writings of the persecuted
church, the martyrs, the missionaries of days gone by and you will realize that there is something else, something beautiful,
something real: Holy Spirit filled believers. And it is only if you have experienced the new birth and are a "new
creature" and "the Spirit itself beareth witness with [your] spirit, that [you] are [a child] of
God" (Romans 8:16) that you are saved. Listen again to Tozer:
"There must come a violent break with that irresponsible, amusement-mad, paganized pseudo-religion which passes today
for the faith of Christ and which is spread all over the world by unspiritual men employing unscriptural methods to
achieve their ends.” (Tozer, The Root of the Righteous, p. 110)
- Listen to the KJV (voice only, undramatised): http://www.audiotreasure.com/KJV/
- "The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty."
(Psalms 29:4)
- Read John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (a book written in jail, where Bunyan spent 12 years for preaching the Gospel). The book is an allegory presenting
Christian's journey from the 'City of Wrath' to the 'Celestial City' and is very eye opening and quite a blessing, especially
in these days of total apostasy. The persecuted church of old considered it second in importance to the Bible!
(Make sure to get a copy with the Bible verse references. Old Paths Gospel Press publishes such a one, with rich
ongoing commentary by William Mason - the best copy out there. Available here.)
- Read Bunyan's The Holy War,
an allegory of the new birth. Again it is extremely important to buy one that hasn't been modernized and that has the
Bible verse references. Again, the Old Paths Gospel Press publication is the one to buy. It can be bought here. This copy is also a treasure in that it has rich ongoing commentary by William Mason.
International Outreach has some excellent books, booklets, and Puritan tracts (Genuine Salvation, Enormity, A Call to Self-Examination,
True Salvation is Rare, Suppose an Unholy Man Were to Go to Heaven)
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