The Ohio Bible Fellowship Visitor

Continued from the Previous Issue

The New Testament Preacher is to Maintain a Blameless Character, which includes the Primary Qualification of Freedom from Covetousness (1 Tim 6:6–11; 1 Pet 5:1–3; 2 Pet 2:2–3, 14–17; Jude 11, 16).
One of the most important qualifications for the preacher of the gospel is a blameless testimony concerning money. American churches should realize that receiving foreign support, especially in the Two-Thirds World, often results in a covetous desire for money and power. These wrong desires lead to number of problems in the national church:

Continue reading ‘Stewardship In Foreign Missions, part 2′

Should Foreigners Support National Leaders?
Much of contemporary evangelicalism embraces the practice of supporting national pastors and evangelists on the foreign mission field. One mission director claims, “More than 140 organizations are now built on the premise of gathering and sending money, not people . . . One of the largest money-gathering agencies reports that it now supports 3,300 full-time workers in over 50 countries.” A popular Christian magazine advertises for donors to help support national pastors on foreign fields, reporting that “thousands of native missionaries in poorer countries take the gospel to un-reached people groups in remote areas that are extremely difficult for American missionaries to go . . . Your church can send 10 missionaries for $500 a month. That’s a mission budget that will amaze your missions committee and it’s good stewardship too.”

Are these examples really a good stewardship of missions money? There is increasing momentum in our fundamental churches towards financial partnerships with national pastors and evangelists. Fundamentalists need to think through this issue biblically, especially with regard to the doctrine of the local church. Care must be taken to avoid unbiblical pragmatism.

Continue reading ‘Stewardship In Foreign Missions, part 1′

Contextualizing the gospel is the only way the church can impact our culture. If we want our message to gain a hearing, we must contextualize it—we must communicate it in a way that our hearers can relate to and understand. For example, since postmodernists reject the concepts of authority and truth that previous generations assumed, our approach cannot remain the same. The world has changed, and if we refuse to change with it, the gospel will get left behind.

Or so we are told by the prophets of contextualization.

Continue reading ‘Shall We Contextualize the Gospel?’

As Paul left the city of Athens and traveled west toward Corinth, he headed into a city renowned for its vice and corruption. If ever a city needed the gospel, Corinth was it. Upon arriving, Paul began to preach in the Jewish synagogue, as he normally did (Acts 18:4), and the Jews rejected his message that Jesus was their Messiah, as they normally did (Acts 18:5).

Paul turned from the religious Jews to the pagan Corinthians and began again to preach the gospel (Acts 18:6). God’s power was displayed as He opened the eyes of Crispus, his family, and many others, and they turned in repentance and saving faith to Jesus Christ (Acts 18:8).

It was during this time that God spoke to Paul one night in a vision: “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9–10). The Lord’s words to Paul give three reasons why we too should not be afraid to proclaim God’s Word.

We are assured of God’s presence.
As God was with Paul, so he is with us. There is no place in the universe where we are hidden from God’s presence (Ps 139:7–12). Furthermore, God has promised never to abandon us— he is with us (Heb 13:5–6).

We are assured of God’s protection.
God promised Paul that no one would attack or harm him. Since God is in sovereign control of our lives, nothing happens outside of his perfectly ordained plan (Rom 8:28–29).

We are assured about God’s people.
God told Paul to continue proclaiming the gospel because He had many people in the city of Corinth. We too can be confident as we give the gospel that God has those who will be saved (John 10:16; 6:37). Our responsibility is to faithfully give the message; God is the One who will save souls.

God assured Paul that He was with him, that He would protect him, and that He had people who would be saved in that city. What do these truths do for us?

They inform our method of giving the gospel.
The power of the gospel is not based on gimmickry (2 Cor 2:17), clever presentation (1 Cor 1:17–2:5), or personal winsomeness (1 Thess 2:3–5). Rather, the power of the gospel through simple proclamation is the means God has chosen to save souls and change lives(1 Thess 1:4–5).

They prevent discouragement as we proclaim the gospel.
We are not responsible to produce results; we are responsible to proclaim the message faithfully and accurately. We do not need to become discouraged when people reject the gospel; instead, we can remain confident that the Lord still has people he is drawing to himself.

February 2007

Christ’s dealings with the rich young ruler in Matthew19:16–26 provide an interesting example of the centrality of repentance in the gospel message. A young man came to Christ with questions about eternal life (v. 16). Apparently, he knew that he lacked peace with God (v. 20). He appeared to be “ripe for the picking.” Chalk up another decision! Yet, when Christ put his finger on the man’s idol (v. 21) he refused to relinquish it (v. 22; cp. I Thess 1:9). It seems that while he desired eternal life (and who doesn’t?), he was unwilling to turn from his own way and thoughts (Isa 55:7). The result? Christ let him go away unsaved and unhappy.

How many such men have been led in a sinner’s prayer that salved their consciences but didn’t save their souls? How many have thus been unwittingly inoculated against the truth? How many have left churches lost and relieved rather than lost and sorrowful?

We, of course, lack Christ’s omniscience; we cannot see a sinner’s heart. However, that fact should make us more careful in our dealings with men, not less. Rather than promising life to an unrepentant sinner, we must trust the Holy Spirit to do a miraculous work in his heart and bring him to repentance and faith (v. 26). In short, we must let him go. He may be sad, but at least he will know that his soul is not yet right with God.

September 2006

The following resolutions were passed during the 2005 Winter Conference of the Ohio Bible Fellowship. They are published here to affirm our stand on the issues presented and to encourage our readers to stand with us.

A RESOLUTION ON PROMISE UNFULFILLED

WHEREAS the theological position known as new evangelicalism has been on the religious scene for approximately sixty-five years; and

WHEREAS this position arose out of fundamentalism and has made great inroads into the numerical base of fundamentalism; and

WHEREAS this position differs from historic fundamentalism in rejecting the doctrine of biblical separation, espousing a social agenda, and agreeing to dialogue with liberalism; and

WHEREAS there has been a need for a history of the movement which would trace the theological aberrations which have occurred through the unscriptural nature of these founding principles; and

WHEREAS Dr. Rolland D. McCune has recently met this need with a book-length effort titled: Promise Unfulfilled: The Failed Strategy of Modern Evangelicalism; and

WHEREAS this volume promises to become the definitive history and theological exposure of new evangelicalism from a fundamentalist point of view;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we the members and delegates of the Ohio Bible Fellowship, meeting in our Winter Conference on January 14–15, 2005, at Westerville Bible Church, Westerville, Ohio, commend Dr. McCune for the Herculean task he has accomplished for fundamentalism in the assembling and critical theological evaluation of this material; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we commend the reading of this volume to fundamentalist pastors and people; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we commend this book to our Christian colleges and Bible schools as an appropriate text for courses on fundamentalism and new evangelicalism; and

BE IT NOTED, for the convenience of our readers, that the book may be obtained from Inter-City Christian Bookstore, 4635 Allen Road, Allen Park, Michigan 4810l, (313) 383-6110, www.icbooks.com, for the cost of $24.99.

RESOLUTION ON UNBIBLICAL COOPERATION

WHEREAS on November 14, 2004 many evangelicals, including Ravi Zacharias and Richard Mouw, participated in “An Evening of Friendship” with Mormons in the Mormon Tabernacle; and

WHEREAS the purpose of this meeting was to preach the gospel, strengthen a working relationship with Mormons, and continue the process of dialogue; and

WHEREAS Mormons summarize their beliefs in the statement, “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be,” thereby rejecting the Christian doctrines of the Bible, God, man, sin, Jesus Christ, and salvation; and

WHEREAS Scripture teaches that Christians should not enter into working relationships in spiritual matters with unbelievers or those who compromise with them (2 Cor 6:14–7:1; 2 Thess 3:6, 14) but be separate from them; and

WHEREAS these evangelicals have repudiated the doctrine of separation and made experience, not sound doctrine, the basis of fellowship;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the members and delegates of the Ohio Bible Fellowship, meeting in our Winter Conference on January 14–15, 2005 at Westerville Bible Church, Westerville, Ohio, remind ourselves of and renew our commitment to separation from entangling alliances that would compromise our testimony and endanger our churches (2 Cor 6:14–7:1); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in our local churches we teach and practice biblical evangelism, separation, and apologetics rather than ecumenical evangelism and the practice of dialogue; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we expose unbiblical beliefs and practices such as those propagated by Mormonism (Eph 5:11), preach the gospel to all men (Col 1:28), and teach the fundamental doctrines of Christianity for maturity in Christ and protection from error (Eph 4:11–16); and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we make sound doctrine the basis for Christian fellowship and cooperation rather than pleasing experiences at the expense of such doctrine (Eph 4:4–6).

RESOLUTION ON THE UNGUARDED USE OF NEW EVANGELICAL AUTHORS
BEFORE OUR CONGREGATIONS

WHEREAS the most dangerous deviation is the one closest to our own position; and

WHEREAS the conservative voice of new evangelicalism is the fundamentalist’s greatest peril; and

WHEREAS there is a predominance of religious works written by new evangelicals; and

WHEREAS these writers demonstrate an effectiveness in communicating their thoughts and in displaying a winsomeness of personality which readily reaches the mind and heart of the average layman; and

WHEREAS those same authors who are banned from our pulpits gain the ear of our people through their writings; and

WHEREAS Scripture warns against developing friendships with those whose influence can harm us (Prov 22:24–25; 1 Cor 15:33); and

WHEREAS such influence can steadily erode our militancy and develop in us an admiration and even acceptance of individuals clearly identified with the new evangelical movement;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the members and delegates of the Ohio Bible Fellowship, meeting in our Winter Conference on January 14–15, 2005 at Westerville Bible Church, Westerville, Ohio, renew our commitment to refuse to give new evangelicalism a foothold in our churches through the unguarded usage or inappropriate promotion of their writings before our people; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we identify these writers and warn our people against their subtle influence; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we encourage one another in maintaining our watchfulness as we “seek to protect the flock of God” (Acts 20:28–31).

RESOLUTION ON EVANGELISM

WHEREAS Jesus Christ, before returning to heaven, entrusted the Church with the responsibility of evangelism, making it clear that the gospel was to go into all the world (Mark 16:17; Matt 28:18–20: Acts 1:8); and

WHEREAS each Christian is Christ’s ambassador, to whom God has committed the ministry and message of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18–20); and

WHEREAS the truth of God’s Word is the basis of saving faith (Rom 10:17; 2 Tim 3:15) and any message that departs from God’s revelation is a false gospel, accursed by God (Gal 1:6–9); and

WHEREAS evangelism is not peddling a particular moral, religious, or political viewpoint (2 Cor 2:17), meeting felt needs, persuading someone to give mental assent to certain facts, or emotionally overpowering a person;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the members and delegates of the Ohio Bible Fellowship, meeting in our Winter Conference on January 14–15, at Westerville Bible Church, Westerville, Ohio, rededicate ourselves to biblical evangelism, faithfully proclaiming the gospel message (1 Cor 1:18, 21; 15:1–4; Rom 10:13–17), God’s divinely ordained means by which he will save those whom he has sovereignly chosen from every tribe, language, and people group (Rev 5:9); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we consistently teach our people their personal responsibility to take the gospel to the world, boldly proclaiming the reality of God, the nature of sin, the person and work of Christ, and the necessity of faith and repentance as revealed in the Bible; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we maintain the purity of the gospel message, carefully guarding the truth as revealed in the Bible (Jude 3; 2 Tim 1:13–14) and avoiding associations that would tarnish the gospel (2 Cor 6:14–18; 2 John 10–11; 1 Cor 15:33); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we as God’s representatives confront sinners, commanding them to repent based on who God is (Acts 17:30–31), bearing in mind that the gospel creates opposition and difficulty as the demands of discipleship are clearly delineated (Matt 10:34–39; John 6:60–69); and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we implement these biblical principles in our churches, supporting global missions, reaching out to surrounding communities, clearly presenting the gospel in our preaching and teaching, and making biblically accurate gospel materials available to our people.

January 2005

It is important to know where we stand on religious issues. It is important for pastors and their congregations alike. The following resolutions are statements of positions declared in the 2003 Fall Conference of the Ohio Bible Fellowship.

Continue reading ‘OBF Fall Conference Resolutions’