Alan

Hello and welcome to Online Baptist.

Many years ago, so many years that I had forgotten what year, I visited with Pastor Eric Capaci at Gospel Light Baptist Church in Hot Springs, AR at the church and met some of his staff. I did not have a meeting with the church but I was just in the area and wanted to ask him personally for a meeting. At that time, he was, to my knowledge, IFB, had a very active soul-winning ministry and a lighthouse for the gospel in the Hot Springs area. As a missionary, I was well treated, his staff showed me the ministry, and I was afforded every courtesy as a missionary. It saddens me to know that he is in the SBC.

I do hope that the piano hymns are a blessing to your heart. The music and the scenes of Colorado are the courtesy of Kaleb Brasee May God bless all of you. Alan

“Independent Assemblies” Philippians 4:15 The apostle Paul is now on his second missionary journey that he and Barnabas started in Acts 15:36. “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.” Philippians 4:15 & 16 The apostle Paul is commending the Philippian church, or local assembly, for helping him with his physical necessities. Three Locations Mentioned 1. Philippi. The city where the current church, or assembly, is located. We will also take note that the accepted time of the writing of the book of Philippi was in 64 A. D. Also, according to Acts 16:6-12, while at Troas, Paul received the Macedonian call. So, instead of travelling to Asia, the East, the Lord directed Paul and his companions on the first missionary effort towards the West, the Roman province of Macedonia and Europe. 2. Macedonia. The Roman Province that Philippi and Thessalonica is located. 3. Thessalonica. A city further south from Philippi. At the time of the writing of the epistle to the Philippians, 64 A. D. , the church at Philippi had know of the events that took place at Thessalonica, Acts 17:1-9. The book of 1 Thessalonians was written in 54 A. D. So, since the distance between the two cities was not great, and there was an church in both places, and as Paul clearly indicates that the the two churches were in close contact with one another, both of the churches had fellowship with one another but there was no other ties between the two churches nor with the other churches in the area. Map is the courtesy of BibleStudy.org I would like to bring to mind that at that time the apostle Paul mentioned only one church, or local assembly, was giving towards his necessities as a missionary. Later on in his missionary journey that situation changed. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 we read, “Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering of the saints.” Different Churches not a Universal Church “… no church ...” As led by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul clearly differentiated between the church at Philippi from the other churches in any other city, region, or location. In this passage, Paul mentions the church, or assembly, at Thessalonica. Therefore, the saints at various locations, when they assembled together, constituted a local church and were independent of other local churches, or assemblies. Independent Assemblies “… communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.” The church at Philippi knew the brethren at the church at Thessalonica. The two churches, and probably more churches than we know, had close fellowship with one another. But, besides fellowship, there was no denominational binding of the assemblies together. Even though Paul had stated other churches, only the church at Philippi gave toward his necessities. So, it is plainly evident that the local assembly makes the decision to use its funds, or time, or other goods, or any other decision, without the authorization of any other assembly. Every church is a local entity, independent, from other local churches, or assemblies. There is no ecclesiastical authority, or hierarchy, above a true, New Testament, local church. As with Paul the Apostle, when it comes to missionary effort, if a church wants to support a missionary, or any other decision affecting the assembly, than they make the decision. In the New Testament, let me repeat that, in the New Testament, there is no denominational board, nor is there any religious hierarchy over the church, making any decision. All, as in every one, of the churches in the New Testament were independent from one another with no denominations, or a religious hierarchy, binding them together. The New Testament Bishop We had previously looked at Philippians 1:1, “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” Even though the church at Philippi was in close proximity with the church at Thessalonica, and with other assemblies in the region of Macedonia, the bishops at Philippi did not, repeat, did not, have any authority over the church at Thessalonica nor in any other assembly in the region of Macedonia. In the New Testament, the bishop was the overseer, or the pastor, or the elder, of only the local assembly. The concept of a bishop being the overseer of a region, or in an ecclesiastical hierarchy, over numerous local assemblies, is foreign to the scriptures and a man-made position.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia concerning Professor Immanuel Velikovsky and his theories concerning the Old Testament and science. "In general, Velikovsky's theories have been ignored or vigorously rejected by the academic community." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Velikovsky

Brethren, Our next study on the local church will be on Philippians 4:15 Alan

None of the references submitted above are scriptural evidence that the 10 Plagues as written by Moses in the book of Exodus was world-wide. Forgive me for being blunt, the information concerning the Amalekites, legend of the Pawnees, Persian legends, and other north American Indian legends are not proof of any kind.

Hello and welcome to Online Baptist!

Thank you Jim. In my understanding, the church at Philippi, the church at Ephesus, and the local assemblies in the early church, more fully understood that they were a part of, "the body of Christ" instead of some generic "Universal Church" as is the main emphasis in our age. The early assemblies, it seems to me, believed their union with Christ in salvation, service, persecution, joy, and blessings, was of a personal nature. The Lord Jesus made it very clear that when a person, government, religion, or denomination, persecutes the church or a saint, whether physically, legally, or verbally, they are really persecuting the Lord Jesus. Anybody else have any thoughts, discussions, or comments?

“Persecuting the Church,” Philippians 3:6 The apostle Paul had previously warned the pastors, deacons, and the saints at the local church at Philippi this solemn warning, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” Philippians 1:29 & 30. The apostle Paul clearly warned the local church at Philippi that persecution for the name of Christ was coming. In his testimony, Paul the apostle stated, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Philippians 3:5 & 6 In the book of Acts the apostle Paul, then called Saul, persecuted the local assembly of saints, the church at Jerusalem, Acts 8:1-3. Then Paul recounted, twice, in his personal salvation experience with Christ how he persecuted the church. First, we will concentrate on Acts 8:1-3. In Acts 8:1-3 we read, “And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.” Saul, in his zeal as a Pharisee, persecuted the church at Jerusalem and then, in his zeal, desired letters from the high priest to persecute the saints as far away as Damascus. The church at Jerusalem was pastored by the Apostles, they followed the baptism of John the Baptist, were meeting in the Temple, and, apparently, in houses. The church at Jerusalem is considered the first local church mentioned in the scriptures. Saul was determined to break up the meetings, haul the saints to jail, and persecute the church in an effort to destroy it. The Church – the Body of Christ In the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul is explaining more fully the saints spiritual relationship to the Lord Jesus. In Ephesians 1:3, 22-23; 2:6, 19-22; 3:6; 4:1-5, 11-12, 16; 5:23-33, we read of the mystery of, “The Body of Christ.” At the moment of salvation, the individual is saved, he is a saint, and enters a spiritual relationship with Christ. The promises, and blessings, to the saints in the New Testament church are spiritual. 1. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 2. “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 3. “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:12 4. The marriage relationship between a man and a woman is a type of the church: Ephesians 5:22-33. So, the spiritual relationship between the saints and Christ is a mystery not completely understood this side of heaven. “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:32 As God created the institution of marriage to populate this world, so did Christ institute the church to populate the streets of heaven. The saint in the New Testament local church is in, “the body of Christ.” In Acts 9:1-20 and 22:1-16 Paul goes in more detail concerning his conversion experience with Christ and the Lord Jesus clearly shows that when a person, or a religion, the Muslim religion as an example, or a denomination, I will give the Catholic Church as an example, or a Government, I will use the Communist Chinese Government as an example, is persecuting true saints, the local church, than in reality they are persecuting the Lord Jesus. In Acts 9:4 b & 5 we read these words from the lips of the Lord Jesus, “… Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Was Saul literally persecuting the Lord Jesus? No. Was Saul persecuting the local church at Jerusalem? Yes. Therefore, spiritually speaking, Saul was persecuting the body of Christ. In Acts 22:7b & 8 we read, “… Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.” When a person, or a denomination, I will give the Catholic Church as an example, or a religion, the Muslim religion for example, or a Government, I will use the Communist Chinese Government as an example, persecutes, maligns, slanders, the local church then that person, or religion, or denomination, or government, is persecuting, maligning, and slandering the Lord Jesus Christ. Conclusion. The Lord Jesus stated, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” John 15:20 This world is not our home nor is the saint in the local church welcomed in this world. All our treasures, all our hopes, and our Lord and Savior, are in the world to come.

May God give us the spirit of Spurgeon in our churches! "Spurgeon believed in a regenerate church membership and was very careful in this regard."

Brethren, I will be starting the next lesson soon. Our last lesson was on Philippians 1:1. So, we will continue the study of the local church as recorded in the book of Philippians. We will be looking at the phrase, "... persecuting the church ..." in Philippians 3:6. In connection with Philippians 3:6 we will be looking at parts of Acts 8, 9, and 22 Alan

Dave is entirely correct. I found out the same thing in my initial reading of several of his devotions. Also, if you look at his devotions, and even this thread, you will also notice the following two interesting items: 1. His usage of how the Holy Spirit is specifically leading him: "but I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to spend some time here." Matt's Friday 11:42 reply and in numerous devotions. Like the Charismatic's, Matt uses the name of the Holy Spirit to try and prove his spirituality over other saints. 2. Matt's reference to the New Covenant, usually capitalized: "and the New Covenant." This phrase is posted in his July 26th. reply and in numerous devotions.

Pastor Markle has a fine study on 2 John in his, "A Forum Bible Study on 2 & 3 John." Here is the link to the study: In his study, Pastor Markle discusses the elect lady and the corresponding passages.

Excellent article by Dr. James Arch and Pastor Wilkerson and the First Baptist Church in Hammond, IN.

"The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have the known the truth." 2 John 1 It seems to me that the apostle John knew the lady, and her children, personally. And, it also seems to me, that all those not only in the congregation in that area who loved the truth were beloved by the apostle John, all those, including us in our age, who love the truth, are beloved by the apostle John. "I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have have received a commandment from the Father." 2 John 4. As with the apostle John, all ministers of the gospel rejoice when they find the members of the church walking in truth: in this situation, the elect lady and her children. "The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen." 2John 13. It seems to me that the elect lady had a sister in the area where the apostle John was at or had ministered too. The elect sister had children also and this was a greeting from the children of her sister. It seems to me that the the elect lady was strong in the faith and a close friend to the apostle John. I sense a close relationship, a deep love for the truth of the scriptures, and a closeness between the individuals listed. Throughout the book of 2 John, the apostle John is contrasting those individuals who love the truth, who love doctrine, and deceivers within the local church. So, within the context of 2 John, it seems to me that the apostle John is talking to two sisters with two sets of children in two areas and who all love the truth and are beloved of John the apostle.

Brethren, A few days ago I received a personal message asking for a source of material for the Baptist Church. In my reply to the individual I stated, among other things, that I would do more lessons on this Bible study on, "The Local Church." First, I will have to review the previous lessons to refresh my memory on what passages have been discussed. So, my next lesson may not be soon. Second, starting next weekend, we are in the process of reporting to churches on our furlough. So, the time between lessons, and responses, may be long. Third. Since we will be on the road reporting to churches, I will not have much source material, besides the Bible, to use in the lesson. So, let the Bible be our source and not worry too much about Church History, personages, current philosophy, Greek definitions, etc... Looking forward to your participation, discussions, comments, and helpful additions. Alan

Matt McMillen replied to my personal e-mail. In my personal e-mail I asked Matt McMillen six questions. The following six questions that I asked are written below in black and Matt McMillen’s reply to the six questions are written in red exactly as he wrote them. I would like to add that both my e-mail, and Matt McMillen response, were both cordial in nature. I will leave out our personal pleasantries to one another and not correct any spelling errors. The Six Questions: 1. What exactly is your ministry? Author of five books, and my sixth book will be out this fall. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/Matt-McMillen/e/B01M9AWK64?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1563825215&sr=8-1 I also have a large social media ministry with over a half million people in total. I founded this ministry in 2015. 2. Have you ever attended, or were a member of, or ministered in an official, or unofficial, capacity, at Five Stone Community Church in Garland, TX? No sir. 3. What church are you currently a member of, or attend on a regular basis? I'm not a member of any church specifically, but I always recommend Church Without Religion, located in Lubbock, TX, to visit or to stream online at 9:45 CST. I also recommend www.netowrk220.org for other New Covenant, Christ-focused ministries. 4. Can you send me a doctrinal statement? I don't have a doctoral statement because I refuse to be put into a religious mold. But I will say that Christ is the center of all my doctrine. 5. Do you consider yourself a Conservative or Contemporary? Neither. I'm a child of god. 6. What College, or Seminary, or University, did you graduate from? None. End of the Six Questions. I did some further searching concerning: 1. The Church Without Religion website: churchwithoutreligion.com/home. The Church Without Religion, in my understanding, is not a local New Testament church, is not King James, and is a contemporary church. 2. Network 220 website address: http://network220.org/ Pastor Andrew Farley, Church Without Religion, Lubbock, TX, is the President of Network 220. network220.org/about/our-board-of-directors. Basically, Network 220, as far as I can tell, is the loose denominational headquarters of churches like Church Without Religion. In my understanding, I was accurate in my June 9, 2019 post. The only difference is the church location and educational background. In my thoughts, his church affiliation is contemporary, his devotions are contemporary and somewhat confusing as he does not want to offend folks, has no sound, biblical, doctrinal statement, and is in the religious book selling business. Therefore, I believe I was accurate in my June 9, 2019 assessment of Matt’s devotions and that for Matt to say that, “None of the stuff in this thread is accurate about me” was inaccurate.”

During a trip to the Taipei Zoo, (in Taipei, Taiwan, the Republic of China), we had the opportunity to see a Panda Bear. As my wife said, "My aren't they adorable!"

Matt McMillen States, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (See John 8:58). Before Abraham was born, which was way before Jesus was physically born, I am? Do you see it, friend? He always has been, and always will be. He temporarily became flesh for us.” In this devotion we come across two items. (A) The greatest verse in the Bible concerning Christ being the great “I am” of Exodus 3:14 McMillen states, “He always has been, and always will be.” McMillen does not add the all-important word: “God.” Does McMillen believe that the Lord Jesus was eternal as was God the Father? Who knows? Is he a Jehovah’s Witness or a Contemporary Southern Baptist? I don’t know? Do You? McMillen is confusing and seems to be trying not to offend any denominational belief. Or, he has some serious doctrinal issues. (D) “He temporarily became flesh for us.” Is it doctrinal correct to say that Christ “temporarily” became flesh for us? After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, He appeared in a “body.” As with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, McMillen has a serious problem with the resurrected “body” of the Lord Jesus. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the “body” of Christ was a “spirit body.” Who knows what McMillen truly believes? The, “body,” the tabernacle, of the Lord Jesus was eternal, glorified, and is now sitting on the throne in Heaven. The Lord Jesus is “bodily” coming in the clouds of heaven and men will be able to “touch” the nail prints in His hands and the spear wound in His side. McMillen, Matt What Happens When You Die? Devotion. Copied on July 18, 2019. <https://mattmcmillenministries.com/what-happens-when-you-die/>

Matt, As I expressed in my personal message to you here on Online Baptist, I would send you a personal e-mail to your matt@mcmillen.com address once I set up our e-mail account here in the States. We just returned from overseas today and I am still in the process of setting up our home and office. Just a few minutes ago I was able to send you an e-mail requesting information concerning your ministry and to try and ascertain exactly what information was not accurate in my 6/9/2019 post as quoted above. You clearly stated, "None of the stuff in this thread is accurate about me." But, you did not give one example. To me, that is wrong and not honest. When you accuse a person in a public forum of stating an inaccurate statement and not give the reason why the individual gave an inaccurate statement, in public, and then tell everyone to send a private e-mail stating why the individual stated an inaccurate statement, that is wrong. Again, what you did was wrong. If you are going to accuse us, and me as I made a statement, than you need to publicly state your doctrinal statement, background, ministry, the church you are affiliated with, publicly. I did review your mattmcmillenministries.com/about/ website, and as far as I can read, I cannot accept your statement that all that I said was inaccurate. On your website you have no doctrinal statement, no background information, and no church affiliation statement. As far as I am concerned, your statement, "None of the stuff in this thread is accurate about me" was publicly stated as a fact without publicly stating why ALL our statements were inaccurate, was wrong and dishonest. Alan

Matt, Thank you for coming on Online Baptist and giving us your e-mail so we can get more accurate information concerning you and your ministry. Alan

Wonderful news! "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Proverbs 8:21 Folks can use the tongue for evil or for good. Gossip, and or false accusations, is using the tongue for evil. The Lord used your tongue for good, with good words, as a counselor, to your friend. We should love the power of the tongue, or the ability to speak, and be cautious, considerate, and full of wisdom when we give counsel to others. I think one of the reasons why folks here may have been hesitant to give counsel is as more knowledge was needed to understand the full situation. To give counsel without knowledge can sometimes be hurtful or cause a miss-understanding.

As I previously brought out, there is no physical sun nor moon in eternity. Also, Revelation 22:5, states, "And there shall no night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." As previously stated, Isaiah 60:19-20 is absolutely talking about eternity and not the 1000 Year Reign of Christ on the earth. Therefore, there is no moon and sun to create any type of shadow, especially, a "pole shift" in relationship to Isaiah 60:19-20. The concept of a "pole shift" is not scientific nor is it biblical.

As an added note. If you look at my post carefully, I mentioned only Isaiah 60:19-20 and then Eric Stahl included verse 22 in his answer. I purposely did not mention verse 22. Verse 22 states, "A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time." All of us need to remember one important fact concerning the prophesies of Isaiah, and the other prophets. Isaiah, and the other prophets, saw the blessings of the Lord on the earth with a view of eternity and not just one thousand years. The apostle John in Revelation 20:4-6 gave a specific time limit, one thousand years, for several reasons which I will not go into now, and then listed the added blessings in Revelation 22:1 and following that the Old Testament prophets saw. Therefore, the apostle John is the revealing of the sorting out of the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets in the order that the Holy Spirit gave him. John is giving us the proper order of the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets. The Old Testament prophets did not have the prophecies of the church, nor a specific time limit, a thousand years, nor the the other added details that John was given in his vision at the isle of Patmos.