Thus saith the LORD,
Stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old paths,
where is the good way,
and walk therein,
and ye shall find rest for your souls.
But they said,
"We will not walk therein."
Jeremiah 6:16
Parting way, they warn all their people to keep away from the plague of Sungai Dua Church. A few brave souls DEFY such ecclesiastical tyranny! The Lord has been very merciful in that the Sungai Dua Church (Reformed Baptist) turned around, and we have been together till now as Sungai Dua Church (1689 Free Grace Baptist)!
Has it ever occurred to you that you might be wrong?
O yes, on many occasions... it occurred to me that I was seriously wrong... which explains why I'm no longer a Reformed Baptist!
I was converted while an undergraduate at Sydney University in the early 80s, and united myself to a RB church right after. The RBs were the only people I was associated with, and have known closely, and are still very dear to me to this day. I was with them since conversion, and was ordained into the ministry among them in 1993... worked with them for many years until they officially withdrew fellowship in 2004... because of doctrinal differences.
In year 2000, the Lord began to deal with me, and it was as if my RB foundations were beginning to shake. I had internal struggles over many months when I began to see that there is a wide gap between what RBs believe and what the Scriptures declares. There were turmoils and upheavals within... yes, the whole foundation was shaken especially when I became convinced that there is a stark difference between what the 1689 (doctrinal standard of the RBs) says and what the RBs actually teach and believe. I trembled in my shoes, and wondered 'how could such a terrible thing even happen'? I was so sure the RBs got it all right.
I prayed and prayed, and studied and studied - playing the devil's advocate, arguing among bible students on pastors forums, against what the Lord has shown me, just to doubly assure myself that what the Lord has shown in indeed what had been believed by the old school baptists of the 17th century... those who framed the 1689CoF. When I was fully assured in my own mind, I began to alert my highly esteemed fellow RB pastors of my deep concerned early 2003. They did not receive the matter well. They were, and are convinced that I have departed from their 'reformed faith', and insisted that unless I recant of my error, we have to part way.
O yes, on many occasions... it occurred to me that I was seriously wrong... which explains why I'm no longer a Reformed Baptist!
I was converted while an undergraduate at Sydney University in the early 80s, and united myself to a RB church right after. The RBs were the only people I was associated with, and have known closely, and are still very dear to me to this day. I was with them since conversion, and was ordained into the ministry among them in 1993... worked with them for many years until they officially withdrew fellowship in 2004... because of doctrinal differences.
In year 2000, the Lord began to deal with me, and it was as if my RB foundations were beginning to shake. I had internal struggles over many months when I began to see that there is a wide gap between what RBs believe and what the Scriptures declares. There were turmoils and upheavals within... yes, the whole foundation was shaken especially when I became convinced that there is a stark difference between what the 1689 (doctrinal standard of the RBs) says and what the RBs actually teach and believe. I trembled in my shoes, and wondered 'how could such a terrible thing even happen'? I was so sure the RBs got it all right.
I prayed and prayed, and studied and studied - playing the devil's advocate, arguing among bible students on pastors forums, against what the Lord has shown me, just to doubly assure myself that what the Lord has shown in indeed what had been believed by the old school baptists of the 17th century... those who framed the 1689CoF. When I was fully assured in my own mind, I began to alert my highly esteemed fellow RB pastors of my deep concerned early 2003. They did not receive the matter well. They were, and are convinced that I have departed from their 'reformed faith', and insisted that unless I recant of my error, we have to part way.
But they said,
"We will not walk therein."
Parting way, they warn all their people to keep away from the plague of Sungai Dua Church. A few brave souls DEFY such ecclesiastical tyranny! The Lord has been very merciful in that the Sungai Dua Church (Reformed Baptist) turned around, and we have been together till now as Sungai Dua Church (1689 Free Grace Baptist)!
"Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things."
Amen.
Amen.
