I want to express my appreciation to those who have sent and who continue to send new and corrected listings for the new directory of Sovereign Grace Baptist Churches. Even today, May 24, 2002, we have received more updates.

We must set a deadline for these and I have set July 1, 2002, as the deadline for updates and corrections. If you have not done so yet, please go to this URL and check your listing and other listings in your area.

DIRECTORY OF SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCHES

If you find errors, churches that are not listed, or churches that no longer exist that are listed, please notify us. We would like this to be as nearly correct as is humanly possible and your cooperation will further that goal.

With all the changes that take place, we know we could never produce one that is completely up to date for there are daily changes.

If you want your e-mail listed or the church’s URL listed, please include that.

In this article I gladly take up this proposition: The only Scriptural Baptist churches on earth are self-constituted!

First, I will argue that this is the only method of constituting a church expressly stated in the Word of God and, consequently, there is no other method of constituting churches. Anything added to what is taught in the Word of God and claimed as essential doctrine is merely a tradition. In Mt 18:20 our Lord said: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” I understand this to mean these who gather together in Christ’s name have submitted to every command of Christ and the gospel, including repentance, faith, baptism and have the desire to carry out the commandments of the NT. When such disciples covenant together a new church exists!

Even though a church constitutes with the improper idea that some other things are, or may be necessary to the act, yet they are still constituted, if they do covenant together according to this Word of the Lord. Any church that is constituted in accordance with this text is a scriptural church and this is, in reality, the only way churches can be constituted! The Lord Himself in Mt. 18:20 cuts away the non-essentials as well as traditions leaving the essential of church constitution.

Mark well what the Lord did not say:

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—with approval from a presbytery—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—with church letters granted for the purpose—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—as a mission of another church—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—as an arm of another church—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—authorized by another church—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—mothered by a mother church—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—with organic church succession—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—with the recognition of other churches—there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—with an ordained elder— there am I in the midst of them!”

He did not say: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name—with anything you choose to put in this blank—there am I in the midst...!”

Yet, this is what the “mother-daughter” theory demands! Their theory demands that they be allowed to add something to the word of Christ, which cannot be found in word, precept, or example in the Word of God.

In a constitution it is what the saints themselves do which Christ promises to honor! He promises to indwell those who gather together in His name, and this is the essence of constitution. Because it is a covenantal relationship between Christ and those who are submitting to his will, it cannot be what some other church or group does that constitutes them a church. Christ promises to bless them with His indwelling—when they “gather together in His Name.” And when He takes up his place in such a gathering that gathering is a church, as much so as any church that ever existed on earth! This promise is made to those who gather together in His Name, i.e., with His authority, in obedience to His will, who submit to His doctrines and His ordinances! He instantly, when they covenant together, constitutes them a church for this is His unconditional promise! He does not promise this to presbyteries, associations, or “mother churches” but only to those disciples who covenant together in His name. It follows then—

DIVINELY ORGANIZED SOCIETY

Each assembly is the place where Christ places His name, and it is there that he chooses to be and it is there that He dwells! Notice it is in “the midst” of those who “gather together” where He records His name [Ex. 20: 24]! He will come to them. He will bless them! He is in the midst of them. These are all divine actions! It is never what you do, and what you authorize, but what He does! The Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of all true churches. He is the Head of all true churches. He is the one who is in the midst of every one of His churches and He is the only one who can constitute a church! This is the only way a church can be constituted. It is a divine act and not a process that constitutes a church. Thus, it necessarily follows that:

Would you willingly take a position on church constitution that absolutely unchurched thousands upon thousands of Baptist churches in the last three centuries? Would you take a position that precludes the most famous and well-known churches in history from being true churches of our Lord Jesus Christ? A position that would put thousands and hundreds of thousands of the most illustrious Baptist brothers and sisters out of the church? A position which would make it certain that not a single church in the land could have any confidence that it is a true church of Christ?

Surely no one would take such a position! Every thinking man recognizes that such a monstrous position is fatally flawed, no question about it! The thought is repugnant. It cannot be entertained for one moment. Something is desperately wrong with any position that leads to such a conclusion!

Yet this is exactly what the brethren do when they contend that one church must give authority for another to constitute. The “mother-daughter-authority” if essential to church constitution, effectively defrocks Baptist churches of all stripes, past and present, the full spectrum!

To reveal the predicament to which this false theory compels them, it is only necessary to demonstrate the churches of History practiced self-constitution. If proof can be given for this assertion then it is clear that church succession is only through churches that were self-constituted. This is easily done! We do this by showing some of the most significant Baptist churches in History were self-constituted.

Every church that traces its history to this church is not a church, granting the “mother-daughter” position! Will they dare to do it?

The reader can easily see that the authority, in the view of these churches, was not in the church or churches granting letters, it was not in the ordained minister, and if not in them, then where was it?

Let me also make it clear that I am not at all suggesting that these few churches were self-constituted and that all the others were constituted by a “mother church.” Far from it! I contend there never was a church constituted with mother-Church authority, in the sense now contended for, until modern times! Let those who so teach prove it, if they can. Our leading men and writers will testify to what I am saying. Thus we turn to them.

We can further show that the essential of church constitution was that of the group constituted by statements from our leading men.

Once again Graves quotes Mt 18:20 thus: “Christ said, where two or three are gathered in my name [authority], there am I in the midst of them.” [Ibid. P. 135]. Where did the Old Landmarker himself, believe the authority for church constitution was to be found? In a sister church? In the Ministry? In an association? No! He opined it was in Christ and quoted Mt. 18:20 to prove it! Was Graves a Landmark Baptist or was he a Neo-Landmarker?

Only days after it was completed, a storm packing high winds, hit at the new land where we are building the children’s center. In the past we have rented places for the center but just about the time the buildings would be improved and gardens were growing the owners would decide they did not want to renew the lease when it was up. In March of 2001 when we had to move the children again, we set about trying to buy land and build a permanent home for the children. The land has been purchased and we owe one more payment of about $3400. (We have to say “about” because the exact amount we will have to pay depends on the value of the dollar against the Thai bath at the time we make the payment.)

With the permission of the person from whom we bought the land, a few months ago we began construction on new houses for the boys and girls. The girls’ house was finished first and it was taken down by the storm (See picture, Page 1) just a week or so before the children were to move. We were blessed that no one was in the house when the storm came. Several people had been working on it but were working on the boys’ house when the storm came up and were in a small frame building out of the storm when it blew the house down.

This has put a new burden on our Thai finances. We have been blessed by some who have already come to the rescue with special offerings especially for the Children’s Center. We have sent money this week (May 15) to get the work moving again and will send more this next week. Bro. Anond is out of town preaching in a couple of churches in the jungle villages and I cannot reach him as this is being written. Hopefully I will be able to give some concrete dollar amounts of our extra needs by the time this is published.

We know that God has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm and that this was true when this storm brought down this girls’ house. It will be rebuilt lower and stronger this time. Changes have been made on the boys’ house also to make it stronger. Thank God, the girls had not moved in and none were hurt.

We must continue with the regular monthly support of the work while we are also rebuilding and building the necessary units to get the children moved. If any churches or individuals feel led to send extra support or an offering to help with this work it will certainly be appreciated. If we can just get the bare necessities to move the children built now, we hope to start permanent structures of a combination of masonry and wood during the next dry season which will start about October 1, 2002.

God willing, and as it is planned now, Bro. Bill Lee and I will be departing for Thailand about October 28 or 29, 2002. He will stay for about two and one-half weeks and I will be staying until February 28, 2003. As authorized by the Pilgrims Hope Baptist Church, we will be starting the Sovereign Grace Baptist School of Theology. While Bro. Lee is there, in collaboration with Bro. Anond, we hope to stake out the perimeters of the permanent structures for the Children’s Center. If God continues to provide for this, we hope the concrete foundations and slabs can be poured during this next dry season. Then one permanent section of the over-all structure can be built at a time as the Lord provides the funds through his people. The bamboo buildings that are being built now will not be wasted. There will be uses for them until such time as they must be demolished. Bamboo buildings usually last only about 5 years before they need extensive repairs, especially the leaf or grass roofs. The more permanent components of the buildings will be used in other structures.

If any have questions concerning the information in this article please feel free to call me at (901) 876-5015. Or you may call Bro. Bill Lee at (662) 226-2715.

Click here to see another picture of the storm damage

From the manger to the grave our blessed Saviour endured the “contradiction of sinners against himself” (Heb. 12:3). He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isa. 53:2-4). He “came unto his own and his own received him not” (Jn. 1:11). When given a choice they chose Barabas over Jesus (Matt 27:20-26).

HATED

The hatred that the natural man has for God was revealed against God's Son. When he healed a man with a withered hand “they were filled with madness” and conspired to murder him (Lu. 6:11). The world hated him because of his unrelenting testimony “that the works thereof are evil” (Jn. 7:7). He said to his disciples: “If the world hate you, ye know at it hated me before it hated you” (Jn. 15:18) There was no legitimate reason for man's hatred of one who “went about doing good” but Jesus declared: “They hated me without a cause” (Jn. 15:25). The “carnal mind is enmity against God” and that enmity was certainly felt by our blessed Lord.

Hating Christ led men to slander him if they could. Those who accused John the Baptist of being demon possessed accused Christ in these terms: “Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matt. 11:19). They declared that he cast out demons “by Beelzebub the prince of devils” (Matt. 12:24). Though they could find none who could name a sin that he had actually committed, they still accused him of being a sinner (Jn. 9:16). In fact, they said: “We know that this man is a sinner” (Jn. 9:24). One of the most painful things one can experience is a slanderous lie. It is no wonder that one who bore false witness against his neighbor was to be executed under the Law of Moses. This, however, did not stop the slander against our sinless Saviour.

His discourse on the good shepherd caused many to slanderously declare: “He hath a devil, and is mad” (Jn. 10:20). When asked why they took up stones to stone Christ, they falsely charged him with being blasphemous (Jn. 10:33).

This slander amounted to much more than idle gossip. At times vituperative and scurrilous malignities spewed from their mouths like vomit from the mouth of a person with a concussion of the brain. “And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him” (Lu. 23:10).

While in his deepest sorrow and suffering Jesus was mocked, taunted, and ridiculed by men. They robed him, crowned him with thorns, put a reed in his hands for a sceptre, bowed their knees and “mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews” (Matt. 27:29). As he taught on faithfulness and pointed out that one cannot serve two masters, the covetous Pharisees “derided him” (Lu. 16:14).

Herod and his men of war, after trying to get him to perform some miracle, “mocked him and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe” before sending him back to Pilate. While our Saviour was suspended on the cross and was enduring the suffering and shame due us, “the people stood beholding, and the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God, and the soldiers also mocked him” (Lu. 23:35-36.)

When Jesus healed the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda he performed that miracle on the Sabbath. The Jews, seeing the healed man carrying his bed, warned him that what he did was unlawful since it was the Sabbath. When they found out that Jesus had healed him they began to “persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him” for healing this man on the Sabbath (Jn. 5:16). When Jesus told them that this was doing his Father's work “they sought the more to kill him” (Jn. 5:18). These people hounded him like a criminal. They harassed him constantly as he carried on his ministry. They were like a plague hounding his heals.

Jesus was the victim of repeated conspiracies. A number of these plots are mentioned in Scripture. The Pharisees “held a council against him, how they might destroy him” (Matt. 12:14). “The priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death” (Matt. 27:1). The elders, chief priests and the scribes sought to incriminate him in some way (Lu. 22:66). These religious leaders of Israel were set in their desire for the death of Christ “and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus” (Lu. 6:11).

How our Saviour must have suffered as these efforts were constantly being renewed against him. Paul once declared: “I die daily.” This was certainly true in a sense of our Saviour. Hardly a day passed that someone did not desire his death and conspire with others to bring it to pass.

Well did David write in prophetic Psalm: “It was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have born it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company” (Psa. 55:12-14). This is Christ speaking through the prophetic pen of David. The Man, Christ Jesus, speaks of one of his close acquaintances and companions in life as the betrayer. Matthew writes: “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him” (Matt. 26:14-16).

While Christ knew what Judas would do, it still caused him to lament the atrocious and outrageous crime. That a friend, and Jesus did call him a friend, could betray the sinless Son of God can only be understood by those who know the depths of the depravity that lurks in the heart of every son of Adam.

“And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come?” (Matt. 26:49-50). Luke records it: “Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (Lu. 22:48).

“And they all forsook him and fled” (Mk. 14:50). Jesus had warned his disciples of this. “All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad ... Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said ALL the disciples” (Matt. 26:31-35). Yet they ALL forsook him and fled. Left alone to face the ordeal ahead. Left alone to endure the contradiction of sinners. Left alone in the hands of the persecutors without even one disciple to receive some of the punishment that would be handed out by this bloodthirsty mob.

He was yet another source of grief for the Son of man. What must have been in his eyes as he “looked upon Peter” after his third denial (Lu. 22:61)? It was not enough that an avowed enemy deny knowing Christ: now one of his own elect denies even knowing him. Despised by the world, betrayed by a friend, and now denied by one of his elect. How our Saviour suffered even at the hands of his beloved!

“Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round about. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion” (Psa. 22:12-13). Jesus was not merely slapped around a little bit. The scribes, Pharisees, priests, and elders bellow around him like a herd of angry bulls. The rulers of Israel and the soldiers of Rome, like Bulls fattened and ferocious from the pastures of Bashan, full of fury and strong with hate, lunged to and fro in their desire to mutilate the Messiah. With their cruel tortures they would seek to stamp out his life. Our Lord Jesus, naked, unarmed, and unresisting was as if he had been cast into a stampede to be trampled upon by a raging herd of bulls.

They gaped upon him as if to literally devour him with their mouths. As ravening beasts they would seize him and tear him to shreds. They lacerated his back and pulverized the flesh upon it with the Roman scourge (Matt. 27:26). They stripped him naked and then threw a scarlet robe on his shoulders. They platted a crown of thrones and crushed it down upon his head (Matt. 27:27-28) as they mocked him by bowing before him in feigned worship. They spit all over him, one of the deepest insults and highest humiliations you could put upon anyone (Matt. 27:30). Taking the reed that they had placed in his hand as a scepter they beat him upon the head with bullish force (p. 30). They slapped his face with open palms and brute force and repeatedly spit upon him (Matt. 26:67-68; 27:30). They pulled his beard off his beaten and bruised face by plucking it out by its roots (Isa. 50:6). Their beatings were so ruthless and brutal that he did not even look like a human being any more. “As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than and man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isa. 52:14). It is hard to imagine that this living, breathing hunk of bruised and pulverized, thorn-crowned and spit-coated flesh is really a human being. In fact, he is the sinless Son of God in the hands of God-hating sinners.

Will our blessed Lord suffer more at the hands of these bulls of Bashan? Yes! Now they lead him like a condemned animal to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7; Lu. 22:52). Arriving at Calvary they strip him naked again, divide up his garments and cast lots for his robe. Laying him upon that cross they spike him to it by driving large nails through his hands and his feet. What excruciating agony must have racked his body as that Roman soldier drove those nails into his hands and feet and then into the wood of the cross. Could a more exquisitely painful engine of torture have been found for our Saviour?

Now his torturers and tormenters lift that cross up and let it drop into its hole. It hits bottom with such force that every jointed bone in his body is jerked from its socket. Listen to the Saviour's description of this part of his suffering: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture? (Psa. 22:14-18).

Come with me to Calvary, Dear Reader. Let us cast our mental tents upon that scene of suffering. Imagine, if you can, the brutalized, pulverized, spit-and-phlegm-coated, bloody and bleeding body of our Saviour suspended by cruel nails on a cross. His bones are out of joint; his tongue is swollen from thirst; his head is crowned with thorns; his body is racked by excruciating pain. Body and soul he has become a mass of misery, the full essence of agony. He doesn't even look like a human being, does he?