Let us be Reformers

Let us be Reformers

            "And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren

            unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside

            down are come hither also;"   Acts 17:6

            Baptists are Not Reformed.  What I mean by that is that we were not part of the Protestant Reformation.  We preceded the Roman Catholic Church. Then we did not necessarily carry the name Baptist, but we were churches of baptized believers and duplicates of the church Jesus built, when He was here on the earth.  Did Jesus establish a church while here?  He most surely did, and He gave her marching orders to her in Matt. 28:18-20. 

            Nevertheless we must be reformers in the sense of what was said of Paul and Silas.  See text above.  We must dare to stand alone if need be for the Truth's sake.  Rom. 1:15  Let us be ready to preach the Truth even if we do have to stand alone.  We must deny ourselves to labor in love for others.  Luke 9:23  We must triumph in preaching the never failing word of God.  Isa. 55:11  Thank God for a message that will never fail.  We must be true to that word denouncing infant baptism.  Mark 16:16  Let us not be mean spirited, but baptism is for believers only according to scripture.

            Doing this will no doubt bring upon us the disdain of those who disagree with us.  We may be accused of stirring up trouble.  See text above.  That’s all right.  Wherever Paul went, a riot or revival took place.  We may be accused of being bigoted and narrow minded.  We have a message, and it must be preached regardless of how it is received. Remember that Paul told us that we should suffer persecution.   2 Tim. 3:12

            Let us be motivated by the soldiers who have gone before.  Remember the 3 Hebrew men.  I don’t mean to call them Baptists, but they exhibited the same determination that we should in face of all cost.  Be challenged by  the monk who shook Wittenburg, Germany.  (Martin Luther hated the Baptists, but again he exhibited the kind of determination we should muster)  Let us emulate John Clarke and Roger Williams who gave us religious liberty.  Many folk do not know that Baptists were persecuted severely in the early days of this country simply because they would not baptize babies. Many others could be listed such as J R Graves, J M Pendleton, Charles Spurgeon, and numerous others.  Let us refuse to be discouraged like William Carey.  It is ours to be faithful; the results can be left with God.