Author Thread: Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 30 Mar, 2010 11:16 AM

This was written by a dear Christian who was one of my mentors when I was first saved in 1956 and James explains why denominations are not good for believers.

Gary







This is a reprint of a letter addressed to the �Harmony Baptist Church�

of Coleman, Texas, Baptist Association, giving some reasons for my

resignation as Pastor of this organization. Written on July 22, 1952,

by James Cox.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It was the apostle Paul who wrote to the Colossian Christians: �Let the peace of

God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body: and be ye thankful�

(Col. 3:15). The same apostle wrote to the Roman Christians and said: �Therefore, being

justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ� (Rom. 5:1). As

he addressed his letter to the saints at Corinth, his greeting was this: �Grace be unto you,

and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ� (I Cor. 1:3).

Certainly you are conscious of the fact that every �born again� child of God has

been forgiven and cleansed of all sin, and has been given a �peace that passeth all

understanding;� that is the peace of God�s indwelling Spirit (Philip. 4:7). Paul tells us

that we are to let this wonderful peace of God �rule� in our hearts, that is, we are to

consider as sin anything that would disrupt fellowship with our heavenly Father.

When I resigned as the Pastor of the �Harmony� assembly on the 29th day of June,

I told you that I did not feel, under the circumstances, that I could explain my leaving to

your full satisfaction. I also sought to make it clear that it was not because of any

difficulty that had arisen in the work at �Harmony.� I therefore hope in this letter to

explain more fully my actions. Will you, as a brother or sister in Christ, bear me out and

hear me in this? I beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to do so.

On the night before our Lord was crucified he, the Son of God and our Savior,

prayed for you and me. He had been praying for the eleven disciples, and then He made

this petition for us: �Neither pray I for these alone (the disciples) but for them also which

shall believe on me through their word: that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in

Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou

hast sent Me� (John 17:20-21). We see two specific things that our Lord prayed here: the

first one was that every Christian, every real child of God, be joined together as ONE.

The second petition gives the reason for the first. Christ prayed that we as born again

children of God may be ONE in order that the world may recognize our Lord Jesus

Christ as the One Who was sent of God into the world. We see, then, that the greatest

testimony to the power of God in Christ is to be found in the UNITY OF CHRISTIANS!!

In a very real and precious sense God answered the prayer of our Savior. �And the

Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved� (Acts 2:47). From the day of

Pentecost God has continued to add to His church every single member of Adam�s fallen

race who has been saved by the shed blood of His dear Son. This same truth is stated in I

Cor. 12:13 in this way: �For by one Spirit are we all baptized into ONE BODY�and

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have all been made to drink into one Spirit.� God�s work is always a complete work, so

we find that in making all true Christians ONE, He not only joins us to Christ in a

spiritual unity but He also makes us members one of another. �For as we have many

members in one body, and all the members have not the same office: so we, being many,

are ONE BODY in Christ, and every one members one of another� (Rom.12:4-5). God

has answered the prayer of His Son by bringing every redeemed son of Adam (born again

and justified) into ONE great spiritual body, THE CHURCH WHICH IS CHRIST�S

BODY (Col. 1:24 & Eph. 1:22-23).

Now, we must remember that this is God�s work! We should and must consider it

the gravest sin for anyone to disrupt the unity which God has made of and for His

children. In fact, we are expressly commanded to keep this unity and to support it in

every way. �Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye

all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be

perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment� ( I Cor. 1:10). The

Spirit exhorts us through Paul�s letter to the Ephesians that we �walk worthy of the

vocation wherewith we are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,

forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of

peace�THERE IS ONE BODY AND ONE SPIRIT�� This stands regardless of our

attitude or understanding, but we are commanded to �endeavor to KEEP� this unity (Eph.

4:1-6).

In many places God goes even further than this. He not only commands us to keep

the unity which He has made but also to have no fellowship with anyone who causes

division and strife among brethren! �Now I beseech you, brethren, MARK THEM

WHICH CAUSE DIVISIONS and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have

learned, and AVOID THEM. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but

their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple�

(Rom. 16:17-18). Anyone who causes division among the children of God should

immediately become a marked man or woman, and should be avoided by those who are

truly endeavoring to �keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace� (Eph. 4:4).

There is one great illustration in the Word of God of how some Christians became

divided. They were the Christians at Corinth. In I Corinthians 1:12 we find that they had

chosen for themselves leaders�Paul, Apollos, and Cephas�and had separated

themselves into various groups under the name of the man they favored. In the third

chapter of this same book, God gives the reason for this division. The Corinthian

Christians were CARNAL, FLESHLY MINDED, and not walking in the Spirit! �For ye

are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye

not carnal; and walk as men?� (I Cor. 3:3). The Lord further rebukes these carnal

Christians through the apostle Paul by pointing to their apparent ignorance of the fact that

they were the temple of God, �Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the

Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God

destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are� (I Cor. 3:16-17). We can

see by these Scriptures that God will not tolerate the division of His people.

Are there any modern day Corinthians? Assuredly so! Where shall we find them?

Are there any such divisions among the redeemed sons of God today? If so, in what way

are we divided and what is the result of this division? Please consider these questions

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with me carefully! In view of the foregoing Scripture passages, I think you will admit that

these are vital questions!

I am thoroughly convinced that the various denominational splits that exist today,

that is, the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterians, the so-called �Churches of Christ,�

�Pentecostalists,� Episcopalians, Roman Catholic, Greek Catholics, and so on evidence

exactly the same kind of spirit that was seen in the �church of God at Corinth.� Modern

Corinthians are those who say: �I am a Baptist,� �I�m a Methodist,� etc., etc. I am sure

that you can see that this amounts to the same thing that the Corinthians were doing!

PLEASE READ I CORINTHIANS 3:1-4 SLOWLY AND PRAYERFULLY.

WE must conclude then, that denominations are a source of rank division among

Christians and are therefore wrong and sinful! But is this to say that those who belong to

such organizations are not Christians?? I will hasten to add that I believe there are real,

born again Christians in most so-called �church� organizations, but they are not

Christians because they belong to that organization!! The only reason any person in this

world is a Christian is because he belongs to Christ and is a �new creature in Christ� (II

Cor. 5:17). There are Christians in these organizations, to be sure, but they are misguided

and misinformed on the Word of God, and they are walking in the traditions and

doctrines of men!

Sincerely, why do most Christians belong to some religious corporation today? Is

it not because we were either brought up in them or, when we were saved, we were told

that it was God�s will that we join them? Perhaps some have joined out of convenience

in one respect or another. But may I, in all fairness, ask this question: Have we ever

searched God�s Word, which is able to �thoroughly furnish us unto all good works� (II

Tim. 3:16,17) to see if these organizations are part of God�s program? Perhaps a few of

us have, but if we have it has always been with sectarian and denominational views

clouding our thinking so that the sunshine of God�s truth could not come through.

Let me point this out in still another way: Can you find in God�s Word any

command, anywhere, which tells you or me to join a so-called �church� organization??

(Baptist, Nazarene, etc.). WE MUST ANSWER, NO!! We have been taught all our lives

that it is a fine thing to be a Christian but we have also had it drilled into us that we

haven�t done the will of God completely until we have joined or been made a member of

some �church.� But may I point out to you what God has to say on the subject�

AS A CHRISTIAN you have already been �blessed with all spiritual blessings in

heavenly places in Christ� (Eph. 1:3).

AS A CHRISTIAN you have already been enriched by Christ �in all utterance

and in all knowledge� (I Cor. 1:5).

AS A CHRISTIAN God has promised to supply all your needs �according to His

riches in glory by Christ Jesus� (Philip. 4:19).

AS A CHRISTIAN you have already been made COMPLETE IN CHRIST in

Whom �dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily� (Col. 2:9,10).

AS A CHRISTIAN you have already been added to the �church which is Christ�s

body� for �the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved� (Eph. 1:22,23 &

Acts 2:47).

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AS A CHRISTIAN you have already been �thoroughly furnished unto all good

works� by the WORD OF GOD (II Tim. 3:16-17).

ALL OF THIS was and is yours before you (or any other Christian) ever joined or

were made a member of the �Baptists,� �Methodists,� or so-called �Church of Christ� or

any other religious denomination. You did not need the addition of a thing these

organizations can offer! In fact, when we joined them it was our way of admitting that

we did not really believe Philippians 4:13, which says: �I can do all things through

CHRIST which strengtheneth me!� CHRIST IS EVERYTHING that we need now and

forever! To belong to some religious corporation is to deny HIS SUFFICIENCY, and to

rob HIM of HIS glory!

But let me give you God�s final blow to religious organizations. You will admit

with me that in every one of these so-called �churches� there are some lost people, either

deceived or deliberately hypocritical. In other words, right in with the beloved redeemed

of the Lord are those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; there

are those who are unbelievers.

Hear God�s Word to His sons and daughters: �BE YE NOT UNEQUALLY

YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS: for what fellowship hath righteousness

with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? �Wherefore

come out from among them (the unsaved) and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch

not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,

saith the Lord ALMIGHTY� (II Cor. 6:14-18).

What is God�s ANSWER TO DENOMINATIONS?? It certainly is not that we

stay in them and seek to purify them; may I say from sad experience that this is

impossible. �Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?� God

commands that we come out from among them and be separate!! But with this command,

He also gives a blessed promise! We will not be coming out to nothing, we will be

coming out to ALMIGHTY GOD Who has promised to receive us as His sons and

daughters. Notice, the command is �come out (not �go out�) from among them�

indicating that God is on the outside waiting for Christians to obey His voice. Thus

Hebrews 13:13 is written: �Let us go forth therefore UNTO HIM without the camp,

bearing His reproach.�

These, then, are some of the reasons for my resignation as Pastor of the

�Harmony�(?) so-called �church.� Burnadette (my wife) and I have come out of the

Baptist organization and have determined to live only unto the Lord, for we believe that

we can �do all things through Christ which strengthens us� (Philip. 4:13).

May I assure each of you to whom this letter is addressed that we (my wife and I)

are not leaving the Baptists in order to start some new movement or sect. We have come

out only in order to worship with other separated Christians, to live and walk in the light

of God�s Holy Word, and to do all things� in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks

unto God and the Father by Him� (Col. 3:17).

It is our earnest prayer that you will seriously consider the truths contained in this

letter, and be willing to come to the decisions made necessary by them.

Your servant in Christ, James D. Cox

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 1 Apr, 2010 11:22 PM

I'm not going to go on a rant, or spend 3 hours typing up a whole page, but I'll say this:

All this commotion over denominations reminds me of a story. Take it for what it's worth. I'm sure many of you have heard it: (maybe not Abejou)



A man died and went to Heaven. An angel was showing him around. They came across a group of "people" in a room. They were singing and praising God. The angel said those are the Methodists and introduced the man to them.

They went on and came across some more group of "people" in a room singing and praising God. The angel told him these are the Baptists and introduced the man to them.

This went on for a whle, introducing the guy around. Finally the came across a group of people. The angel told the man "shhhhhhhh, be quiet, walk behind me so they can't see you"

When the angel and the man walked a little way, the man ask the angel who those people were and why didn't he introduce him to them? The angel replied..

"those are(fill in the blank), they think they're the only ones here."

Just something to think about.

And now a word from our sponsor:

:rolleyes:

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 05:18 AM

Yeah, I know this one. We actually tell the story a bit different, the guy actually sees them as they torment themselves for al their sins they've done in life and the angel says: They are the (fill here), they want it that way...

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 06:52 AM

The last two contributors, like others on here can't no scripture to ether give or repute, resort to fables, thus showing your ignorance.



1 Timothy 1:4 �Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.



This next verse sums it describes both of your rhetoric the best.



2 Timothy 4:4 �And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.



Gary

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 11:33 AM

I KNEW THAT WAS COMING



Bro, Gary, As I have stated before. I truly admire you for your convictions. I really do.



Jesus used parables as examples to get His point across.



I'm neither Jesus nor a good story teller. Never claimed to be. Never tried to force God's word down anybody's throat or called them names. That's not what we are here for. It's always healthy and educational to hear others' points of view, others' interpretations. We can either choose for ourelves to believe them or not.



I believe Jesus was pretty big on love and forgiveness.

He spoke of it quite often.



Although there have been many scriptures quoted in this thread, I will quote only one. I do not wish to make a mockery out of the Bible or quarrel with anyone regarding their beliefs. There has been enough of that already.



If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is in vain. James 1:26



Bless you

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 01:22 PM

Nothig to add to this.

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 02:08 PM

edw6265, Thank you for your verse of scripture, and that is so true isn't it?



We can add these scriptures to that as well.



Ephesians 5:10 �Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

11 �And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.



2 Timothy 4:2 �Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 �For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 �And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.



A good example of fables is the Christmas story, and the Easter bunny, and the reasons for celebrating Easter when God has not authorized it.



Gary

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 03:55 PM

The christmas story found in the gospel of Luke...?

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 04:01 PM

Thank you for your kind words and personal observations.



Not trying to be acerbic, but did God authorize you to author this post? Just wondering. My curiosity just gets the better of me sometimes.

I'm sure you'll have an appropriate response.



Bless you, I was going to tell you to have a Happy Easter but knew it would be taken as an insult and that's not God's purpose for us.:glow:



God Bless you.

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 04:30 PM

:bunny: Here's a bunny for you :)

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Why I Resigned as a BAPTIST PASTOR
Posted : 2 Apr, 2010 04:31 PM

1 Timothy 6:1-5 (King James Version)



1 Timothy 6

1~ Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

2~ And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

3~ If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

4~ He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

5~ Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself......



Happy an Blessed...:bunny:...to All an to All a Blessed weekend...xo

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