Dear pastor John,
I received a phone call today from an apostolic minister in Mississippi. He called because he had read an old article on the Isaiah 58 website. It was in the “Questions of the Day” area, where I used to pose a question and then have it answered by one of your messages, or one of your father’s tracts. The Question of the Day he pulled up was, “Is Water Baptism Necessary?” The content of the article is your tract on “Baptism”. I believe that is Tract #66.
The man on the phone went on and on, and on and on, at least five minutes straight without interruption, trying to explain to me why his position on water baptism was correct. He was so long-winded that it made me wonder if God was trying to teach me through him NOT to treat people that way, but to make sure I always talk with them, not at them. I hope I do that already. I think I do, but this convresation was at least a good reminder.
After a while, when he stopped to take a breath, I jumped in to ask him a question. I told him that all I wanted was a Yes or No answer. The question I asked was this: “If a person comes to Jesus, repents of their sins, and is baptized by Jesus with the holy Ghost, with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, are that person’s sins washed away?” He started to launch into another diatribe, but I stopped him and said, “I don’t want to hear your words. I want a Yes or No answer to my question.
He started on another long speech again. I said, “I told you that all I wanted was a Yes or No answer. Are a persons sins washed away if Jesus himself baptizes him with God’s holy Ghost (with tongues) but that person has NOT been baptized in water according to your formula, with one of your misniters pronouncing the words, ‘in Jesus’ name’? All I want is Yes or No.” He tried at least three times to talk…. and I stopped him each time, saying, “Yes or No? If Jesus baptizes a person with his holy Spirit, but one of your ministers does not baptize him in water, are his sins washed away?”….. He hesitated, but he finally said, “No.”
Then I said to him, “I have another question for you: If a person is baptized in water the way you do it, with a minister saying ‘Jesus’ name’ when it is done, but that person has NOT been baptized by Jesus with the holy Ghost and he has NOT spoken in tongues, has his sins been washed away?”
Again, he started to talk. I stopped him, and said, “I told you all I want is Yes or No.” Then he said, “yes”.
I told him that what he is teaching people is “damnable heresy”. It’s what Paul spent his life opposing, that people were washed from sin and in the body of Christ without Jesus baptizing them with the holy Spirit. Paul’s gospel is that NOTHING is to be added to what Jesus does, and that anything other than what he does counts for nothing with God. I explained briefly and concisely, why. I didn’t wear him out like he wore me out. I just told him that Paul said there is but “one baptism” (this apostolic minister apparently did not know that verse because he asked me where it was) and that it was Jesus’ baptism of the Spirit which put us into the body of Christ (I don’t think he knew that verse either). And I also told him that he was responsible for every person he told his false doctrine to, and that I oppose it with everything that is within me, as Paul did, and as you do.
He then tried to tell me that he would send me a CD, and began to talk again. I told him that I didn’t want his CD and that we had nothing further to talk about. He had been given the truth. It was obvious he did not want it. And I told him that if he did not love the truth, God would turn him over to a strong delusion, as Paul told the Thessalonians (which it appeared to me, God already had done to him). He then got quiet, real quick. He started talking almost in a whisper asking me to listen to him. I told him that I didn’t want it, and that we both were wasting our time.
I can’t recall ever being so firm with anyone before, John. He was not going to change, or even be reasonable. He just wanted me to baptize people in water, his way. That’s all. It didn’t matter to him what I told him. He had no logical response or answer. He could only wander off in to his practiced phrases and repetitious religious nonsense. My conclusion was that God must have had him to call me so that he could hear the truth, which he rejected. But that is between him and God.
That was my morning. Whew. I hate Christianity, John. I despise it. It is destructive, divisive, delusive, and nothing good comes out of that spirit. As you said just the other night, the spirit of Christianity is that “man of sin” sitting in God’s temple. It’s in the temple! It IS sin, and everything it touches turns to sin.
I’m not sure if my wording is right there, but I know what I feel – the indignation of Christ. The filthy spirit of Christianity makes me burn with anger for what it does to our brothers and sisters everywhere… For those under its spell, reason, truth, and experience come to mean nothing, and all that counts is having someone submit to our religious tradition or ceremony.
God, please don’t let me be that way! If I am, I pray he shows it to me so that I can repent and He can rid me of it forever.
Gary
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