Heaven Past Present Future Ministries

ENCOURAGEMENT TO ETERNAL FOCUS IN UNITY AND FELLOWSHIP OF THE GOSPEL

For nearly two hundred years men with honorable goals in defense and promotion of an accurate gospel evolved to a state possibly objectionable to the Holy Spirit. Their ideas permeate many assemblies of the members of the forming Body of Christ. The beginning seeds of this movement sprung forth after the dark ages of persecution slowed when the new world brought a freedom not known for centuries to these frontier assemblies of the Southern United States. The birth place in the wilderness of the Southern United States possessed no supervisory ecclesiastical bodies to stifle the growth. Zealous for the cause of Christ every possible method was used to defend and promote the purity of the message of the gospel and the coming Kingdom. Unwittingly a series of steps evolved over time to a type of organization that claims Christ in name but often may leave out the leadership authority of the Holy Spirit Comforter sent by Christ. It has been called ‘landmarkism’ by many and also labeled as a ‘high-churchism’ by some.

Landmarkism at its roots is an argumentative claim of authority of the local church in Jesus Christ's kingdom work. By nature it departs from the servant principle given by Jesus whereby those greatest among us are those who serve. Christ taught a life of putting others above self  in humble demonstration of the fruit of the Holy Spirit from within the believer. Believers serve under the authority of the Holy Spirit in loose local congregations by demonstration of the fruits of the Spirit from within in changed lives. As such the light of God within their hearts changes the world. Departing from Jesus approach of servanthood churches began to exercise an authoritarian claim of positional entitlement.  Landmarkism claims the gospel work authority is only  in the local assembly of believers as a matter of law rather than content and character. As such legal local assembly approval supersedes Holy Spirit approval in all matters.

The author has chosen to call today’s further evolution of these steps ‘super-landmarkism’ because it simply evolved in the early 20^th century with small change of kingdom authority from emphasis on the ‘local’ assembly  to a ‘collective’ of all local assemblies -  a super form of the former.

The following steps are historically observed:

Step 1: (Early 19^th Century) Promise of Perpetuity of the Forming Body of Christ was changed to Secessionism of the local assembles.

Jesus promised in Matthew 16:18 the building of His assembly that would form in heaven at the end of the age with the consummation of His kingdom fulfillment. Not even Hades would overpower that goal. The earthly assemblies were only to picture this Forming Body that Christ was building in heaven with repentance and belief of the gospel message. However, as men often look for such a kingdom on earth this promise was applied to the local assemblies of believers. 

Further, the application of this promise primarily to the local church was fueled by then available patchy documents of historical information of past assemblies of like faith and order. With earthly application, a succession of such local churches of like faith and order was thought to have existed from the time of Christ. This view was used in defense as proof of a genuine accurate gospel against new restoration gospels arising in the early 19^th century of Mormonism and Campbellism (Church of Christ). Baptist believers argued there was no need for something to be restored if a succession of local churches have always existed from the time of Christ preaching a true gospel.

Step 2: (Middle 19^th Century) Holy Spirit Authority of Kingdom Work in True Gospel in hearts of believers changed to Local church authority for kingdom work.

In further defense of the gospel,  the ecumenism and tolerance of corrupted gospels in the Protestant church view was addressed. The Baptist logic was that there had been a chain of true local assemblies holding the pure gospel. Then this  led to the belief only those in the succession had the right or authority to do kingdom work. The Protestant churches of the reformation were to young historically to be in that linage.

The authority was changed from the purity of the message itself held by the assemblies of believers to the pedigree of the assembly. In this subtle change only proper assemblies could start other assemblies in a linage manner for proper acceptance. Here only baptisms and ordinations by the proper linage were acceptable. The message of the gospel had been superseded in importance to the name ‘Baptist’ and assembly pedigree.

From this line of thought our modern letters and church membership roles were born out of necessity to prove the proper  pedigree. Before this time, assembles were loose collections of believers on the first day of the week for worship and encouragement of daily individual Kingdom work.  They now began to exercise a more organized collective work in specialization above that of the individual work in daily shinning the light of Christ.

The evangelistic meeting and revival were born and souls walked isles to altars with preachers rather than pray in the fields because of the changed lives of all believers. This brought the lost to the assembly to hear the gospel message – something not allowed during the years of persecution giving a mixture of cold (lost) and hot (saved) in lukewarmness as Jesus described it in Revelation 3: 14ff. The 'lukewarm' Laodicean (laos-people of like language and custom, dikeus-lawsuit or right of justice) people entangled in lawsuit type of behavior soon found themselves in inter-conflict of questions of authority. They began to leave the peaceful path of serving others about self in humility of the pure gospel of grace.

Step 3: (Late 19^th Century) Spiritual Forming Body of Christ in Heaven changed to local earthly assembly only.

In further defense against the Protestant view of “the church” that tolerated gospel corruption in ecumenism any teaching of the church “universal” was condemned. That condemnation by the next generation of Baptist leaders included the “church universal” of the Spiritual forming body of Christ in heaven. Even today any mention of the assembly universal in heaven in certain Baptist assembly ranks brings a quick cry of heresy and attack even though their respected fore-fathers taught it.

Also in condemnation against the Protestant model of central priestly or ecclesiastical control of assemblies each local assembly was viewed as autonomous. These local autonomous churches claimed all authority as Christ's unit for kingdom work. This emphasis of authority of rule rather than humility of servants led to great division among believers of like faith. In fulfillment of His promise Jesus spewed these out of His mouth scattering them in multiple small congregations. Arguing over issues of authority these assemblies splintered into many small groups in the same locale. One should note in the regions where Landmarkism is popular geographically  these churches are small and many exist just a short distance from each other. Jesus scattered them over insignificant issues as one spewing out of the mouth those who promoted themselves to positions of authority in His kingdom work.

Step 4: (Early 20^th Century) Birth of the Super-Landmarkism of today.

Added to persecutory freedom was the improved communication and travel of the industrial age. This brought increased organization of the local assemblies in Kingdom work in large and prosperous associations together for missions and education. The autonomy of the local assemblies was preserved yet the authority of kingdom work in the local assemblies was changed to the collective of Baptist assemblies much like the individual States of the United States.  In Arkansas in 1901 Landmarkism split forming this Super-Landmarkism of all Baptist churches in collective work together. The mantel was simply changed from the local assembly to the collective of the assemblies. Kingdom work only required the approval of the collective rather than the local.

 Ironically this collective of the Convention to direct the assemblies would later deny its Landmark roots in great hostility. Historians were employed to distance such heritage. Such convention churches do not realize much of their practice today is derived from this evolution of steps thus outlined.

Consider a few examples. For one, in this pattern Baptist churches only accept other baptisms based on the church baptizing rather than the message and symbolism of the baptism. This is done to the insult of the Holy Spirit and His approval.  In the Landmark position it must be “Baptist” baptism. Also, acceptance of ordination of gospel ministers is determined by the fellowship of the church ordaining rather than the gospel message held and practiced by the minister. Again particular “Baptist” pedigree labels are important rather than the gospel message of the minister God calls. Finally, churches on signs and more publicly promote the messenger of the assembly in gospel meetings for spiritual opportunity rather than exercise the individual witness of Christ in the changed lives of the individual believers. Thus assemblies are more evangelical in meetings than as designed by Christ.  Jesus purposed the assembly of believers more for worship and encouragement of dedicated believers who each witness daily by the light of Christ shinning within them.  These and more practices came from the evolution of Landmark thought by use of authority in defense and promotion of the gospel.

Step 5: (Late 20^th Century) Now rich with further improved communication in publishing, television, radio, and computers leaders of the collective begin to determine individual Holy Spirit leadership within the churches.

Most collective message publishing, responsibility, promotions, and work opportunity is now controlled by paid specialty leaders of the collective. Such is determined by riches of worldly success markers. The churches look to these leaders in counsel for direction more so than the Holy Spirit. Decisions are less determined by the message of the individual than by the contribution and position of the individual in the supposed riches and likeness of the collective in its goals. In assemblies the Holy Spirit and the Word are nearly now replaced by a business model of constitutions, statements of faith, by-laws, and chief-executive officers in paid staff positions.  The individual believer is now much less of a daily servant of Christ under leadership of the Holy Spirit in the field of the world that comes to assembly for encouragement and worship. These assemblies keep the members so busy in program activity there is little contact with the lost world. These rich super-assemblies are near isolated social conclaves that provide to its members and those like themselves a Broadway-Madison Avenue entertainment.  Advertising now portrays the unique social religious experience of the collective more than the message of the kingdom. The emphasis is a heaven on earth together rather than the eternal kingdom. In it’s wealth it truly fulfills the Laodicean message of Jesus to His assemblies. 

The book hopes to document historically these subtle changes in evolution away from the simple servant design of the New Testament. Some good no doubt comes from each thing mentioned as God is always able to use every act of this world for His purposes. Yet the Comforter Jesus gave to His believers has been left out to His insult. He is replaced by emotions, committees, business plans, social barriers, etc. Often forgotten is the truth that it is the gospel message of the Kingdom that the Holy Spirit empowers to change the hearts of people.

Romans 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. NASB

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