The Genius of Apostasy (2)
FBFI Pulpit: Dr. David Innes, Hamilton Square Baptist Church, San Francisco, CA
Series: What is Fundamentalism?
Dr. Innes concludes his message from the previous week, summing up the subtle movements that lead a man towards apostasy. He answers the question, “When do I start speaking up or even separating from someone who is drifting?” To close, he surveys some of the prominent names in Christian circles in about the year 2000 as an illustration how to practice the discernment he is teaching.
Two topics to highlight:
The problem of when to separate.
The process of growing compromise leading to apostasy makes it difficult to know when to speak up about ministry changes. An additional complication is the good work that many brethren do, though they are headed in an entirely different direction ecclesiastically or theologically.
Dr. Innes points out that you risk endangering your own ministry if you will not speak up on time.
The necessity of keeping a cutting edge on your ministry.
- If you do not keep a cutting edge on your ministry, you will ultimately surround yourself with those who join with you, not because they share your convictions, but because they enjoy the success of what you are doing; and you will build an organization that will ultimately repudiate your own convictions.
- You can have law without love but you cannot have love without law. Love always imposes limits for the protection of its object.
- You cannot build a strong ministry by focusing on issues alone, but you cannot build a strong ministry without dealing with and defining issues.
Click here for the audio, download the notes here.
Earlier in this series:
The Doctrine of Separation Part 1
The Doctrine of Separation Part 2
Biblical Commands of Love and Unity – Part 1
Biblical Commands of Love and Unity – Part 2