ေက်းဇူးေတာ္ကု္ိ ဆံုးရွံုးနုိင္သလား

Can We Fall From God’s Grace And Be Lost? Can a Christian fall from God’s grace and be eternally lost? Let us see what God has said about this in the Bible. Let’s let the Bible answer this question. 

1) 1 Corinthians 10:12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Why such a warning if it is impossible to fall from grace? 

2) Galatians 5:4 “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Isn’t it strange, that people who say they believe the Bible also say that we cannot fall from grace, when the Bible so plainly says that we can fall from grace? Who should we believe, man or God? How much clearer could the Bible have said this? 

3) Romans 8:12-13 “Therefore, brethern, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Paul is talking to Christians and tells them if they live according to the flesh you will die spiritually. In other words you will be lost. 

4) James 5:19-20 “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” The Bible here says that a believer can wander from the truth and be lost. But also one who wanders from the truth can be won back.

 5) 1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Even the apostle Paul knew it was possible for him to become a castaway and be lost even after he had preached to others. 

6) 2 Peter 2:20-22 “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the later end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow, having been washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” Can one turn from the way of righteousness after they have escaped the pollutions of the world? The Bible says so. Will this cause them to be lost? Yes. This is a description of the pitiful state of one who turns away from God after they have been saved. In other words they have become lost after they were saved. 

7) 1 Corinthians 8:11 “And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died.” The Bible says that a weak brother can perish. 

8) Revelations 2:10 “Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.” Eternal life is conditional on one remaining faithful. What will happen if one does not remain faithful until death? 

9) 1 Corinthians 15:2 “By which you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.” Will you be saved if you do not hold fast to the word of God? One’s salvation is conditioned on “if you hold fast”. 

10) 2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” A Christian’s election is not a sure thing or such a command would not have been given in the Bible. 

11) Hebrews 3:12 “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” So the Bible says that a Christian can depart and leave God if he develops an evil heart of unbelief. 

12) Luke 8:13 Jesus says “But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.” The Bible says that believers can fall away, but some men say differently. Who are we going to believe: men or God? 

13) 1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” The Bible says we can depart from the faith. What happens when we depart from the faith in God? We are lost. 

14) 1 Timothy 5:12 “Having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith.” They were once saved but are now condemned. Why were they now condemned and lost? Because they had cast off their first faith. The false doctrine, that a child of God cannot so sin as to fall from God's grace and be eternally lost, is a lie of Satan. This same lie was told by Satan in the Garden of Eden to Eve, when he said "You will not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). 

Satan told Eve that disobedience to God would not result in death, but it did. This false doctrine is also referred to as “once saved, always saved” or “the impossibility of apostasy”. This is one of the many lies Satan tells today to cause many people to be eternally lost. Satan wants us to be complacent and not be concerned about being lost. When Satan accomplishes this he has the battle won with us.

Good question! ( Where did Baptists come from?)

 Not from John the Baptist, although some people may be 

really disappointed to hear this. 

The people we know today as Baptists, the largest Protestant grouping in the world, trace their origins to the early 1600s.Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603), in an attempt to unify religiously-divided England, had parliament legislate for a religious “middle way” between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. 

She hoped that most people in England would be satisfied with the terms of this religious settlement, and on the whole her hopes were realised. But there were minorities on both ends of the Roman Catholic/Protestant spectrum who regarded Elizabeth’s mediating Church of England as an ugly compromise.On the Protestant side, the Puritans (so-called because they wanted to “purify” the Church of England from all vestiges of Roman Catholicism) continued to agitate for further reform of the Church of England in a Protestant direction. 

Most Puritans remained faithful o the Church of England, hoping to reform the church from within. Some concluded, however, that the only way they would be able to worship freely in the way they believed God approved and Scripture required was to separate from the Church of England (an illegal and treasonable move in those days). From these “separatists” the first Baptists emerged, although the name “Baptist” only came later.The story of Baptists begins with John Smyth (1570-1612), a Cambridge university lecturer and Church of England preacher of the city of Lincoln. 

A contemporary described him as “a learned man, and of good ability, but of an unsettled head”. In October 1602 he was deposed from his position as preacher for “personal preaching” (!), an apparent reference to his rather reckless habit of rebuking prominent leaders for their sins from the pulpit. By about 1605 Smyth was beginning to have serious doubts about the Church of England, and attached himself to an (illegal) separatist congregation in the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.

When part of this congregation left England for the comparative religious freedom of the new world in 1606, Smyth became the leader of the Gainsborough congregation. The dangers for separatists continued to increase, however, with the new King James I (1603-1625) threatening to “harrie them out of the land”. In early 1608 conditions were so hazardous that Smyth and about forty of his congregation left to go to Amsterdam, a haven of religious tolerance at the time. 

Bradford, a leader of the Gainsborough congregation, described their action as follows: “They shooke of this yoake of antichristian bondage, and as the Lord’s free people, joined them selves (by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in the fellowship of the gospel, to walke in all his wayes, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavours, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.” True worship, 

Smyth insisted, must come “from the hart”, and thus “reading out of a booke” (a reference to The Book of Common Prayer) “is no part of spiritual worship, but rather the invention of the man of synne.”By 1609, Smyth was convinced that the New Testament did not teach infant baptism and had become aware of the need for believers’ baptism which, he argued, constitutes the basis of the church. 

He thus persuaded his followers to disband and to reconstitute their congregation on the basis of believers’ baptism: “They dissolved their church ... and Mr. Smyth being the Pastor thereof, gave over his office, as did also the Deacons, and devised to enter a new communion by renouncing their former baptism, and taking upon them another.... Mr. Smyth, Mr. Helwisse, and the rest, having utterly dissolved and disclaimed their former church state and ministry, came together to erect a new church by baptism.” Thus, the first “Baptist” church came into being, four hundred years ago this year.John Robinson, pastor of another English separatist church in Holland and an eye-witness of this event, wrote that “Mr Smyth baptised first himself, and next Mr Helwisse.” The other forty members of the congregation were then baptised in turn. 

These baptisms were by affusion (pouring); but the important point is that Smyth and his followers had come to the conclusion that the proper subject of baptism is the believer. As Smyth explained in his book, The Character of the Beast (1609), “This therefor is the question: whither the baptisme of infants be lawful, yea or nay: & whither persons baptised being infants must not renounce that false baptisme, and assume the true baptisme of Chr[ist]: which is to be administered uppon persons confessing their faith & their sinnes.... Infant baptism has been an error], a cheef point of Antichristianisme, and the very essence and constitution of the false Church, as is cleerly discovered in this treatise.” 

Believers’ baptism was obviously of enormous importance to Smyth; even more important, however, was his conviction that this was what the New Testament taught.Early Baptist convictions were thus shaped by a firm belief that the word of Christ in the Scriptures is the final authority for both belief and practice. (So committed was Smyth to this principle that preachers should not even read from an English translation which might have been subject to “official” manipulation – the person doing the preaching should bring a Hebrew or Greek Bible into the pulpit and provide a free verbal translation on the spot!)

 Among other practices clearly taught in Scripture, as far as Smyth and his followers were concerned, was the baptism of believers, not infants. Following such convictions would inevitably bring religious dissenters such as these into conflict with the secular authorities, and raise acutely the question of how to respond when the law of Christ and the law of the land came into conflict. Wrestling with that question will comprise the next instalment of the Baptist story.

Article No. 2

By 1609,John Smyth and his little English-speaking “Baptist” congregation at Amsterdam (where they had fled to avoid persecution in England) had become convinced of believers’ baptism. But Smyth (he of the “unsettled head” - see the article in the previous qb magazine) began to feel that they had made a mistake in baptising themselves and should have joined up with a group already practising believers’ baptism (such as the Mennonites). 

The announcement of his doubts caused disagreement in the group (sadly, disagreement seems to have been a feature of Baptists since the beginning!). Some of them, led by Thomas Helwys, disagreed strongly with the position now adopted by Smyth, even accusing him of believing that “the Church & Ministrie must come by succession”. Smyth proceeded to make application to the Mennonites for membership, together with about thirty of the congregation. Helwys, on the other hand, wrote to the Mennonite leaders, warning them that Smyth was unstable (the suspicion referred to earlier, that he had an “unsettled head”, perhaps had some truth to it). 

The Mennonites did not respond immediately - they were evidently more careful than many of us today about whom they admitted to membership in their church. Smyth’s group of followers were only ultimately 1606, Smyth became the leader of the Gainsborough congregation. The dangers for separatists continued to increase, however, with the new King James I (1603-1625) threatening to “harrie them out of the land”. In early 1608 conditions were so hazardous that Smyth and about forty of his congregation left to go to Amsterdam, a haven of religious tolerance at the time. 

Bradford, a leader of the Gainsborough congregation, described their action as follows: “They shooke of this yoake of antichristian bondage, and as the Lord’s free people, joined them selves (by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in the fellowship of the gospel, to walke in all his wayes, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavours, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them.” True worship, Smyth insisted, must come “from the hart”, and thus “reading out of a booke” (a reference to The Book of Common Prayer) “is no part of spiritual worship, but rather the invention of the man of synne.”By 1609, Smyth was convinced that the New Testament did not teach infant baptism and had become aware of the need for believers’ baptism which, he argued, constitutes the basis of the church. 

He thus persuaded his followers to disband and to reconstitute their congregation on the basis of believers’ baptism: “They dissolved their church ... and Mr. Smyth being the Pastor thereof, gave over his office, as did also the Deacons, and devised to enter a new communion by renouncing their former baptism, and taking upon them another.... Mr. Smyth, Mr. Helwisse, and the rest, having utterly dissolved and disclaimed their former church state and ministry, came together to erect a new church by baptism.” Thus, the first “Baptist” church came into being, four hundred years ago this year.John Robinson, pastor of another English separatist church in Holland and an eye-witness of this event, wrote that “Mr Smyth baptised first himself, and next Mr Helwisse.” 

The other forty members of the congregation were then baptised in turn. These baptisms were by affusion (pouring); but the important point is that Smyth and his followers had come to the conclusion that the proper subject of baptism is the believer. As Smyth explained in his book, The Character of the Beast (1609), “This therefor is the question: whither the baptisme of infants be lawful, yea or nay: & whither persons baptised being infants must not renounce that false baptisme, and assume the true baptisme of Chr[ist]: which is to be administered uppon persons confessing their faith & their sinnes.... Infant baptism has been an error], a cheef point of Antichristianisme, and the very essence and constitution of the false Church, as is cleerly discovered in this treatise.” 

Believers’ baptism was obviously of enormous importance to Smyth; even more important, however, was his conviction that this was what the New Testament taught.Early Baptist convictions were thus shaped by a firm belief that the word of Christ in the Scriptures is the final authority for both belief and practice. (So committed was Smyth to this principle that preachers should not even read from an English translation which might have been subject to “official” manipulation – the person doing the preaching should bring a Hebrew or Greek Bible into the pulpit and provide a free verbal translation on the spot!) 

Among other practices clearly taught in Scripture, as far as Smyth and his followers were concerned, was the baptism of believers, not infants. Following such convictions would inevitably bring religious dissenters such as these into conflict with the secular authorities, and raise acutely the question of how to respond when the law of Christ and the law of the land came into conflict. Wrestling with that question will comprise the next instalment of the Baptist story.- 2 -‘Early Baptist convictions were thus shaped by a firm belief that the word of Christ in the Scriptures is the final authority for both belief and practice. ‘ accepted into the Mennonite church in 1615, three years after Smyth himself had died.

While waiting for the Mennonites’ reply, and in failing health, Smyth wrote his Propositions and Conclusions concerning True Christian Religion, containing a Confession of Faith of certain English people, living at Amsterdam (1612), marked by its very early expression of freedom of conscience and separation of church and state. The following paragraph is often quoted:84. That the magistrate is not by virtue of his office to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience, to force or compel men to this or that form of religion, or doctrine; but to leave Christian religion free, to every man’s conscience, and to handle only civil transgressions (Rom. xiii), injuries and wrongs of man against man, in murder, adultery, theft, etc., for Christ only is the king, and lawgiver of the church and conscience (James iv. 12).In the meantime, 

Helwys had also been busy writing and in 1611 he published A Declaration of English People Remaining at Amsterdam in Holland. Its stated purpose was to defend the “Truth of God”, to give enlightenment to their own members because of the “fearful falls of some that hath been of us” (doubtless referring to Smyth’s group), and to clear his own group of the false charges that had been laid against them. Each church may elect its own officers, including preaching elders, and both men and women deacons. 

The autonomy of the local church also receives clear expression:12. That as one congregacion hath CHRIST, so hath all, 2 Cor. 10.7. And that the Word off GOD cometh not out from anie one, neither to anie one congregacion in particular. 1 Cor. 14.36. But vnto everie particular Church, as it doth vnto all the world. Coll. 1.5, 6. And therefore no church ought to challenge anie prerogative over anie other.Believers’ baptism and regenerate church membership are dealt with as follows:13. That everie Church is to receive in all their members by Baptisme vpon the Confession off their faith and sinnes wrought by the preaching off the Gospel, according to the primitive Institucion. Mat. 28.19. 

And therefore Churches constituted after anie other manner, or off anie other persons are not according to CHRISTS Testament.14. That Baptisme or washing with Water, is the outward manifestacion off dieing vnto sinn, and walkeing in newness of life. Roman. 6.2, 3, 4. And therefore in no wise apperteyneth to infants. In 1611, Helwys and the rest of the group (about ten in all, under Helwys’ leadership) decided to return to England. Apparently they felt that they should not have left in the first place and that they should have faced the harassment and persecution boldly. 

They settled at Spitalfields, then on the outskirts of London, thus forming the first “Baptist” congregation on English soil (although they did not, as yet, use the name “Baptist” of themselves).Under the leadership of Helwys the little group grew slowly. Helwys was a man of considerable principle and courage, consumed with the importance of the principle of religious liberty, which prompted him to write A Short Declaration of the Mistery of Iniquity in 1612. He sought to present a copy to King James I, who was anything but inclined towards the principle of religious liberty! In keeping with the convictions that have characterised Baptists ever since, Helwys had fearlessly written in the flyleaf of the King’s complimentary copy:

The king is a mortal man, & not God, therefore hath no power over the immortall souls of his subiects, to make laws and ordinances for them, and to set spirituall Lords over them. If the king have authority to make spirituall Lords and lawes, then he is an immortal God, and not a mere man. O king, be not seduced by deceivers to sin so against God whome thou oughtest to obey, nor against thy poore subiects who ought and will obey thee in all things with body, life and goods, or els let their lives be taken from the earth. God save the king. Spittlefield neare London. 

Tho: Helwys.James I was doubtless offended by this bluntness. In any event, in 1612 he had Helwys thrown into Newgate prison, from which he did not emerge alive, dying probably in 1616.It is clear therefore, that Baptist distinctives such as the direct Lordship of Christ, liberty of conscience, freedom of religion and the separation of church and state were part of the Baptist DNA from the beginning of the movement. 

Baptists may again be required to take a stand on these fundamental values in our own times, as legislation and social pressure again place them under threat.- 3 -‘Baptist distinctives such as the direct Lordship of Christ, liberty of conscience, freedom of religion and the separation of church and state were part of the Baptist DNA from the beginning of the movement.’

Article No. 3

The first two articles in this series described the origin and initial 

development of the people called Baptists in the early 1600s. 

Although they did not initially call themselves “Baptists” (a designation given them by their opponents), they had already settled on important distinctives we now recognise as Baptist, such as the baptism of believers, regenerate church membership, the autonomy of the local church, and freedom of conscience. 

These earliest Baptists came to be known as “General Baptists” because they held to the theology that Christ died for all people “generally” (a theology which is also called Arminian after the Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius). By 1650 there were 47 General Baptist churches in England.At roughly the same time, a movement referred to as “Particular Baptists” was coming into existence. 

They emerged from an independent church of Puritan sympathies and reformed theology, including the view that Christ’s death was for a restricted or “particular” number of people, namely, the elect (thus their name “Particular Baptists”). By the late 1630s a small group became convinced that the subjects of baptism should not be infants but rather professed believers. 

A certain Richard Blunt became convinced that baptism “ought to be by dipping the Body into the Water, resembling Burial and rising again.” Since there was no one in England who was practising believers’ baptism by immersion at the time and because Blunt could speak Dutch, he was sent to Holland to research the matter. 

On his return in 1642, “Mr Blunt Baptized Mr Blacklock that was teacher amongst them, & Mr Blunt being baptized, he and Mr Blacklock Baptized the rest of their friends that ware so minded, & many being added to them they increased much.”By 1644 the number of “Particular Baptist” churches in the London area had grown to seven, and together they drew up The London Confession, a statement of faith that includes the following:XXXIX. 

That Baptisme is an Ordinance of the new Testament, given by Christ, to be dispensed onely upon persons professing faith, or that are Disciples, or taught, who upon a profession of faith, ought to be baptized.XL. The way and manner of the dispensing of this Ordinance the Scripture holds out to be dipping or plunging the whole body under water: it being a signe, must answer the thing signified, which are these: first, the washing the whole soule in the bloud of Christ: Secondly, that interest the Saints have in the death, burial and resurrection; thirdly, together with a confirmation of our faith, that as certainly as the body is buried under water, and riseth againe, so certainly shall the bodies of the saints be raised by the power of Christ, in the day of the resurrection, to reign with Christ.

 [A quaint note in the margin adds, “The word Baptizo, signifying to dip under water, yet so as with convenient garments both upon the administrator and subject, with all modestie.” XLI. The persons designed by Christ, to dispense this Ordinance, the Scriptures hold forth to be a preaching Disciple, it being no where tyed to a particular Church, Officer, or person extraordinarily sent, the Commision injoyning the administration, being given to them under no other consideration, but as considered Disciples.

This makes The London Confession the first English confession of faith to contain an article on immersion as the scriptural mode of baptism. Ever since about 1644 therefore, Baptists have been the same in all essential features as they are today. At this early stage there was very little contact  if any  between General and Particular Baptists (mainly because of the climate of persecution and the need for secrecy), and they may not even have known of each other’s existence.In 1677 Particular Baptists drew up The Second London Confession (reissued in 1689 after the cessation of persecution which came about after the Act of Toleration in 1688, and since then often referred to simply as The 1689).

 It was written primarily to demonstrate the substantial agreement of Particular Baptists with the Presbyterian Westminster Confession of Faith (and was largely based upon it). The only significant points of departure from the Westminster Confession of Faith in The Second London Confession are the Baptist understanding of the ordinances (especially baptism), church government, and the relation between church and state. 

It is therefore predominantly reformed in its theology. It was signed by 107 Particular Baptist churches from England and Wales, meeting in London. It has assumed a massive importance in Baptist history in the English-speaking world, and is still deeply respected today by Baptists of a reformed persuasion.

Article-4

English Baptists in the Eighteenth Century: 

Decline and RevivalThe Baptist historian Ivimey, writing in 1823 of the period around 1750, observed that the General Baptists at that time “were but few in number, and their congregations small and languishing” and that “there is no reason to doubt that our churches [that is, the Particular Baptists] were far more prosperous and numerous at the Revolution in 1688, than at this period, sixty-five years afterwards; so that prosperity had indeed slain more than the sword” (quoted in Torbet, History, p. 71). 

When external pressure ceases, decline and internal disputes often begin. This is the sad truth about Baptists in the eighteenth century. There were theological tensions not only between General and Particular Baptists, but also within both groups. General Baptists were progressively infected with extreme Arminianism and Socinian ideas (that is, a denial of the trinity, including a denial of the deity of Christ). Particular Baptists, on the other hand, varied in the extent to which they embraced Calvinism, many of them becoming hyper-Calvinists who were opposed to any evangelism, since Christ died for the elect only and that the elect would be saved by God’s irresistible grace. 

This trend can be seen in the comment of an older man to William Carey (“the father of modern missions”) late in the 1700s when Carey was trying to raise support to go to India as a missionary: “Young man, if God wants to save the heathen, He’ll do it without your help or mine.” In this view the preaching of the Gospel becomes unnecessary. These tensions sapped Baptists’ vitality and contributed to their stagnation and decline. A survey of Baptist ministers in London in 1731 reveals 7 Antinomian/Hyper-Calvinist, 7 Calvinist, 6 Arminian, 3 Unitarian and 2 Seventh Day (Torbet, History, p. 63). 

Preaching was often polemical and abstract, certainly not evangelistic. In addition to these theological tensions, less attention was given to evangelism than to buildings and organisational structure. After the Toleration Act of 1689, Baptists began erecting church buildings, but many grew weary of the constant begging of money for building programmes. Generally such buildings were situated in the town centre, and ministry tended to focus on the immediate neighbourhood with very few evangelistic outreaches to the wider population. 

Also, attention was given, especially in the case of the General Baptists, to organisational structures such as the General Assembly. Evangelism was generally neglected. A further reason for decline was that Baptists failed to adapt themselves to the Industrial Revolution. Little if any account was taken of the enormous changes in demography and social conditions brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Finally, the training and care of Baptist ministers was poor. Ministerial training was lacking in any formal sense  it was done largely through being “apprenticed” to a senior pastor. Some Baptist pastors had been through university training as Anglicans before their conversion to Baptist views, but university training was denied to Baptists. 

Furthermore, ministers were woefully poorly paid. Most of them were bivocational. Many, even if they felt called, did not enter the ministry because they knew they would be unable to care for their families on the meagre stipends provided. In 1717, the Particular Baptists established the “London Fund” to assist needy ministers. The General Baptists followed suit in 1725, but even so, financial provision was extremely meagre.When the spiritual revival so desperately needed by England did come, it was sparked not by Baptists but by Anglicans such as George Whitefield and the Wesleys. 

But Baptists were touched by these revivals in significant ways. Wesley’s preachers had a particular impact on the General Baptists, since they shared a common Arminian theology, and this impact was felt both in converts from the revivals becoming members of General Baptist churches, and many General Baptist churches themselves being revived. John Wesley didn’t particularly like his converts becoming Baptists with their doctrine of believers’ baptism by immersion, complaining that many of his Methodist chickens had become Baptist ducks!One of Wesley’s converts was Dan Taylor (1738-1816) from North England.

 After his conversion he became a Methodist preacher, but as a result of his study of the New Testament he became convinced of his need for believers’ baptism by immersion. On one occasion he walked fifty miles to ask baptism of the Particular Baptists, but he was refused owing to his “general” (Arminian/Wesleyan) view on the atonement! He was, however, referred to the General Baptists, was baptised by them, and ultimately became a General Baptist minister in 1763. With his ability, energy and convictions, Taylor soon became a leader among the General Baptists. He was greatly concerned about the decline of the General Baptist churches and about the defective Christology held by many of them. T

aylor’s assessment of the General Baptist decline was that “They degraded Christ, and He degraded them.” Taylor continued to try to renew the General Baptists from within, but in this he was largely unsuccessful. Eventually, in 1770, he called for a meeting of all “orthodox” (that is, Christologically sound) General Baptist ministers in London. Eighteen of them were present, and they decided to resign from the General Baptists and establish what they called “The New Connection of General Baptists formed in 1770; with a design to revive Experimental Religion or Primitive Christianity in Faith and Practice.” (For obvious reasons, they soon became known simply as “The New Connection”). By “experimental” in their name we should understand “experienced” – they wanted their Christian faith to be a living relationship with Christ because that is what they saw in the New Testament, not just a set of abstract ideas. 

The New Connection was characterised by evangelistic zeal, and under the untiring leadership of Dan Taylor it grew steadily.So by the end of the eighteenth century there were three main groups of Baptists in England. The Particular Baptists were of a Calvinistic or Hyper-Calvinistic persuasion, and their resistance to centralisation had resulted in no more than a loose association between their respective churches. 

The General Baptists were Arminian and often Unitarian in theology, and because they had much stronger associational tendencies, they had formed the General Assembly of General Baptists as far back as 1654. And now there were also the New Connection General Baptists, founded by Dan Taylor and his associates in 1770 as an evangelical breakaway from the General Baptists.

 In time, the “Old Connection” General Baptists who had remained orthodox in their theology (especially their Christology) joined the New Connection; the less orthodox General Baptists dissipated into unitarianism and thus the old “General Baptist” grouping ceased to exist. A variety of other smaller Baptist groups also came into being in the eighteenth century, such as the “Sabbatarian (Seventh Day) Baptists”, and the “Strict Baptists” (who were anti-organisation, anti-mission and anti-education). 

Thus was laid the foundation for the staggering diversity among Baptists which has characterised the movement pretty much from the beginning. English Baptists in the 19th Century The nineteenth century in English Baptist history was characterised by the denominational consolidation of Baptists, outstanding Baptist pulpiteers, and internal controversy – all of which have left their mark on Queensland Baptists, their step-children.

Attempts to bring English Baptists together into some kind of organisational unity was not an easy task. They were theologically diverse, including the Calvinistic, often Hyper-Calvinistic views of the Particular Baptists, and the Arminian theology and evangelical vitality of the New Connection. They also disagreed about the shape such unity should take and the powers of a central body. Another point of dissension was open versus closed communion (open communion meaning that all believers were welcome at the Lord’s table; closed that only baptised believers should be admitted). The story of the formation of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland is a long and complex one, but as early as 1813, some Particular Baptists began to meet together annually with a view to bringing a “Union” into being. 

The Particular Baptists were becoming less Calvinistic owing to the enormous spread of Arminian theology through the Evangelical Revivals and their own increasing interest in missions and thus renunciation of Hyper-Calvinism.By 1831 this “Union” also voted to welcome into its fellowship New Connection churches, although the New Connection as a body remained separate. However, support for the venture of “Union” remained very weak. It was only in 1891 that the New Connection voted by an overwhelming majority to “accept the invitation offered.” Thus the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland was finally established.Baptists also produced some outstanding preachers during the nineteenth century. Among these was Robert Hall (1764-1831), who became one of the most eloquent and best-known Baptist preachers of his day. 

Although a moderate Calvinist, he was a vigorous opponent of Hyper-Calvinism. The famous Welsh preacher Christmas Evans once told Hall how much he wished that the works of John Gill, the Hyper-Calvinist, had been written in the expressive Welsh language, to which Hall replied, “I wish they had, sir; I wish they had, with all my heart, sir, for then I should never have read them! They are a continent of mud, sir! ”On another occasion, an influential member of Hall’s congregation took him to task for not preaching more frequently on predestination. 

Looking him steadily in the face and speaking slowly, Hall said, “Sir, I perceive that nature predestined you to be an ass, and what is more, I see that you are determined to make your calling and election sure.”Another famous Baptist preacher of the nineteenth century was Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910). Son of a Glasgow businessman, he was converted at - 6 –

Article - 5

                   “English Baptists in the 19th CenturyThe nineteenth century in English Baptist history was characterised by the denominational consolidation of Baptists, outstanding Baptist pulpiteers, and internal controversy  all of which have left their mark on Queensland Baptists, their step-children.Attempts to bring English Baptists together into some kind of organisational unity was not an easy task. 

                  They were theologically diverse, including the Calvinistic, often Hyper-Calvinistic views of the Particular Baptists, and the Arminian theology and evangelical vitality of the New Connection. They also disagreed about the shape such unity should take and the powers of a central body. Another point of dissension was open versus closed communion (open communion meaning that all believers were welcome at the Lord’s table; closed that only baptised believers should be admitted). The story of the formation of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland is a long and complex one, but as early as 1813, some Particular Baptists began to meet together annually with a view to bringing a “Union” into being. 

                   The Particular Baptists were becoming less Calvinistic owing to the enormous spread of Arminian theology through the Evangelical Revivals and their own increasing interest in missions and thus renunciation of Hyper-Calvinism.By 1831 this “Union” also voted to welcome into its fellowship New Connection churches, although the New Connection as a body remained separate. However, support for the venture of “Union” remained very weak. It was only in 1891 that the New Connection voted by an overwhelming majority to “accept the invitation offered.”

                Thus the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland was finally established. Baptists also produced some outstanding preachers during the nineteenth century. Among these was Robert Hall (1764-1831), who became one of the most eloquent and best-known Baptist preachers of his day. Although a moderate Calvinist, he was a vigorous opponent of Hyper-Calvinism. 

     The famous Welsh preacher Christmas Evans once told Hall how much he wished that the works of John Gill, the Hyper-Calvinist, had been written in the expressive Welsh language, to which Hall replied, “I wish they had, sir; I wish they had, with all my heart, sir, for then I should never have read them! They are a continent of mud, sir! ”On another occasion, an influential member of Hall’s congregation took him to task for not preaching more frequently on predestination.

 Looking him steadily in the face and speaking slowly, Hall said, “Sir, I perceive that nature predestined you to be an ass, and what is more, I see that you are determined to make your calling and election sure.”Another famous Baptist preacher of the nineteenth century was Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910). Son of a Glasgow businessman, he was converted at the age of fifteen. 

He studied at Stepney College in London (the predecessor of Regent’s Park College, the Baptist College now attached to Oxford University), and excelled at biblical languages. After an initial pastorate in Southampton, he moved to Union Chapel in Manchester in 1858 and remained there until his retirement in 1903.

 He gave himself to his pulpit ministry and became a fine expository preacher of the Scriptures. “Sermon-lovers and young ministers made special journeys to Manchester to hear him, hoping to fathom the secret of his pulpit mastery.” Baptists honoured him by electing him as President of the Baptist Union on two occasions and he was also chosen to preside at the first meeting of the Baptist World Alliance which was held in London in 1905.Yet another influential Baptist leader, of a more progressive streak, was John Clifford (1836-1923). 

He was well-known not only for his humility and spirituality, but also for his “broad interpretation of evangelicalism, his appreciation of the work of Biblical scholarship, his resolute opposition to blind conservatism, his repudiation of the antagonism between Religion and Science so often proclaimed by some in our own Church, and his steadfast adherence to the New Testament idea of the Church.” He was twice elected as President of the Baptist Union and was elected as the first President of the Baptist World Alliance (1905-1910). 

He also served the Free Churches well as a spokesman against the Church of England establishment.A close friend of Clifford, but of considerably more conservative theology, was the “prince of Baptist preachers”, the famous Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892). A remarkable and unusually gifted person, he excelled in pulpit delivery, literary skills and administrative ability. Raised in a Paedobaptist home (advocates of infant baptism), he was converted in a Methodist chapel. After becoming convinced of believers’ baptism by immersion, he became pastor of the Waterbeach Baptist Chapel in 1851 (when only seventeen years of age!). 

In 1854 he was called to the New Park Street Baptist Chapel in Southwark, London, which was soon filled to overflowing under Spurgeon’s powerful preaching. This necessitated the building of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1859 (seating about 5,500 people), where he ministered until a few months before his death. His preaching was filled with anecdotes and illustrations and he possessed a marvellous wit, but he was passionately committed to the faithful exposition of Scripture. He was never ordained he refused it, claiming that it was superfluous for men to repeat what God had already done! Spurgeon was a moderate Calvinist, opposing both Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism, although he was accused of being an Arminian because of his passion to see souls saved.

Spurgeon was never a lover of controversy. But his fears that heresy was creeping into Baptist pulpits led in 1887 to his writing a series of articles which were published in the Sword and Trowel, complaining that Baptists were going downhill doctrinally. The resulting dispute came to be called the “Down-Grade Controversy”. Spurgeon’s main concerns were the following: an increasing interest among Baptists in Darwin’s ideas about evolution, increasing interest in biblical criticism, the spread of ideas about inspiration which allowed for errors in the Bible, a rejection by some of the penal-substitutionary view of the atonement, and universalist convictions which were to be found in some Baptist churches (the idea that all will ultimately be saved). 

The Baptist Union executive asked Spurgeon to document his allegations that the Baptist Union tolerated heresy. This placed Spurgeon in a difficult position, because he had derived some of his information from the President of the Union, who had asked that his name not be revealed. One of the stranger results of the controversy was that, in order to protect doctrinal purity, Spurgeon proposed that a creed be adopted in place of the confession of faith, but his proposal was not accepted. Another result was that Spurgeon and his church withdrew from the Baptist Union in October 1887, prompting the Union to pass a motion of censure upon him; a motion which was never withdrawn. 

This grieved him deeply, and probably hastened his death.Australian Baptists (including Queensland Baptists) come predominantly from English Baptist stock and many of the features of Queensland Baptist life in the twentieth and twenty-first century – emphasis on biblical preaching, debates about the place and power of the Union, and doctrinal controversy – can be seen in our English forebears too.

(The quotations in this final article come from A C Underwood,
 A History of the English Baptists.)

ခေလးမ်ား ေရနွစ္ျခင္းခံဖုိ. လုိသလား?

The Bible clearly states that we do not inherit sin as children. 

In Ezekiel 18:20 we read, “The son shall not bear the iniquity of 

the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son.”

This verse tells us that we are not responsible for any of our ancestors’ sins, even all the way back to Adam. What is sin? In 1 John 3:4 we read “For sin is the transgression of the law." One has got to transgress God’s law before he can sin. This is how the Bible defines sin. 

Infants cannot transgress God’s law and thus have not sinned. Infants are not suitable candidates for baptism, since they cannot believe. Our Lord says in Mark 16:16, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." Here one of the prerequisites of being saved is to believe, which is impossible for an infant to do. 

 In Acts 8:36-37 the question was asked, "'See here is water; what hinders me from being baptized? And Philip said, if you believe with all your heart you may.' Here again we see the condition that must be met before a person can be baptized is you must “believe with all your heart”. 

Can an infant do this? No. Also one of the prerequisites of being baptized is one must repent. The apostle Peter told a group of people to “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Can an infant repent? 

It would be absurd to think an infant could believe or repent, but it is just as absurd to think an innocent infant, who is without sin, must be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, which he does not have. In Acts 8:12 we read, “But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized”. Notice it says “men and women were baptized”, not children. 

Satan has many ways in fooling people into being lost. The lie that Satan tells here to people who have become accountable is that since you were baptized as an infant, you do not need to be baptized for the remission of your sins now that you have become accountable and responsible. 

Satan knows that infant baptism accomplishes nothing. He also knows, when people who were baptized as an infant become accountable, that at that time they are lost. Many souls of those who follow Satan will be lost. Satan has fooled people into baptizing their babies, giving them a false sense of security. Jesus says in Mark 16:16, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.

Masturbation - is it a sin according to the Bible?

The Bible does not mention masturbation or 

state whether or not masturbation is a sin. 

The passage most frequently associated with masturbation is the story of Onan in Genesis 38:9–10. Some interpret this passage to say that “spilling your seed” is a sin. However, that is not what the passage is saying. God condemned Onan not for “spilling his seed” but because Onan was rebellious. Onan refused to fulfill his duty to provide an heir for his deceased brother. 

The passage is not about masturbation but about fulfilling a family obligation. A second passage sometimes used as evidence that masturbation is a sin is Matthew 5:27–30. Jesus speaks against having lustful thoughts and then says, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” While there is clearly a connection between lustful thoughts and masturbation, it is unlikely that Jesus was alluding to the specific sin of masturbation in this passage.

 The Bible nowhere explicitly states that masturbation is a sin, but there is no question that the actions that usually lead to masturbation are sinful. Masturbation is nearly always the result of lustful thoughts, inappropriate sexual stimulation, and/or pornography. It is these problems that need to be dealt with. If the sins of lust, immoral thoughts, and pornography are forsaken and overcome, masturbation will become much less of an issue and temptation. 

Many people struggle with guilt concerning masturbation, when, in reality, they would be far better off repenting of the sins that lead them to masturbate. With that said, is masturbation itself a sin? While the Bible does not directly answer this question, there definitely are some biblical principles that can be applied to the issue: (1) “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). If we cannot give God glory for something, we should not do it. (2) “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

 If we are not fully convinced that an activity is honoring to God, it is a sin. (3) “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Our bodies have been redeemed and belong to God. (4) “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Masturbation is almost always a sign of a lack of self-control.

 These great truths should have a powerful impact on what we do with our bodies. In light of these principles, many conclude that masturbation is always sinful. Masturbation is a questionable activity, at best—whether it can glorify God; whether it can be done in absolute confidence that it is right; and whether it can honor God as the owner of our bodies. 

 If done with absolutely no lust, immoral thoughts, or pornography, with full assurance that it is good and right, with thanks given to God for the pleasure it brings (see 1 Corinthians 10:30), is it still a sin to masturbate? The most we can say is maybe not. However, we have serious doubts whether this scenario ever truly exists.

What is the New Covenant?

The New Covenant (or New Testament) is the promise that 

God makes with humanity that He will forgive sin and 

restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. 

Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, and His death on the cross is the basis of the promise (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant was predicted while the Old Covenant was still in effect—the prophets Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all allude to the New Covenant. 

The Old Covenant that God had established with His people required strict obedience to the Mosaic Law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the Law required that Israel perform daily sacrifices in order to atone for sin. But Moses, through whom God established the Old Covenant, also anticipated the New Covenant. In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel, Moses looks forward to a time when Israel would be given “a heart to understand” (Deuteronomy 29:4, ESV). Moses predicts that Israel would fail in keeping the Old Covenant (verses 22–28), but he then sees a time of restoration (30:1–5). 

At that time, Moses says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (verse 6). The New Covenant involves a total change of heart so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to Him. The prophet Jeremiah also predicted the New Covenant. “‘The day will come,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. . . . But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33). 

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people. The Old Covenant was written in stone, but the New Covenant is written on our hearts. Entering the New Covenant is made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Luke 22:20 relates how Jesus, at the Last Supper, takes the cup and says, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (ESV). 

The New Covenant is also mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26–27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here: a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and true holiness. The Mosaic Law could provide none of these things (see Romans 3:20). The New Covenant was originally given to Israel and includes a promise of fruitfulness, blessing, and a peaceful existence in the Promised Land. In Ezekiel 36:28–30 God says, “Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. . . . I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 

I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 contains similar promises related to Israel under the New Covenant. After the resurrection of Christ, Gentiles were brought into the blessing of the New Covenant, too (Acts 10; Ephesians 2:13–14). The fulfillment of the New Covenant will be seen in two places: on earth, during the Millennial Kingdom; and in heaven, for all eternity. We are no longer under the Law but under grace (Romans 6:14–15). The Old Covenant has served its purpose, and it has been replaced by “a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). 

“In fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).

CHURCH Rules and Regulations !!

Rules and Regulations Section 
A. INTRODUCTION Section B. BASIS OF FAITH Section C. RULES AND REGULATIONS 1. Church Membership 
1.1 Biblical Basis for Church Membership 
1.2 Qualifications for Church Membership 
1.3 Requirement for Baptism 
1.4 Application for Membership 
1.5 Procedure at Church Members’ Meetings 
1.6 Transfers from Other Churches 
1.7 The Discipline of Church Members 
1.8 Termination of Church Membership 
2. Church Officers 
2.1 Elders 
2.2 Deacons 
2.3 Charity Trustees 
3. Church Ordinances 
3.1 Baptism 
3.2 The Lord’s Supper 
4. Church Members’ Meetings 
4.1 The Purpose of Church Members’ Meetings 
4.2 Ordinary and Special Church Members’ Meetings 
4.3 Convening Church Members’ Meetings 
4.4 The Conduct of Church Members’ Meetings 
4.5 Voting 
4.6 Minutes 
5. Power of Amendment 
5.1 Amendment Clause 

A. INTRODUCTION 
This local church exists in order to fulfil a threefold purpose: a) The worship of God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23). b) The edification and encouragement of the body of believers (Ephesians 4:16, Hebrews 10:24-25). c) The fulfilment of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). 
B. BASIS OF FAITH 
The Holy Scriptures contained in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are the only rule or standard that God has given the churches to govern all matters of faith and practice. As its subordinate standard, the Church recognises the 1966 Baptist Affirmation of Faith, which is summarised below: 
1. The verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and that they are the sole, supreme, and all-sufficient authority in every matter of Christian faith and practice. 
2. One living and only true God, subsisting in the Trinity of Three co-equal and co-eternal Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; all infinite without beginning; the Father neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. 
3. The Deity, eternal Sonship, and spotless humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ; His virgin birth, crucifixion, death, and burial; His physical resurrection, and ascension into heaven. 
4. The personal, eternal, and unconditional election of the Church in Christ unto everlasting salvation. 
5. The Fall of mankind in Adam their federal head whose transgression is imputed to them, and from whom they derive a corrupt nature, thereby rendering them both unable and unwilling to meet the claims of God's righteous and holy law. 
6. That though all men are rendered spiritually impotent by the Fall, they are none the less accountable to God for their sins, and they shall answer for the same in the day of judgement except they be granted repentance unto eternal life. 
7. The special, particular, and eternal redemption from all sin, and the penal consequence thereof, of all God's elect, through the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
8. The eternal and everlasting justification through faith of the elect and redeemed Church, by the blood and imputed righteousness of Christ, irrespective of any moral or spiritual works done by them either before or after regeneration. 
9. The effectual calling of all the redeemed by the invincible power and grace of the Holy Spirit, according to the counsel of God's will, involving their regeneration and sanctification by the direct agency of the Holy Spirit, through which the saints grow in grace perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. 
10. The grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls is the gift of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, who convinces them of sin, works in them repentance unto life, and enables them to look to, receive, and rest upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. 
11. The final perseverance in the ways of God of all those who have been chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, so that they shall never perish, but have eternal life. 
12. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust, when the wicked will go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal. 
13. The duty and privilege of all true believers to profess their repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by being baptized, that is, immersed in water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, prior to becoming members of a Christian Church or partaking of the Lord's Supper. 
14. The preaching of the Gospel to every creature as a divine command and solemn duty. 
15. The necessity of a believer's life being consistent with the profession he makes. 
16. The congregational order of the churches. 

C. RULES AND REGULATIONS 
1 Church Membership 1.1 Biblical Basis for Church Membership According to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) there is an inseparable connection between making disciples, baptising them and teaching them. The apostles implemented this commission by gathering baptised believers into local churches teaching them all that Christ had commanded (Acts 2:38-42, Acts 20:20-21, 1 Corinthians 4:17). 
                       With the exceptions of the dying thief on the cross (Luke 23:42-43) and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:37-38), the New Testament records nothing of believing men and women who were not members of local churches. All believers are required by Christ to observe the Lord’s Supper which is clearly a local church ordinance (1 Corinthians 11 cf 1 Corinthians1:1-2).
                    It follows that all Bible believing Christians ought to belong to a visible local church to partake Biblically of the Lord’s Supper. 

1.2 Qualifications for Church Membership 
A person wishing to be a member of the Church must give a credible profession of faith in Christ and: 
• accept the beliefs of the Church, 
• meet the Church’s requirement for baptism, 
• be accepted as a member at the church members’ meeting, 
• acknowledge the responsibilities of a church member, 
• abide by the decisions of the church members’ meeting, and 
• be committed to serving Christ within the Church and beyond. 

1.3 Requirement for Baptism A person wishing to be a member of the Church must have been baptised in accordance with the requirements of clause 3.1. 1.4 Application for Membership A person wishing to become a church member shall apply to the elders who will arrange for the candidate to be interviewed by two spiritually mature church members. They must assess whether the applicant meets the Church’s criteria for membership and submit a report to the church members’ meeting at which the application is being considered. 

1.5 Procedure at Church Members’ Meetings 
Applicants for membership will normally be required to give testimony at an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting. If accepted, the new member will normally be welcomed publicly. 
1.6 Transfers from Other Churches Where an applicant has previously been a member of another evangelical church a recommendation from that church will normally be required. 
1.7 The Discipline of Church Members The Church may discipline members whose standards of conduct fall short of those laid down for Christians in the New Testament. As a spiritual society, the Church may impose only spiritual penalties such as suspension of privileges, excommunication, and, in the last resort, expulsion from membership. 
                   The primary aim of discipline shall be the restoration of the offender and the matter shall not be brought before a church members’ meeting until private attempts have been made to bring about repentance. Examples of conduct justifying disciplinary action, all of which shall be deemed sufficient to justify expulsion from membership, are: 
• uncharitable conduct towards others 
• immorality 
• schism 
• heresy 
• unwillingness to submit to the legitimate authority of the Church 
• failure to attend the Lord’s Supper for 12 months, without good cause 1.8 Termination of Church Membership Church membership may be terminated in one of the following ways: 

1.8.1 Transfer If church members move away from the area they will be encouraged to attend a likeminded church and the elders will, if requested, write a letter of commendation to facilitate transfer of membership to the new church. Such a letter may also be provided, at the elders’ discretion, when a member transfers allegiance to another evangelical church within the neighbourhood. No letter of commendation will be written if disciplinary action is in force or anticipated against the member concerned. 

1.8.2 Withdrawal The Church prefers not to recognise the practice of resignation but it is legally possible for church members to resign their membership. Resignation also occurs when church members cease to attend the means of grace and, in effect, withdraw themselves from the fellowship of the Church without either transferring to another church or giving satisfactory reasons for their non-attendance. The Church will then withdraw from those members, recognising that they have already withdrawn from the Church. 
1.8.3 Death Church members 
who die are regarded as having transferred their membership from the church militant on earth to the church triumphant in heaven. 
1.8.4 Expulsion Where the conduct of a member is considered to be contrary to the purpose and beliefs of the Church or disruptive to relationships between members, the elders may recommend to an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting that the membership of that person be reviewed. The meeting shall consider the allegations against the member who shall be given the opportunity to hear the allegations and to speak in his or her defence before withdrawing from the meeting. The meeting shall then decide whether to terminate the membership of the person concerned. A person whose membership has been so terminated shall be entitled, with the support of four other members, to appeal to a Special Church Members’Meeting. 
2. Church Officers This Church recognises two spiritual offices within the Church: elders and deacons, and one legal office: charity trustees.

2.1 Elders 
2.1.1 The Function of Elders The task of elders is to serve the Church through oversight, ruling and teaching. They are responsible for: 
• overseeing the conduct of public worship. 
• the administration of the ordinances of believers’ baptism and the Lord’s Supper. • preserving purity of doctrine and the maintenance of discipline among members. • supervising all meetings and organisations connected with the Church including the oversight of those responsible for any other ministries of the Church. 

2.1.2 Qualifications for Elders Only male members of the Church with the necessary qualifications as laid down in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 are eligible to serve as elders. In view of the responsibility the elders bear for the teaching ministry of the Church they must hold unreservedly to the Church’s Basis of Faith. 

2.1.3 Number of Elders The Church is responsible for recognising the men whom the Holy Spirit has endowed with the requisite graces and gifts. As the composition of the membership of the Church may change, the number of elders will not be fixed. 

2.1.4 Term of Office With the exception of a pastor (as defined in clause 2.1.5), elders shall retire from office after serving for a period of five years, but they shall be eligible for reappointment in accordance with the procedures set out in clause 

2.1.6. 2.1.5 Equality and Diversity of Elders All the elders are equal in office and authority but will vary in their gifts so as to complement one another. Some will be engaged in public preaching and teaching more than others. This Church recognises the Scriptural principle that at least one of the elders should be remunerated in order to enable him to devote himself more effectively to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Such an elder is referred to as a ‘pastor’, and is to be regarded as an Office Holder and not an employee.

Prospective pastors (whether members of this Church or of another church) shall be nominated by the eldership but church members may suggest candidates to the elders for consideration. If the elders are in agreement, the nomination shall be considered at a Special Church Members’ Meeting. If the elders do not agree, they shall explain their reasons to the member making the suggestion who (if supported by four other members) may require the matter to be considered at a Special Church Members’ Meeting. 
2.1.6 The Recognition of Elders Prospective elders shall be nominated by the eldership. Church members may suggest candidates to the elders for consideration and if the elders are in agreement, the nomination shall be considered at a Special Church Members’ Meeting. If the elders do not agree they shall explain their reasons to the member making the suggestion who (if supported by four other members) may require the matter to be considered at a Special Church Members’Meeting.

2.1.7 The Discipline and Termination of Elders

2.1.7 The Discipline and Termination of Elders 
2.1.7.1 Should an elder fail to uphold the doctrinal standards of the Church, bring reproach on the Church and the name of Christ, or otherwise be considered unable to discharge his duties, the other elders will consider the matter either on their own initiative or upon the request of four church members. If the matter is not resolved it will be referred to a Special Church Members’ Meeting. 
                        The meeting shall consider the allegations against the elder who shall be given the opportunity to hear the allegations and to speak in his defence before withdrawing from the meeting. The meeting shall then decide whether any action is required. Such action may include removing the elder from the eldership. 

2.1.7.2 An elder may resign his office if he can no longer discharge his duties. 
2.1.7.3 Pastors should not lightly consider leaving the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers to labour in some other sphere of service. They should consult with the other elders and the whole Church and be willing to give due weight to the counsel given. At least three months notice must be given by the pastor to the Church, or by the Church to the pastor, if either party wishes to terminate his appointment. 

2.2 Deacons 
2.2.1 The Function of Deacons 
2.2.1.1 The task of the deacons is to relieve the elders of involvement in the material affairs of the Church so that their distinctive ministries of prayer and the ministry of the Word are not neglected. The duties of deacons, while spiritual in nature, include the generaladministration of the Church and the practical care of the members. 
2.2.1.2 If the Church has no elders, the deacons shall assume temporary, but full, responsibility for the government of the Church and shall act in the place of elders where these Rules and Regulations require elders to act. In the absence of elders, and at their own discretion, the deacons may seek advice from elders of other churches. 
2.2.2 Qualifications for Deacons Only male members of the Church with the necessary qualifications as laid down in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 are eligible to serve as deacons. Since it may be necessary for the deacons to act as elders (albeit in exceptional circumstances) it shall be a requirement that they hold unreservedly to the Church’s Basis of Faith. 
2.2.3 Number of Deacons The Church is responsible for recognising the men whom the Holy Spirit has endowed with the requisite graces and gifts. As the composition of the membership of the Church may change, the number of deacons will not be fixed. 
2.2.4 Term of Office Deacons shall retire from office after serving for a period of five years, but they shall be eligible for reappointment in accordance with the procedures set out in clause 
2.2.5. 2.2.5 The Recognition of Deacons Prospective deacons shall be nominated by the eldership. Church members may suggest candidates to the elders for consideration and if the elders are in agreement, the nomination shall be considered at an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting. If the elders do not agree they shall explain their reasons to the member making the suggestion who may, with the support of four other members, propose the candidate for nomination. Such a proposal shall be made in writing and given to the Church Secretary at least ten days before an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting. Two-thirds of the votes cast by members present and entitled to vote shall be required for the appointment of a deacon. 
2.2.6 The Discipline and Termination of Deacons 
2.2.6.1 Should a deacon fail to uphold the doctrinal standards of the Church, bring reproach on the Church and the name of Christ, or otherwise be considered unable to discharge his duties the elders will consider the matter either on their own initiative or upon the request of four church members. If the matter is unresolved it will be referred to an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting. 
                The meeting shall consider the allegations against the deacon who shall be given the opportunity to hear the allegations and to speak in his defence before Withdrawing from the meeting. The meeting shall then decide whether any action is required. Such action may involve removing the deacon from the diaconate. Two-thirds of the votes by members present and entitled to vote shall be required for the removal of a deacon. 
2.2.6.2 A deacon may resign his office if he can no longer discharge his duties. 
2.2.7 Church Secretary and Church Treasurer The church members shall appoint a Church Secretary and a Church Treasurer, preferably from among the deacons, at an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting. 

2.3 Charity Trustees 
Clause 6.1 of the Church Charity Constitution states which officers serve as charity trustees and that there must be a minimum of three at all times. In the event of the total number falling below three, the church members’ meeting shall appoint additional persons, as necessary, to act as charity trustees but only for as long as the total number of stated officers remains below three. Charity trustees appointed under this clause shall be appointed in accordance with the procedure for appointing deacons as specified in clause 
2.2.5. 3. Church Ordinances This church recognises only two ordinances that Christ has commanded churches to observe, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 
3.1 Baptism 3.1.1 The Meaning of Baptism 
Baptism is a public profession and pledge of union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. 
3.1.2 The Subjects for Baptism Christian believers alone are fit subjects for the ordinance of baptism. People who have not experienced the inward grace ought not to receive the outward sign that testifies to it. Baptism is a necessary part of Christian obedience. The New Testament does not envisage baptised unbelievers or un-baptised believers. Persons being baptised are normally expected to become church members.

3.1.3 The Mode of Baptism

3.1.3 The Mode of Baptism Immersion in water is the mode which best expresses both the meaning of the term and the symbolism of death, burial and resurrection. Immersion will therefore be the only mode the Church will use except in cases of infirmity or medical necessity, where effusion will be permitted. 
 3.1.4 Application for Baptism A person wishing to be baptised shall apply to the elders who will arrange for the candidate to be interviewed by two spiritually mature church members who must assess whether the applicant meets the church’s criteria for baptism. Those members should then submit a report to the Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting at which the application is being considered. Applicants will normally be required to give testimony at the meeting. 
3.2 The Lord’s Supper The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the New Testament, the principles of which are that: 
         • a particular local church (1 Corinthians 1:2), 
         • on the Lord’s Day (1 Corinthians 11:25-26, Acts 20:7), 
         • together eats a ceremonial meal (1 Corinthians 11:20-22, 33-34), 
         • consisting of bread and wine (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), 
        • distributed to all by Christ’s servants (1 Corinthians 11:24), 
        • in which that gathered church symbolises its spiritual nourishment by Christ’s body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:24-25), and 
        • proclaims the death of Christ and his atonement for sin (1 Corinthians 11:26). 3.2.1 This ordinance is to continue until the return of Christ. The bread and wine are, and remain, only symbols of the broken body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ but those who partake feed by faith upon the living Christ who is present with, but not in, the elements. 
3.2.2 In order to maintain the purity of this ordinance, the elders will seek to ensure that only members of this Church, or believers who have been baptised by immersion and who are members in good standing of other churches, are admitted to the ordinance. Believers who are visiting the Church on a temporary basis and whose convictions mean that they cannot conscientiously become members of a Baptist Church may be admitted to the Lord’s Supper at the discretion of the elders. 
 4. Church Members’ Meetings 
4.1 The Purpose of Church Members’ Meetings Church members meet together in a church members’ meeting under the Lordship of Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in subjection to the Scriptures, to discern the mind of God in the affairs of the Church. 4.2 Ordinary and Special Church Members’ Meetings 4.2.1 There are two types of formal church members’ meetings: Ordinary Church Members’ Meetings and Special Church Members’ Meetings. 
4.2.2 Ordinary Church Members’ Meetings shall be held as and when necessary but on not less than three occasions in any calendar year. 
4.2.3 One Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting each year shall be constituted as the Annual General Meeting for members to receive annual accounts and reports, to appoint auditors or independent examiners, and to consider proposals for the strategy and vision of the Church in the coming year, with other appropriate matters. 
4.2.4 A Special Church Members’ Meeting shall be convened when necessary to consider the appointment or dismissal of elders and pastors, matters relating to the acquisition or disposal of or major alterations to church property, the closure of the Church, or matters considered by the elders to be of sufficient importance to require the calling of a Special Church Members’ Meeting. 
4.2.5 If the business for a meeting cannot reasonably be concluded in one session, the meeting may be adjourned to another convenient date. 
4.3 Convening Church Members’ Meetings 
4.3.1 Church members’ meetings shall be convened by the elders so as to be as convenient for as many church members as is reasonable. 
4.3.2 An Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting shall be properly convened if the date, time and place for the meeting are publicised at the worship service or services on the previous two Sundays. 
4.3.3 A Special Church Members’ Meeting shall be properly convened if the date, time and place for the meeting are publicised at the public worship service or services on the two previous Sundays. In addition, members shall be given written notice containing as full an indication of the matters to be considered as possible. 4.3.4 Additional church members’ meetings, whether special or ordinary, shall be convened by the elders as necessary, and they shall convene a Special Church Members’ Meeting as soon as possible in the event of an application as provided by these Rules and Regulations or upon the receipt of a written request signed by at least one fifth of the church membership. 
4.3.5 Apart from guests invited by the elders, only members of the Church shall attend a church members’ meeting. 
4.4 The Conduct of Church Members’ Meetings 
4.4.1 Worship, including prayer and the reading of Scripture, shall be a key feature of the church members’ meeting. The discussion of any matters affecting the life and activities of the Church shall be set in this context with the intention that, so far as possible, practical issues are not perceived as being separate from the spiritual aspects of the Church. 
4.4.2 A quorum of one third of the membership shall apply to church members’ meetings. 
4.4.3 The pastor is entitled to chair the church members’ meeting. If he prefers not to do so, has a conflict of interest, or if there is no pastor, the meeting shall elect a Chairman by a simple majority before proceeding with the business of the meeting. 4.4.4 Proceedings at church members’ meetings must be kept confidential unless their disclosure is authorised by the elders. 

4.5 Voting 
4.5.1 Members shall, so far as possible, seek consensus on all matters considered at a church members’ meeting. 
4.5.2 For matters requiring a formal decision, a vote shall be taken and the outcome of the vote recorded as the resolution of the members. 
4.5.3 Each member shall have one vote which they may use at the church members’ meeting after hearing about the issues and any comments or questions raised by other members. 
4.5.4 No proxy votes shall be allowed and no postal votes shall be valid. 
4.5.5 If any matter requires a decision affecting or involving individuals, or if any embarrassment might arise by a public vote, a secret ballot shall be held if agreed by the church members’ meeting. 
4.5.6 If a secret ballot is to be held two members will be appointed as scrutineers to the ballot to count the votes. The Chairman shall announce the outcome without necessarily revealing the numbers of votes. 

4.5.7 Except as provided in clause 
2.2.5 and 2.2.6.1, a resolution at an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting shall be carried if supported by a majority of the members present and entitled to vote. 4.5.8 If there is an equality of votes on any matter at an Ordinary Church Members’ Meeting the Chairman shall have a casting vote in addition to his vote as a member. This shall be cast at his discretion but would normally be cast against the motion. 
4.5.9 A resolution at a Special Church Members’ Meeting shall be carried if supported by at least three quarters of the members present and entitled to vote. Only those persons who have been members of the Church for a minimum of six months and have attended at least one service of communion at the Lord’s Table in the last six months may vote at a Special Church Meeting. 
4.5.10 Although members of any age may attend and participate in a church members’ meeting, the minimum age for voting shall be 
18. 4.6 Minutes 
4.6.1 The business conducted at church members’ meetings and, in particular, any decisions of the members shall be recorded in the minutes for future reference. 4.6.2 The minutes shall be written or printed and filed in a book or binder set aside for this purpose using materials of sufficient quality to ensure that they survive for many years and shall be kept in a safe place. 
4.6.3 Each set of minutes shall be approved by the church members at a church members’meeting. They shall have the opportunity to review the minutes and to correct any errors of fact before a formal vote on the approval of the minutes is taken. If the minutes are approved, the Chairman shall confirm the members’ acceptance of the minutes by signing and dating them as a correct record of the preceding meeting. 
4.6.4 The signed minutes shall be conclusive evidence of the decisions taken at the church members’ meeting to which they relate. 

5. Power of Amendment 
5.1 Amendment Clause These Rules and Regulations may be amended by a resolution passed at a Special Church Members’ Meeting.