Richard Hollerman
We realize that today is very unlike from the first century. This dissimilarity is apparent to all who would look at modern life and the New Testament.
Just today I read an article the highlights the vast differences between that we see today and what existed years ago, as reflected in the Bible. There was the story of a South Carolina church that on the Lord’s day baptized 141 new converts. I had to think of how different this experience of today differs from what we read in the Scriptures,
Of course, if you have read the NT, you realize that they (and we) did God’s will and this included baptizing them. This means, of course, that they immersed them. We are to do the same. Just as they immersed one who wanted to come to Christ and His forgiveness, we must also immerse people.
But is this what we read of here? In this article, we learn that this church in South Carolina comes from a large place in South Carolina. I not only read the original article but did some research beyond this. But is this something that comports with the NT or not?
The very first line that we read is that this church (where so many were baptized) is a megachurch. In fact, this is exactly what the article says—it is a “megachurch” or an assembly with many, many members. The article says that they have “six” “campuses” with nearly 7,000 members. Is this God’s will? What is a “campus”? This sounds more like a university than it does a church? (By the way, the Greek word for “assembly” doesn’t mean a “church” at all.)
We are grateful that this church (sic) does immerse, which is much more than other denominational groups do—such as Lutherans, Methodists, Catholics, and Presbyterians—among others. This is good as far as it goes.
We next find a reference to a “senior pastor.” Really? The NT knows no such position. A pastor is a shepherd and it refers to every single elder. And a “senior” (or older” pastor) is false for many reasons. Scripture teaches that baptism is a response of faith and repentance and is for everyone who wishes to follow Jesus. It must never be thought of as a requirement for “church membership” as it is commonly conceived.
According to the “pastor” we read, “I felt like we were living the book of Acts.” Really? Why would there be such a discrepancy between the two, we wonder. According to what we read, the “church” now has “six” sites in its outreach which would be six “campuses,” an average baptismal rate which would be about 23 people per campus. This would be good but would we say that it is overwhelming?
In two weeks, at 14 a week, or 7 every two weeks or this numbers go on. Knowing the Baptist denomination as I do, with its emphasis on “once saved, always saved” or “eternal security,” we do wonder how many of these remain true. How many of them are faithful after a year or more? This is for God to know and we commit it to Him. Yet we do wonder whether the number given on the internet (141 baptisms and 7,000 members) are realistic. What do you think—in light of Scripture?