(The Recovery of the Apostolic) 6. Anabaptism in Practice — Dale Heisey

(The Recovery of the Apostolic) 6. Anabaptism in Practice — Dale Heisey

We find it a wonderful experience to be together under the blessing of God. I wonder how many of you this afternoon sense God's blessing on your life. How many of you feel the power of Almighty Spirit of the Lord working in your heart?

Do you feel at rest with the circumstances of life? Do you feel at peace with your brethren? Do you have the joy of the Lord in your heart? Do you have oil to pour upon the knees and around us? You're not in a hospital.

You're not being cared for in your infirmity and in your weakness. But rather that you as the physician are able to move from person to person and from heart to heart and from bed to bed, imparting some spiritual gift, some word of wisdom, some knowledge, some exhortation, some edification.

Do you have God's blessing upon your life? He is an Anabaptist indeed. He is a child of God indeed. Who can do as Jesus did in such a simple way as was stated in chapter 10 of Acts? He went about doing good.

Is that your testimony and mine? Are we able to go from place to place, from heart to heart and do good here and do good there? This is Anabaptism in practice. This is our Lord Jesus in practice. This is our Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh and dwell among men, showing forth the glory of God.

How? By what He did for the needs of mankind around Him and where He went, a blessing followed in the wake of His service. So it would be my desire this afternoon that we would challenge each of us to that kind of life.

It just so happens that it's this way. If we have this in our hearts, it cannot be hidden. It cannot be denied. And forth it will come. Because this city, set on a hill, cannot be hid. Men did not light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light unto all that are in the house.

But at the same time, it is very possible to do as five women once did and carry lanterns that have no lights in them. Love in tongue, but in deed and in truth. I want to share a couple of thoughts of an introductory nature.

And while I'm doing this, would you open your Bible to 1 John 3? The question has surfaced time and again throughout the last six weeks. What do you, brethren, plan to do? I'm not quite sure who is meant by the you, brethren, in the question.

So I'm going to put myself in there and just talk to you for a little while. Are you going to start a new church? I want to tell you something about church division. You contemplate this and see how it fits into your understanding.

Church Division, Superiority, and the Loss of Fellowship

People are taught quite frequently that church division is the way to revival. Every revival that ever occurred was the result of a church division. The way God keeps the church pure is He never divides.

He never splits and divides. Before you ever knew of one person that came from one church or one fellowship or one group and joined another, whether a whole group of people did that or a couple of families or whether it was an individual, this is something you always found, and that is this.

I considered myself to be superior. I had a superior understanding, a superior input, a superior view, a superior spiritual life. I somehow was the master of my brethren. I was superior over them. Take this position this morning, this afternoon, that such a view is contrary to the doctrine of the Lord.

In John 17, as you see him in practice, before his father in prayer, says that the manifest glory of God is not seen in division as one united whole. The church is divided. Ever so puny, ever infinitesimal, ever so small.

And this thing gets magnified. It gets loomed up into a magnanimous proportion. There it is. We view this thing, people on the other side, and so I divide. And I will tell you what will happen within five to 20 years.

The Lord grants that much time, but the thing lasts that long. You will find that caused my division, and I will tell you why. Because, as Brother Daniel has already said this afternoon, since I stand here and he stands here, and I know he's wrong, I must be right.

And so I find all the support and strength I can to muster together evidence and validity for my position. And I stand here and promote that and challenge that and champion that at the expense of what benefit I could have received from others who also had something to say from the Lord on that matter.

But I cut myself off. I've seen quite a few church divisions just in the last ten years, and I'll tell you one thing that I've seen in every one of them. The interchange between those two groups was caught here, and you stand here.

And you mind your business and I'll mind mine. You teach your people how you will teach them, and we'll teach our people as we will teach ours. And the wall is here erected, and the life flows as that interchange between us.

We've cut ourselves off one from another. That cannot be the church of Jesus Christ, nor will it ever be. You place yourself in ascendancy, having so much superior understanding. You and I place ourselves in such a superiority, able to submit ourselves to such a point that I fall out of the way and constitute no hindrance for healing to take place.

And then last, two brethren, two ordained ministers. These were preachers, ordained to the office of what they call preacher. My age, the elder considerably older than that. For one reason or another, I do not know why, felt somewhat threatened or hindered in his ministry and felt to leave the church and go to another group.

Spiritual wisdom and containing spiritual equipment in the mother was this proposition. He said to give up my office. You serve here alone, unhindered by my ministry. If that's what it takes to heal the situation.

I think he knows the result. The elder saw his error, came back to the congregation, wanted to be reinstated. They lovingly received him in. Waters flowed. The oil was poured. And the spiritual strength of the one who was willing to take the moral position won the day for that union.

That's the thing I'm talking about. Brother, by the threat that you make to me, I'll go up. Brother, get the impression. Somehow can. Brother, get the impression that we can somehow. Has ever done it.

There's anybody here that does. If you think you haven't. And so with that sobriety, let's move forward into this discussion. Very difficult place. Considered by others to be. It's simply a person standing in the chasm between what the church is to the place where they say, I'm willing to be called that between what things are and what.

I'll be a dazed man. God, give me grace to put my hand upon them both. Here's where we are. By God's grace, we are in this position. We are less than we ought to be. Identify like Daniel chapter nine.

Myself with a problem that's here. And there's what we ought to be. Here's what we ought to move, brother. Can we somehow move together onto light and glory and blessing in Christ Jesus. And having the hands placed.

Standing there in that gap. Worketh by love. Able to perform. Union here this afternoon. Some Christian brotherhood. Call your name whatever you will. If you're part of the household of faith and one of the family of God.

You will find in my heart nothing that will divide from you. I have no interest in that. I don't care if you are with one kind of communion or fellowship or another. If you're anchors in Christ Jesus.

If you have been born by the faith of the son of God who loves you and gave himself for you. If your heart has been sprinkled from evil conscience to serve the living God. Then you are my brother indeed.

And one with me in the household of faith. And I want nothing in my heart to be divided from you. And in no way do I want you divided from me. And all the barriers and barricades that are erected between us.

You will have to build. I will not build them. For setting up our congregations or establishing our districts or our conferences. Or call it what you will. All that will become part of the chant which the wind shall drive away.

Sola Scriptura and Liberty of Conscience

I want to bring the emphasis of this meeting this afternoon. Into a bit of misunderstanding. What we've been trying to stand for. We talked about it by the grace of God last week. And I just need no one else's guidance.

It is more than that. Sola Scriptura. My dear brothers and sisters. And sense this responsibility with me. Place it in you. And you'll see a world of difference. It's not a matter. My pocket is so that's enough for me.

Responsibility that proceeds from the mouth of God. Examining the inner recesses of your heart. John chapter 8. That book will be opened. And there we will be judged according to how our life lines up here.

Book written by Leonard Robin Hill. Titled Sodom Had New Bible. And read the chapter he has written there. Titled No, It's Not an Easy Road. And when you're finished with that chapter. You'll understand what I just got done talking about.

John Baptist said Sola Scriptura. They felt themselves under a tremendous obligation. Brothers. Number two. We talk about liberty of conscience. Liberty of conscience as the Bible teaches it. And as we taught it.

And as John Baptist believed it was this rather. Get this clear. It is maintaining before God. And void of a. Responsibility. And obligation. That what those people are willing to assume for themselves.

Who are simply out in life. Upon them by carnal command. Under an umbrella. Before God and man. If you check your notes. And listen to your tapes closely. You'll observe that that's exactly what we believe and have been teaching.

That the reformers were poor carpenters. They said that because. They somehow succeeded in tearing down the Romanist church. But did not succeed in building a holy one. And so it's not a matter. And yet about this view of the church.

Of disregarding. Anything established before us. It's a matter of examining my own heart to see. If the lantern of righteousness is burning. And if men are drawn here to where the light is shining. And if there's an answer here for the needs of man.

Love as the Evidence of Christian Life

And then we suggest that we look at 1 John 3. The whole manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us. That we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us. Not because it knew it not.

Beloved now are we the sons of God. And it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear. We shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him.

Purifies himself even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law. For sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins. And in him is no sin.

Whosoever bideth in him sinneth not. Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous. Sin is of the devil. For the devil sinneth from the beginning.

For this purpose the son of God is manifested. And he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. And he cannot sin because he is born of God. There is the practice of not a bad prison.

In this the children of God are manifested. And the children of the devil. Whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God. Neither he that loveth not his brother. I don't care how plain you are. I don't care what church you belong to.

It doesn't matter to me how many ordinances you keep. I don't care if you believe there are two ordinances, seven, ten, or twenty-five. I don't care how many standards you have or hope for your life.

I don't care how rigid and disciplined your life is. I don't care how much money you give to the poor. I don't care if you take your shoes off and wash your feet and if you do not. The point is if you do not love your brother.

And there is a visible and a clear evidence of that from your heart day by day. That you love all men. That you fear God. That you love the brotherhood. And you honor the king. If that is not part of your experience and mine.

Then we are not of God. Just that simple. I don't care how broad the hat is. How big the covering is. All or none. Set me up as a superior position. You don't need me. And now we're finished with each other.

And you go your way and I'll go my way. We have no evidence there. Christ is not a child of God. He's a child of the devil. And because of his apostasy I must cut myself off from him. They are going to hell.

Don't you know something? That there you've taken upon yourself a position that Jesus Christ did not take. He preached that I came not into this world to condemn the world. But that the world through me might be saved.

To condemn their means. A person's soul forsook he him. Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous. Marvel not my brethren if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death into life because we love the brethren.

He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby see we the love of God. Because he laid down his life for us.

And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. To prove to me the person that is opposing me. I have that confirmation. I could tell you about the immersion of our congregation at Tessville, Vermont.

To teach as limited as what we understood the whole counsel of God. To people who felt the orthodoxy and the CIS co-fields and more besides. Calvinism had won the day. And so our sisters teaching of a Christian woman's veiling.

They were cutting their hair and such things as that. And we tolerated that as long as we could. And tried to work with that as long as we could. And tried to offer the people a better way. God knows how weak we were.

Reconciliation and the Practice of Love

So the time came when they decided they will hear this kind of teaching no more. And sent us a letter telling us our responsibilities. When I found out he was young yet. There was something in my heart that was causing this problem.

So I went into the study one day. And before the Lord I asked him if he would feel satisfied to take my life. To save this congregation. I would be happy if he would do it. Before that time I had never dressed plain in my younger life.

We had begun regular services in the jail there. I was never involved in that. I enjoyed more than that jail work. I think there was a brother sitting here this afternoon. He was president of some of those jail services already.

One last time at this jail. And so they asked if I would speak once more. And I told the Lord that if on this occasion I can surrender my life. I'd be glad to do it. We'll be tested tonight at that jail.

Under my coat. In my shirt the same way there's one there right now. Inside the block. And there were individual cells then going down through halls on both sides. And most of the men were down in the alleys there and were not out in the open.

There were very few men there. I just had a sneaking feeling that somewhere in that jail there would be a time for you to prove whether you're willing to sacrifice your life for these behind you whether you're not.

Bring this to an end. I saw a man back here that stuck his head around the corner. And I saw the look on his face. And I saw the sarcasm and the hatred and the bitterness that was in his mind as he looked at me.

I thought to myself right there's a person that would do it if anybody would. And about that time he disappeared. Right behind the bars there again. I brought this New Testament out of my pocket. And there was an old barrel there.

And I laid this New Testament in the barrel. And I was going to speak from that. And then I changed my mind. I told one of the men standing near me that I understood there was a deck of cards up here on this steel girdle above my head.

I asked if he'd give me that deck of cards. And so instead of preaching from the Bible that evening I took this deck of cards and gave them a gospel message. On the biggest gamble of your life. In a very short time the place was crowded with people.

Men came from all kinds of places. I don't know where they came from in that jail. But it was packed full of people that night. Before we were done the place was filled with the presence of God upon all those who were present.

The service was dismissed. This man who had signed the letter dismissing us from our responsibilities walked up to me and put his hand up on my shoulder and said you're dismissing us. This person agrees with us.

He knows a couple of people of mine in movement. So I got on the phone with them. And when we talked together why we could just simply slam and cut down somebody on the other side just so cleanly, just so clearly.

I tell you there is neither life in you nor love. My fine friend here this afternoon. If that is your attitude. Nor love in you. Then shut up his vows of compassion from him. How dwells the love of God in him.

My little children let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our hearts condemn us. I may condemn you this afternoon on this point.

Take it down before them and ask forgiveness. And reconcile yourself to that brother. Who is it today? You who don't do it. You know there is bitterness there. If the spirit of God was pumping to the Lord upon your heart.

You would make reconciliation for your own sins. And then call upon God to heal the disease and the rift that is existing between you. For if our hearts condemn us. God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.

Beloved if our hearts condemn us not. Then have we confidence toward God. I don't want to meet a mack truck on the way home this afternoon. Just pouring out the vulnerability again. To have my conscience wracked on that occasion.

Before God. I will tell you. That may a man can boil hope. That God does not snatch his life away. Because we keep his commandments. Let me ask you something. Anyone sitting here with a church devising spirit.

With perfect trust in me. The needs of those you hold before him. Divine strength. Into the soul of someone you love. Through your prayer. It's one of the evidences. That God has his approval upon your life.

We receive of him because we keep his commandments. And do those things which are pleasing to his sight. His commandments dwell within him and he in him. And hereby we know that he abides in us by the spirit which he hath given us.

Four Areas of Anabaptism in Practice

Do you feel it working? Let's speak about four areas briefly. If I may. Then I'm finished. Concerning Anabaptism practice. This love spoken of in this chapter. Will reach our hearts. But I'm going to talk about four of them this afternoon.

The first one is. The covenant that we make with our brethren. The second one is. In our economic life. The third one is. The call to evangelism. And the fourth one is. The cross of persecution. The modern people nowadays are coming up with this idea of having a covenant.

Instead of having a standard. This is worldly talk. Among liberal churches. I don't know. I don't have much contact with that. What I know I learned from the Bible. I learned from history. I don't know what's going on really in modern church life.

There was a time I could have told you Billy Graham was teaching. And I would have known what's going on with Jerry Falwell. But today I can't. I don't follow that kind of thing. More and more. And I think that's what you're going to be doing.

As a result of these meetings. I would urge you to do that. U .S. News and World Report is on the shelf. Read the martyr's spirit and God's holy word. From some brethren. And I believe they're well-meaning.

Nobody can conform to external standards. Nobody can conform to rules and regulations. Unless they're submissive. The spirit is working in the life of a person. Because we've seen them submit. To this regulation that we've imposed upon them.

Because you can't submit apart from the spirit of God. And these things are hard to submit to. And so when we see the person's willing to submit. We will then know that they have the spirit of God working in their hearts.

That is fallacy. We're working with people who have not committed themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ. And so we mistakenly suppose that submission to us. And to our regulation. Or to our standards.

In the very few external directions. We mistakenly suppose. Surrendered life because it has submitted itself to these few things. This is wrong. Keep the few rules and regulations we've imposed upon them.

Simply because it's them to do it. They'll drive a black car because they like black cars. Buy that black car and tell the other person I like black cars. And say my car is black. Some kind of externalism.

And giving the impression that they've surrendered their life to Christ. Simply because it fits their lifestyle to do it. You bring to them. The crosses, their car. Conservative congregation that I know of.

And you know it sitting here just as well as I do. Where did that monstrosity come from? It came from someone's faulty thinking. When they suppose. When I impose some kind of external standard on somebody.

Something holy and noble and right. That somebody has submitted. On this point they're submitted. God is not impressed. In Mark chapter 7. We have a group of people there that. You talk about submitting to a difficult situation.

You talk about submitting to a difficult standard. Those men did it. In the marketplace. No matter where they were. It was time to eat. They got out the basin and poured water over. This water. They could not put their hand in the basin.

The water would be poured. They washed these things. They took the factories where they called and rolled them up to their elbow. And washed these things ceremoniously. The cup before they drank from it.

They washed it. The plate before they ate from it. They washed it. The table before they ate from it. All those rules and regulations. Submitting themselves to the observance. And all of that. And then you're going to try and tell me.

Regimentation. They may be afraid. Of such a position as that. So I want to tell you that I do not look at that as a viable position. But because I was able to do a couple of external things. And for that reason.

I have submitted myself. I'm a sorcerer in chapter 8 of Acts. And many other such places you could go. He submitted himself to that thing which is outside. But his heart was not surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

The impression never give our converts the impression. That conformity to what we have outwardly. Will validate their Christian experience. That is it will be synonymous with our accepting their spiritual life.

If you match this thing. That's evidence to us that you're a Christian. We take you in now because of that. We've got to see further. We've got to see more than that. Number two. We must recognize ever and forever.

The cultural limitations of our standards. Indian woman. Whether she's from the land of India. Or whether she's from the land of Guatemala. Who wears a dress down to her ankles. To shorten that dress.

For instance. I'm talking about continental India. Who wears a far larger veil than our women wear. And covers far more of her head or her hair than our covering cover. To ask her to stop wearing that.

In order to wear something else to conform to our standard. I don't know how I can do that in my other scriptures. I've seen such things as this already. Excuse me. I'll save that point. Possibly one way or another.

I'd say if you're a child of God you can do it. I'd say if you're not a Baptist you can do it. I would say if you're biblical you can do it. We talked about that a couple weeks ago. Number three. Who is told that before she can teach school in a certain school.

She must make her covering smaller. Can you imagine that? Telling a sister she must reduce the size of her veiling. Before she can teach school. The frustrations that made for her. When she was asked for the first time to violate her conscience.

By pouring. To replace the immersion that they had. Their attempt to be baptized. These are some of the monstrosities that occur. When people want their standard adhered to. And cannot understand what the scriptures are teaching.

On these matters. Listen closely. Between being part of the body of Christ on the one hand. And being part of local brotherhood. This distinction being erected. Allows me to call you part of the body of Christ.

You do not be part of my brotherhood. No. I'm concerned about anything that we do standard wise. That being society. As society is separate from the unregenerate world. Hub Mary's dictum. That where there is no proper baptism.

There is no church. Is therefore revealed. As no idle statement. That a Baptist has in mind. Could exist only as a brotherhood of regenerated believers. A mutual responsibility. For living the life of the.

And therefore. Was more than a form. That is the baptismal action. It was the testimony of the very people of God. Which people would give the signs of Christ. Only to those in whom they recognized his spirit.

As the contents. Thus the baptism. That is the person being baptized. Not only gave a testimony. As he witnessed to his faith. But he received a testimony. Recognized the gift of the spirit. Sent it with you.

To you. A few weeks ago. A paper. On which there was outlined there. A five point brotherly covenant. This is clear before God. Your spiritual guidance. I ask you to use Christ's rule. Matthew 18. In my life.

I promise to use that same rule in others. I will not go from place to place. From church member to church member. From minister to minister. And issue my complaints about the brethren. I will go to them.

In love and meekness. Consenting myself. Realizing that I might be the one wrong. And try to work it out between us. My life does not come into accordance with God's word. And with the principles of our union together.

Discipline me then. I offer you that chance. That privilege. In such a testimony. But we the brethren who receive them in. Are also saying this. We see God at work in you. We do this for the Lord. God has given you for us.

Join with us. What we're talking about. It's as simple as that. I urge you to do as I did just again this morning. I went through every baptism in the New Testament. To receive these people into the invisible church.

Through water baptism. And Peter said. Who can forbid this thing? The answer was negative. You know what? I want to say a little about these last three points. We've been taught these last six weeks. That's one doctrinal error.

Or one scripture we misinterpreted so far in this series. But I'm not saying it didn't happen. But I urge you to end up loved to come to do it. Because I know it takes love. It takes a certain amount of money to do that.

Economic Life, Equality, and Sharing

The Anabaptists call that making a living. It's necessary for my living. They call it a profit. And they said as soon as I start accumulating a profit. To my assets. Then I'm taking it to myself. Anything about economics.

I don't care if you're in a free world enterprise. Like we have in the United States. Anything about economics. Where people print money. Without any financial security. And pump it into the economic system.

So somebody can make a profit. But it's a very false profit. In a true economic system. When I'm making money. Using it for myself. That is always at someone else's expense. The Anabaptists fought against that.

It's wonderful. 1 Timothy 6 will tell you what to do with it. But as far as your living standard is concerned. 2 Corinthians chapter 8. And 2 Corinthians chapter 9. And I don't have time to teach those this afternoon.

The Anabaptists use those verses a lot. Will tell you what to do. With the actions that you have. There shall be equality. To see someone of need. And here I sit and shut up with my vows of compassion towards him.

The Bible tells me. There's kitchen cupboards in my home. And here's a sister. Has no cupboards in her kitchen at all. And she has some cardboard boxes. And some are stacked from the floor. Because there are no cupboards in the house.

Because I want a new kitchen put in here. How do I love God and you? This thing is real practical. She called me up one day. She said. To see you get another automobile. Listen closely. She said there were some of us who felt.

That we ought to have a little better transportation than what we had. And we could not reason doing it with the scriptures. Realizing what you were driving. So now that you've got something else. We feel free to go ahead.

You just give that consideration of what you think it's worth. One more note about economics. And I'm finished with it. The Anabaptists put a real close connection between the Lord's Supper and economics.

The Lord's Supper we say. That's commemorating the death of Christ. But I tried to set that straight a couple weeks ago. The Anabaptists looked at it not as Christ's body. That died. That was being broken in that bread.

That was being shared in that wine. But this living body of Christ which is here and now on this earth. And we are of one brain. We are of one bread. And if you want documentation for that. Study closely 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

I don't have time to show it to you. Because of that equality and oneness. And living for each other. And committing ourselves in love to one another. Which the Lord's Supper teaches and symbolizes. How can I then live in a superiority above or over my brother?

Eliminates then not only social distinctions as far as economics are concerned. But also for the Anabaptists. Eliminates all the distinction between what we call today ministry and laity. In terms of the Anabaptists hardly knew what they meant.

Evangelism as a Shared Calling

As far as evangelism is concerned. I suppose you know why the reformers did not evangelize. The great commission was given to the apostles only. You might think it strange to know this. That 100 years ago in this country the Mennonites thought the same thing.

Before what was called the Great Awakening of the Mennonite Church. To do the binding for all people for all times. In tying together the thought of evangelism and persecution. I'm going to give you these few thoughts.

Sharing of the gospel message. With the needy hearts of Jerusalem and going on. If you're not doing that. You're not involved in it. There is one reason why. For myself we do not have the life and light to give.

It is not a matter of must I evangelize. Must I speak to souls. Will I speak to the things which we have seen and heard. Therefore I have spoken. While quoting the same verse from Psalms. In chapter 4 of 2 Corinthians said.

We also believe and therefore speak. If God has committed to us a word of reconciliation. Then we will be ambassadors for him. And we will be sharing a message. For a reenactment of August 20, 1527. When in Augsburg 60 brethren gathered together.

Before them they placed a map of Europe. They come together from Austria. From Switzerland. From Germany. They placed before them a map of Europe. And took the 60 brethren present. And divided them up into groups of twos and threes.

And sent them in a planned manner. Across the face of that map. Preaching the gospel. Said a few things about that service. Not convinced that they would save men's souls. And make them wise unto salvation.

And having entered the town. Sometimes it only took two or three hours of preaching. And a congregation was already committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ. There must be a separation from sin. There must be a holiness of life.

They taught if anybody here needs aid. They should speak among the brethren. Share with those who need here. If anybody errs. He should be admonished and disciplined according to Matthew 18. The congregation.

That the men will be back to give further ministry to the word. And move it on someplace else. And that's how these little packets of gospel truth started burning all across Europe. But that little group that met together on that occasion that I named.

Martyrdom, Perseverance, and Love Under Persecution

Was called the martyrs. And odd because almost everyone of the 60 brethren present. Died a martyr's death. And some of them in the most terrible ways. One of the men who was partly responsible for the formation of that synod.