A Journey in Reformation: A Church at the Crossroads

A Church at the Crossroads

She already noticed we're only saying two this morning. Things a little bit different this morning we Just want to share with you my heart From all that the Lord has been doing this summer and so I hope that you're able to to listen and and be encouraged and challenged and Think about the things that The Word of God has to say to us today.

I'm part of the last generation. I think that can remember what it was like to go on a trip without a GPS. You remember that when when you were younger or whatever. Used to go place and just take a map.

I'm not even talking about Map quest I'm talking about you just had to take a map now. This didn't happen too often, but I do remember dad growing up on trips to go into another rodeo. There was a couple times that he he had to pull over and actually pull out the map.

And decide okay. We're here. Which way is it that we need to go. Which way is the is the right way? You ever been walking and you come to a crossroads you stop you look you consider. Which way do I need to go?

Turning your Bibles to Jeremiah 6. It's been a while since I've said turning your Bibles to anywhere else besides Ephesians. As a thing turn your Bibles to Jeremiah 6. Life has crossroads. You might say our nation is at a crossroads.

You might say the Southern Baptist Convention is at a crossroads. This morning. I want to hit closer to home. Our church is at a crossroad roads. We have options before us on which way we could go. But I want to encourage us this morning that only Only one of them is the good way the right way the good path of rest.

So we take a break from Ephesians and the subject from our text is this a church at the crossroads. So Jeremiah Chapter 6 and I want to read this morning verses 16 and 17. I invite you to stand in honor of the reading of God's Word.

Jeremiah chapter 6 verse 16 and 17 thus says Yahweh. Stand by the roads and look and ask the ancient paths where the good way is and Walk in it and find rest for your souls. But they said we will not walk in it.

I set watchmen over you saying pay attention to the sound of the trumpet, but they said We will not pay attention. Let's pray father. We pray that Christ is exalted today. We pray for a spirit of Humility and grace from the pulpit and spirit of humility and eagerness and hunger for your word from the pew.

Lord, we pray that we would hear what your word has to say and adjust our lives in every way. Lord, if there are some here who need Christ as there's Lord and Savior what I pray even today. They would bow the knee to Christ.

Thank you for your word. Pray that we would be a people of the book you'd bless our church as we go forward in the days ahead. We pray it all in Jesus name. Amen. Maybe seated a church at the crossroads.

Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. He wrote an entire book called Lamentations right so of just lament he began his ministry under the last good King Josiah. He was the last good King of Judah, you remember that the kingdom split the last good King of Judah Josiah.

God called Jeremiah at a young age and Jeremiah spent decades preaching God's blessing for those who would follow him and God's judgment for those who Disobeyed. He foretold of the new covenant in Jeremiah 33.

How those in the new covenant will have the law of God written on their hearts. They will have their sins forgiven in Christ how they will all know God. But Jeremiah preached and preached and preached and and no one Listened he even preached after Jerusalem had fallen.

But he never saw the revival that he hoped for his warnings were repeatedly ignored. In fact one King Jehoiakim Actually took you probably remember this story took Jeremiah's writings and when they were read to the king He cut them up and he threw him in the fireplace.

But these things did not stop Jeremiah from preaching the truth. Including telling Judah the right way. And if they would follow God's way listen to this they would find rest. Look at verse 16. Stand by the roads.

Thus says the Lord stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient path Where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest. For your souls, there's actually five commands there in the text.

Just look look at them real quick with me. Five commands there in verse 16. Stand look ask walk find. These are all commands in the text. Stand look ask. Walk find. If Judah would just do this they would see mercy.

Stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths where the good way is and walk in it and Find rest for your souls. If they do this they find mercy, but the text says they would not listen. But they said we will not walk in.

They were stubborn and and hard-hearted. A quick application I might give to the church. Is this when we come to any kind of crossroads in our life. We're to stop and consider. Some of you listen young people some of you in just a few weeks.

You'll be going back to school. You will have choices before you. You're listening. You have choices before you at school. Which group should I walk around with which which things should I be interested in?

How should I handle this or that decision? Well. When you come to a crossroads you ought to stop and consider. You ought to observe the options that are before you and then you Ought to seek the Lord's way.

You ought to seek the Bible. You ought to seek the scriptures. And then you ought to walk in it and in so doing find rest and peace. This is true of all of us. Anytime we come to a decision a new job a New situation.

We ought to consider the path before us and we ought to ask for the ancient paths now. The Hebrew word for both roads and way in our text is direct. Stand by the road stand by the direct and look and ask for the ancient past where the good way is the direct.

The Word is used all over the Old Testament. It's using Psalm 1 considered Psalm 1 1 and 1 6 blesses the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of scoffers.

Or Psalm chapter 1 verse 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous. But the way of the wicked will perish or or turn to Proverbs real quick go back to your left turn to turn to Proverbs 14. In Proverbs 14 this word for way or roads or path is used.

Proverbs 14 12 says this there is a way there is a path there is a road That seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death that is Proverbs 14 12. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Or in Proverbs chapter 1 flip over since you're already in Proverbs 14 flip over to Proverbs chapter 1. In Proverbs chapter 1 verse 11. This is the father instructing his son saying don't go this way.

Proverbs chapter 1 verse 11 if they say come with us let us lie and wait for blood. Let us ambush the innocent without reason like she'll let us swallow them alive and whole like those who go down to the pit.

We shall find all precious goods. We shall find our houses fill our houses with plunder throw in your lot among us. We will all have one purse my son. Do not walk in the way. That's the same word. Do not walk in the way with them hold back your foot from their path.

That is don't go down this road. This road is is is dangerous. The scripture is full of warnings that there are roads or paths or ways that we can choose to follow and some of them may Seem so enticing.

Some of them may seem so harmless, but ultimately they are deceptive and Destructive so many paths that are enticing or may even seem right but their end is the way of death so Jeremiah says then stand stand at the roads and Look, which path?

Will you trod which way? Will you go the way of sinners or the way of the righteous the way that seems right to a man or? God's way so we come to a crossroad roads. I want to say crossword. We come to a crossroads.

We stop we look. We consider but here's the way that we should pick. Ask the text says back in Jeremiah 6 16 ask for the ancient paths. Look the way that a church should go the way that a believer should go is that we should seek to walk the ancient path.

Now that doesn't mean that old is automatically right and it doesn't mean that change is always bad. In fact in today's message I'm calling upon us for some changes, but I'm not calling us to go back to like the 1950s or whatever.

It's deeper than that. God is calling his people to the ancient path. Stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient paths where the good way Is and walk in it and find rest for your souls. God is calling his people To the ancient past.

One neat thing about the word Hebrew word for ancient in our text is that in Hebrew? It can mean a long time back. Or it can mean a long time in the future. That is these ancient paths are also Simultaneously the everlasting paths friends the ancient paths are the scriptures.

This is God's authoritative sufficient and Christ Saturated word. This is the ancient path. Which way should we go? I don't know which way to go, right? Well, we should look to the scriptures and we should walk that way.

The ancient paths are the eternal paths. The road God would have us to walk is the road of unchanging truth. They are the way God's people have always tried think about Enoch. Enoch walked with God on what paths on these ancient paths.

Genesis 5 Trusting his revealed word. Noah walked these ancient paths. Abraham walked these Ancient paths. David walked these ancient paths. Paul Peter Walked these ancient paths. This is where the good way is.

Look at verse 16 ask for the ancient paths where the good way is. Oh if I could just believe this and You could just believe this that Walking in biblical truth that walking the biblical way is where the good way is.

One commentator says this the path. Which it is the path which leads to the enjoyment of covenant blessing from the Lord. You're tempted every day. You say well, I know that's the way I ought to go, but this way is easier, right?

But but this is the way that is good. This is the way that is blessed by God. This is the road that believers must walk the word of God is the way of God's people not just theoretically. But practically.

I'm convinced today that I could preach in almost any Southern Baptist Church and just get on fire and say We have to obey the book. We have to walk by the book. We have to go the ancient path and I'm convinced that probably a hundred percent of churches would say amen.

But I'm saying not just theoretically. Practically, I Think in the six years that I've been here, we've stood and we've looked and we've asked we've stood by the road. We've looked we've asked. I think we've done that a lot.

But what I'm saying is now we have to walk. Now we have to walk more intentionally. We can't just be right in theory about sound doctrine but we must apply that sound doctrine to the life of the church tangibly intentionally and Practically and so this is where we are today now.

What I want to do is I want to talk for a moment about the past the present in the future. When I talk about the past the first thing I want to talk about is the past. I'm not giving you an excuse for my ministry.

Rather, I want you to have some context about where I'm at. So let me talk first about the past. I need you to know some things that have spilled over into how I've pastored here the last six years at 2nd Baptist.

I've written about this some but to my knowledge. This is the first time I've ever publicly in a in a place like this spoken about it. So I'm gonna say some things that are pretty raw to me. But you need to hear them.

You need to know where I came from about some things many of you probably already know this on October 10th 2010 easy to remember 10 10 10 October 10th 2010 I was 24 years old and I became the pastor at First Baptist Church of DeWitt.

I don't remember how many people voted for me. But I do remember 12 voted no. And I just remember that because it was kind of funny when I came on a youth pastor 11 voted no and one voted undecided. So the joke was well by the time they voted on me as pastor the undecided had become decided and he voted no.

So on the day that I was voted in the the music ministers wife shook Stephanie's hand and Stephanie said something along the lines of oh, we're just so excited to be here. We're so excited about what the Lord is doing and the lady said sinister Lee we'll see and.

So that kind of set a trajectory I guess. That Christmas we had a choir cantata on Sunday morning. After it was over We had to choir cantata and then I preached and I had a deacon's wife come up to me and she told me I better Not ever do that again, and I was like I was confused like what's she talking about?

So I asked her to clarify and she said you better not ever preach after a cantata. Of all books of the Bible to preach through. I began preaching through Philippians. I believe we called this series the joy of the gospel in the life of the local church.

I began preaching about what it really means to be born again. That it's not just say a prayer, right? You can't just say a prayer and say that you're a Christian if your life doesn't match up. And so what it looks like in the local church to be a Christian and and there was a deacon who told me these are All different deacons by the way, not just the same guy circle around this this other deacon.

He said to me you're just preaching pie in the sky stuff. You're preaching utopian stuff, you know as though the Bible is not real on Sunday nights I began going through Mark Devers nine marks of a healthy church.

We began talking in those meetings about church discipline and we began talking about healthy church membership. Through all that another deacon and his wife came to my office. And they said that I was saying that their 25 year old son was not a Christian now I had never met this man.

I had never even I didn't know his name. I never even talked about it. But me saying that a Christian loved the church and lived holy made them upset at me accusing me of Saying things about their son.

One Sunday night we do sit we did similar like we were like we do here on Sunday night one Sunday night a man Confronted me. He interrupted me in the middle. I was talking in the middle of my lesson. He just interrupted me and he just Basically yelled at me and said I was being judgmental.

There's really tense Braden at that time. Thankfully, he doesn't even remember this he was only three he looks up at Stephanie and he was like Why is that man being mean to daddy now? You think that did not help the tension in the room?

Now it wasn't all bad. We started a prayer meeting. I got to pray weekly with the youth pastor and then there was two older ladies miss Yvonne and miss Prissy from our church basically who always showed up.

Those were sweet times of prayer. I remain good friends with one of those ladies miss Prissy Wallace. Some of you know that such a godly woman and encouraged her to my life in ministry. I encourage the church toward evangelism.

We did evangelistic visitations on Sunday afternoon, but it was very very small poorly attended. Anyway, things continued overall there to get back one man asked me in a meeting if I really believe Brother quattro heels Bible like this.

Do you really believe that God is going to hold us accountable for everything that is in this book? I was shocked right? I'm a Baptist. So I don't have a poker face. So I was like what right like like you're really asking me if God is going to hold us accountable for everything.

That's in the book. Yes one Sunday the music minister Resigned in dramatic fashion. I didn't know it was happening. All of a sudden. He was just like hey, I got an announcement. I was like, okay, what is it?

And he told the church I'm resigning. It's because I talked to him and his wife about his wife's attitude. One Sunday night two deacons and their wives got up and walked out. I'm teaching they got up and walked out because I said not everything in the last 50 years.

That the churches have done has been good. They got up and they walked out. Now this church had a good relationship with Arkansas Baptist State Convention. So they took folks duck hunting and things like that.

Well, I found out that people would go to the state convention. They would talk bad about me at the state convention. But nobody would ever reach out to me. Emil Turner who was the executive director of the ABSC then he told my friend Gene Tanner.

He said Quatro has really just messed up because he quit giving invitations. Well, the problem was that's not true. I never did that that was a falsehood, but people would go tell him things and they wouldn't check with me.

Anyway, it was rough and so much more I could say but I'm gonna fast-forward to August 2011 and that month August of 2011 Our church held a solemn assembly. Now this was based on an SPC Resolution that called upon churches to pray and to fast and to hold a solemn assembly and repent.

So I was trying to be a good Southern Baptist. I led our church in that but but more. People just got upset that that I would even insinuate that our church had anything to repent up. And then people in the church began calling me a Calvinist.

This is something they picked up from actually one of my good buddies Calum at church camp. They don't walk watch was just a Calvinist. Well at that point I'd been a Calvinist about three years. I'd never denied it.

But when people call me that I like to define what it means because not what it what it some people think it means. It's not what it means. But they began saying I didn't care about prayer and evangelism, right?

Wait a second. I started these things prayer and evangelistic meetings at our church. So I begin to ask them what is it that I'm teaching and preaching that that you don't agree with? This was in a deacons meeting, you know, I think there was like 13 deacons.

About seven or eight of them were against me and they said that it wasn't what I preached. That was a problem. It's just what I believe. Well, I asked him to explain that they never could. I try to teach him the scriptures.

I try to teach them Southern Baptist history. I tried to teach them the the sovereignty of God and the Responsibility of men. I tried to teach them lordship salvation. I tried to teach him that Christ is king of the Christians life.

The sad reality is that this is in line with a lot of SPC churches. They have no idea what salvation is. They have no idea what the church is and I'm afraid they have no idea who God is now back to do it.

There was a deacons meeting in September of 2011 where one deacon looked across the room at another deacon. I promise you I'm not making any of this. One deacon looks across from the another deacon and he says Tommy.

You know that we have to make a decision. You know what it's going to be like if we get home and we haven't made a decision. Now I was 25 at that point because 2011 and 12 of the deacons were like 30 years older than me.

But I just had enough. I was upset. I called this guy out. I said that his home was being ran by his wife right and that wasn't okay. He just he stared down at the ground. I didn't know what to do. I prayed.

I fasted. I sought godly counsel my wife and I cried. We cried until I didn't know. We had any more tears to cry. We cried a lot friends in the church began deserting us. They they stopped talking to us.

We would go out in town. We'd go to the Piggly Wiggly or Kroger. They're into hit and they would just walk the other way. They would go down the other aisle. People began saying untrue things about us.

People began leaving the church Sundays, we lived right across the street from the church. They were so hard. They're so hard. We had to go in and in worship with these people that we felt like hated us.

I didn't know what to do. I just kept preaching. I was hurting and hurting and hurting and Stephanie was six months pregnant with Ella at the end of the September one of the deacons said they needed they said in the meeting.

Well, we just need a clean house. Meaning they need to get rid of me and the youth pastor. So the next week I decided I'd write a letter to the deacons. Which by the way, these deacons were not the authority of the church, but they acted like they were and this is just kind of a wonky ecclesiology and Southern Baptist churches operate under Confusing elders and deacons, but I asked them for a four-month severance.

I don't mind pushing carts at Walmart. That's what I told him but pushing carts at Walmart is not going to pay me what the church has been paying. So they agreed and I resigned now was my decision to resign from the church, but I felt backed into a corner.

So I'll read you a quick section from the resignation letter and I said this I must stress. This is not something I want to do but after meeting with the deacons on several occasions and feeling that the majority of them and their wives and maybe even the majority of The church won't be gone.

I feel my only option is to resign my duties as pastor. That was on October 16th 2011. So if you're keeping track in your mind, I made it basically one year. So we we are now living the dream. We left DeWitt and we moved into a tiny bedroom in my parents two kids one on the way we had been married at that point basically just almost five years and Now we're in this tiny little bedroom suffering for Jesus, I guess but but we were just confident God's fixing to open up something big right like we've gone through this and God's gonna open up something big.

But he didn't. Month after month after month he didn't. And Ella was born there. That's a funny story in and of itself. I'll tell you that another time. I Just knew the Lord was going to open up something, but it never happened.

Every door seemed closed now. I'm thankful to First Baptist Church of Apollo. They were extremely gracious. We went back there. We were serving there, but they said come on as a part-time discipleship pastor.

So I was making some income there and being in part-time ministry and then in April of 2012 I had to get a job at a secular counseling center and so many mornings. So many I drove with just tears in my eye like I didn't understand I.

Sometimes I was mad. Sometimes I was hurt. Sometimes I felt alone. Well, thankfully God did bring fruit at Apollo. I was there and I'm so grateful for that in 2013 I started at Emmanuel and Clinton. I was grateful again to be a full-time pastor, but I was afraid.

And I held back after about two and a half years. I brought up church discipline the church box like no way. We don't do it. No, we're not no. Around this time. It was 2016 by then around this time Travis emailed me.

He said would I be interested in? Pastoring at Prairieville Second Baptist Church. Well, miss Steph and I talked about we're like absolutely. But I need to lay out who I am. So I sent a search committee my position on the doctrine of election.

It's controversial. It shouldn't be but it is to some I said, this is what I think about biblical church membership. This is what I think about elders. This is what I think about Training men and I told Steph I said because I laid all this out there.

The church knows me enough that they're probably just going to say in a kind way. Thank you, but no, thank you. Well, here's a spoiler. They didn't. We met a couple times. I preached a few times the church voted.

I became the pastor and over six years later Here I am. Now, why do I tell this about my past? Because and I'm confessing some things to you this morning my past experiences as a pastor have bred within me timidity and caution.

Yes, I think I've learned over the years Christian prudence and patience and in forbearance I think I've learned all that. I am NOT the same pastor I was when I was 24 praise God, but when it comes to leading strong in certain areas I've allowed myself to be too cautious too slow too timid and perhaps in some ways even too cowardly and For these things I'm confessing to you church.

I'm I'm repenting. I'm repenting of them to you right now. I'm sorry for not being a stronger pastor in taking the church where we should be. And I would add since I'm repenting there have been times over the six years I've gotten too involved with you sports I've I've been too distracted by the things of the world.

I've been too distracted by the shenanigans of the SBC. I'm repenting of these things before you this morning and I ask for your forgiveness because this brings us to the presence of the the present and Where I where I am now and then we'll get to the future.

The Present Burdens That Led to Reformation

Well, that's the past now the present. Now 2020 was a crazy year for all of us. And we might say that that some of the things that happened to a 20 began. But the ball rolling on things in my heart are really probably 2019.

But into 2020 and then code and just all that so many things I could mention, but it's going to be long anyway. So I'm going to narrow this down to two things from 2022 that you need to hear happen to me.

The first is the SBC meeting in Anaheim. I Have given my life to the SBC in many ways and particularly the last two and a half years. I've written tons of blogs. I've by the way I was saved at a Southern Baptist camp when I was 10.

I was baptized at a Southern Baptist Church when I was 15 first Baptist. I've only ever known the SBC but the last two and a half years Encouragement from this church has been part of it. But I've I've given my life to taking the ship to the bringing Reformation.

I've written tons of blogs. I've done tons of interviews on podcasts. I've been invited to speak at places about it in the year 2012 I bought my dad tickets to go see Alabama and Arkansas play football because I thought 2012 would be the year that Arkansas finally.

Since me and Steph has been married Arkansas has not beat, Alabama so We've been married almost 16 years. We have five children. Arkansas has not beat Alabama in all that span, but I thought 2012 was the year so I bought my dad tickets for his birthday.

It's in September. We went up there and we got shellacked 52 to nothing. Anaheim was worse than that. Anaheim was a greater defeat than that. I Was dejected Tuesday at the convention. I was hurt Wednesday.

I was angry. I was like, this is foolishness. We were made fun of we were laughed at you asked questions. You're disregarded. You just sold country bumpkins from Arkansas. We don't care as a convention.

We refuse to own real sins. We we mocked conservative Baptist. We embraced worldliness. It was a tough trip. Now. I'm so grateful kids. I'm so grateful for the time with my family. That was amazing. But the SPC part drug us over the coast now this leads me to my second event.

The present I'm talking about the present SPC secondly, Mexico. Now here is me on my high horse. I And to help churches see the beauty and wonder and glory of the local church here I am coming from Arkansas to help you Grow in your appreciation and love for the local church.

I was naive. Yeah, I do think I helped them. I ministered faithfully. I preached the word I Fellowship with these brothers in these churches, but I didn't realize how much they would minister to me. Here in southern Mexico God is doing a mighty work without the SPC with pastors being bold and Courageous Christ is building his church if the SPC emptied my heart Mexico filled it back up again strong Theologically conservative faithful Baptist churches churches in love with Christ churches in love with evangelism mission churches in love with sound Doctrine what God was doing.

I believe in Anaheim was plowing my heart plowing it plowing it and plowing it. And what he did in Mexico is he began to plant seeds? Some guys in Mexico were new who had just come to embrace reform Baptist doctrine.

It was amazing to see the hunger. I can't tell you how many times I was just balling. Like I wasn't even planning on. I was like, I'm okay. I'm okay. And then we start singing and we're gonna start here preaching.

I'm just bawling, right? Just melt just hearing and seeing all that Christ was doing there Rocked my heart in a powerful way. I Was reminded how much Christ loves the local church? I was reminded how much that I love the church and Desire a healthy church in every area.

So these two big events together Anaheim and Mexico and several things over the last couple years have pushed me where I am today my heart this morning Church. I want you to hear this from me. You may disagree about some of the things I'm going to say here in a minute.

But I hope that we can come together on this my heart this morning is so full of Christ and Christ love for his church. That's the only way I know how to take us is Christ's way and I want your hearts there, too.

You don't see the big picture say this is what we want we want Christ what we want the ancient paths. Listen, I'm resolved this morning. Not just to preach about this ancient path before us. I'm resolved to walk it.

I'm resolved against all timidity and slothfulness. I'm resolved to lead our church down this path no matter the cost. This leads me to my third point then the past the present and now the future so back to the text.

We did begin with a text thus says the Lord stand by the roads and look and Ask for the ancient paths where the good way is and walk in it and find rest for your souls. But they said we will not walk in.

I set watchmen over you saying pay attention to the sound of the trumpet but they said We will not pay attention. Now this morning. I have five points of Reform for our church Reformation that I think in some ways I've already begun implementing but in other ways.

That I want to lead strongly and that I am going to lead strongly in as we seek to walk these ancient paths. Nothing, you're going to hear this morning. I don't think there'll be one thing that you hear this morning that you're like, I've never heard that before.

I'm not talking about. Oh, I have failed to lay the groundwork. No, no, I'm talking about. I failed to put these things into practice. And I'm just telling you this morning. I don't care what the SPC says.

I don't care what Lifely says. I don't care what other churches even in our area say or what new studies say or or whatever the road that we must walk is God's road. When we lived in Kentucky in 2008 in 2008 This before iPhone there was a world that existed before iPhone.

I think it was before I phone. Anyway, it was close. And so I bought Stephanie and I will make no comment about her sense of direction. I would just say I bought her GPS go or moved a big city moved to Louisville.

I bought her GPS one night. We're riding around with this GPS and I guess I had a weird setting like instead of quickest way home I must have had shortest way home and this GPS no joke took us through a cow pasture and A low-water bridge and we're in a Mazda 6.

It's a like a little green car. What I'm saying to us is that not all the voices out there are reliable for where to go. They may sound reliable. They may sound knowledgeable, but they'll land you in a cow pasture.

What I'm saying is I refuse to travel there. Thus says the Lord stand by the roads and look and ask for the ancient past where the good way is in walking it and find a rest for your souls. What I'm saying is this morning we stand at the crossroads and we look we see the ancient paths.

We see that God's Word is the compass we can trust. We see that God's way is the right way. It's the only way forward the world and and even professing Christians. That's what makes it so hard. It's not just the world.

It's a lot of people who profess to be believers mock those who trust God's Word in this way. I Don't care. Let them mock. Let me give you an example just this week July 19 a few days ago Jonathan Merritt wrote this.

Christians must accept that the only way to take the Bible seriously is to stop taking every word literally. Christians must accept that the only way to take the Bible seriously is to stop taking every word literally.

He's making a jab at the Bible. No. Jonathan Merritt is the son of James Merritt. James Merritt who is the head has been a president of the SPC who who just last year Nashville was the president or the the chairperson of the resolutions committee who less than a year ago James Merritt has endorsed his son's preaching.

No. No, I will not accept that mentality. I will seek to adjust my life and the life of this church by every word of God's book because I believe. That every word of God's book is inerrant infallible and authoritative and sufficient.