45. Long Bench Meeting

Sermon 45 Long Bench Meeting

In the prophecy of Ezekiel we find the curse of God pronounced upon those who will not do His will, and upon the prophets who strengthened the hands of sinners in promising them life when there is no life. To promise life where there is no life is simply to promise salvation where God has not promised salvation. If the curse of God -rested upon those in Ezekiel's time who would so teach, much more might we expect it to rest upon preachers of this enlightened age who teach the same things. As Paul tells us those things are written for example to us, well may we study and take heed lest we be found guilty of the same sins.

Upon this subject I feel it my duty, as a man of God to call attention to one of the most plausible and deceptive practices that I find among the children of men, namely—the union meetings. All over the country I find evangelists who go from place to place, holding meetings, without ever preaching the gospel plan of salvation; who will tell you it makes no difference which church you join, nor whether you join any church at all or not, so the heart is right. Just get converted, get religion, and then go where you please.

.......Such preaching takes well with the world and with humanchurches, because it never crosses anybody's doctrine. Some of these preachers will say you cannot believe that you can fall from grace, and the next moment say you can believe it if you wish. They will tell you that you may believe immersion is the only baptism, and in the next moment will tell you that you can believe that sprinkling and pouring will do just as well; that you may believe that no one but believers should be baptized, and then tell you that God will think just as well of you to believe infants may be baptized also. With so many preachers of this kind to continually corrupt the mind of the young, and promise life where there is no life, it may be well to examine a meeting of this kind, and see the final result.

Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians decide to hold a grand union meeting in their community, to convert sinners. The place and time are agreed upon, and all things begun. All work together for the meeting. Many are the songs and prayers, each one trying hard to keep the doctrine of his church in the background. Finally, an altar of prayer is erected, to which many are invited, and long are the prayers in their behalf. The meeting continues in progress, the members are warmed up, and many attend. Great is the excitement and rejoicing Over the conversions. The meeting draws to a close and all are happy. Why? Because God has blessed them, and just thirty have been converted who came forward for prayer. They are occupying a seat on the long bench, all claiming to be Christians, all of the same mind, speaking the same things; all contending for the life of a Christian, working together, claiming to be nothing but Christians.

But, alas, a sad moment comes! Tomorrow night the meeting will close. While they are good enough to go to heaven and commune with Christ and the angels, yet none of them can commune with the church members here until they join some church. Tomorrow night the doors of all the churches will be opened, and shore who have been converted during the meeting are expected to join some church.

The next night Brother B arises and says: "I am a member of the Baptist church, and a minister in that church. I know that outside of the Baptist church you can have forgiveness of sins, comforting power of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, live a child of God, finally die and go to heaven, yet you are not a Baptist." Ten go forward, relate their experiences, are voted upon, and baptized into the Baptist church.

About this time Brother Paul, who was late getting in, comes forward and says: "Brethren, when I left here last night we had thirty converts, men and women on that bench. Tonight I see only twenty. What has become of the other ten?"

"Oh," says Brother B. "they have joined the Baptist church. They, tonight, have become Baptists."

"But, Brother B. can't they live a Christian life, serve God, and go to heaven when they die without being members of the Baptist church?"

"Oh, yes, they can do that."

"Well, Brother B. must a man believe the Bible to go to heaven?"

"Yes."

"Can a man go to heaven who will not believe the Bible?"

"Oh, no; it is plain that a man must believe the Bible and obey it, to go to heaven."

"Then, can a man go to heaven who is not a member of the Baptist church, and who does not believe the Baptist doctrine?"

"Oh, yes; there are thousands of good men and women who have lived the lives of Christians, and died and gone to heaven, who were never Baptists."

Then, if a man must believe the Bible, obey it, and live a Christian life to be saved, and a man can be saved who will not believe the Baptist doctrine and will not obey it, we conclude that the Bible is one thing and the Baptist doctrine another. Therefore the ten who went into the Baptist church weakened the former force, became a sect, a party, and are not the church of Christ.

But Brother M opens the doors of his church and tells them: "Now, brethren, we have had a grand meeting. The Lord has given us many souls in answer to prayer. Thirty were converted by the Spirit, and this Spirit converted ten to believe 'once in grace always in grace,' that immersion only is baptism. Now all that the Spirit has converted to think that a man can fall from grace, and that sprinkling will do just as well as immersion, can come forward and join the Methodist church. Ten more go forward and are sprinkled into the Methodist church.

Presently Brother Peter walks up, and says: "Brethren, two nights ago I thought you had a grand meeting, and thirty were converted. I left here with thirty converted on the bench. Where are the twenty gone?"

"Oh, Brother Peter, ten have become Baptists and ten Methodists, and only ten remain."

Brother Peter retorts: "But were they not Christians, and doing God's will before they joined the Methodist church?"

"Oh, yes; but all should join some church, and they wanted to join our church."

"But could they not have lived Christians, and finally have been saved without being Methodists?"

"Oh, yes; but we can't all see alike, you know."

Question: Brother, is the Methodist church built on the rock or on the sand? It is built on the sand, of course. How do you know? Because Christ promised to build only His church upon the rock (Matthew 16:18). All churches are built either on the rock or on the sand, and those only who build on the rock are saved, as taught by Christ (Matthew 7:24).

Then, to do God's will, to be a member of the church of Christ, to be a Christian, were all used as the same in apostolic times. As a man can be saved outside of our church, but cannot be saved off the rock, it shows that our church is built on the sand, and not on the rock.

But another song, and another invitation, and Brother P invites all who are left to come forward, and the ten remaining are poured into the Presbyterian church. Then thirty from thirty leaves naught. In this whole affair, I ask, where does Christ come in? In these union meetings, I must say, I find him not.

Jesus taught that the word is the seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11). Paul taught that what we sow, that shall we reap (Galatians 6:7). Inasmuch as all seed will produce fruit after its kind, and as the word of God when sown in honest hearts makes nothing but Christians, and all Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians claim that a man can be a Christian and not believe their doctrine, we must conclude that their doctrine is not the word Of God, does not make Christians, was not planted by the Son of God, and Jesus says they shall finally be rooted up (Matthew 15:13).

As soon as the union meeting is over each party becomes jealous over its own affairs and envious of its neighbor building up. Men and women are alienated In those party feelings and the love that should govern them as children of God is forgotten and no one left to plead His cause.

But one says, why do you object to these things? They are doing a grand work. A thousand times, NO—unless they are authorized in the word of God.

My objections are:

• God has never authorized such a meeting to come together and pray for sinners to be saved before doing his will. His will says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." But this system teaches them they can be saved before doing God's will. Hence it is contrary to His word.

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• God's word teaches that all who are baptized into Christ, put on Christ (Galatians 3:27 ). But this system teaches that you are saved in Christ before you are baptized. So it is unscriptural.

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• The scriptures teach that we are saved in Christ and that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 8:1-2). All denominations teach (1) that we can be saved outside of their church and (2) that-we can be lost in their church. This shows according to their own argument that Christ is not in their church, else a man would be lost in Christ. It also shows that Christ is out of their church, or else a man can be saved out of Christ. But as we must be saved in Christ, they admit that we can be saved out of their church. It necessarily follows that Christ is not in their church; so no one can hope for His saving power there.

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• Another objection is that it strengthens the hands-of sinners, in promising them life where there is no life, violates God's law, and brings condemnation upon those who teach that way.

Finally, dear young reader, are you not willing to study the word of God, learn His will, and do the-things commanded of Him, that when life and its conflicts shall draw to a close. you may enter into that rest that remains to the people of God?