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Why Missionary Baptists are
not Protestants?
Text. "Little children, it is the last time and
as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are
there many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last
time. They went out from us, but they were not of us. for if
they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with
us. but they went out. that they were not all of us"
(1 John 2:18-19).
Introduction
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Although the Lutheran Church was founded by
Martin Luther at Wittenberg. Germany in 1517. but the term
Protestant derives from the "protestation" submitted by a
minority of Lutheran and Reformed authorities at the German
Imperial Diet at Speyer in 1529 in dissenting from a clampdown
on religious renewal. Protestantism denotes the whole movement
within the Roman Catholic Church that originated in the 16th
century Reformation and later focused in the main traditions
of Reformed Church life—Lutheran.
Presbyterian. and Anglican. Lutherans and other advocates of
reform within the Roman Catholic Church thus became known as
Protestants.
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There is a distressing tendency in the world to
class Missionary Baptists with Protestants. Such
classification can only hurt the cause of Missionary Baptists
and the truth for which Missionary Baptists stand. Missionary
Baptists are not Protestants and ought not to act like
Protestants. It is high time for Missionary Baptists to refuse
to participate in Protestant practices which encourage the
world to class them with Protestants. That Missionary Baptists
are not Protestants is a truth which we raise the question as
to whether Missionary Baptists should be classed with
Protestants. A Protestant is one who protests. Missionary
Baptists are not Protestants—they
are proclamationists. Their task is not to tear something
down but to build the Kingdom of God. They are not
fighting other religious organizations but are preaching the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. baptizing, teaching "the all
things" what Christ has commanded to her and establish
churches unto the uttermost part of the earth until He
returns.
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There is another reason why Missionary Baptists
should not be classed with Protestants' namely, the Protestant
denominations have a recent origin—they
all grew out of the reformation which was a movement of
protest against the Roman Catholic Church and its methods.
Missionary Baptists did not originate in this movement. The
reason why we ought to demand a separate classification for
our Missionary Baptist Churches is that we are grouped with a
number of denominations wholly at variance with us in our
beliefs and practices. We ought not be so grouped.
Missionary Baptist Churches are as distinct in doctrine and
practice from most of the Protestant churches as the
Protestant churches are distinct from the Roman Catholic
Church.
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We are suffering quite a bit in more ways than
one in being classed as Protestants. One of the wars in which
we suffer is that we cannot get an hour over a national radio
hook-up because Protestants have already been given a national
hook-up. therefore since Missionary Baptists are regarded as
Protestants. they are said to have a period over the radio.
This is absurd. The Roman Catholics can have an hour, the
Lutherans can have an hour, the Jews can have an hour, and the
other Protestants can have an hour, but Missionary Baptists,
not having individual standing as a distinct and definite
religious group separate from Protestants, cannot have an hour
over the radio.
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This matter is worth thinking about. The time
has come when we should disassociate ourselves from the
Protestants altogether and demand a separate and independent
standing in the religious world as a religious organization.
Missionary Baptists who put on or enter into union meetings
cannot expect their undenominational and interdenominational
activity to give a Missionary Baptist testimony to the world.
Missionary Baptists who emphasize certain fundamentals while
compromising other fundamentals cannot expect the world to
respect their contention for Scriptural truth. They are
neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant. They ought to act in
conformity with their Scriptural profession and in obedience
to their Scriptural belief.
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In modern religious parlance Missionary
Baptists are classed with Protestant denominations, but,
strictly speaking. Missionary Baptists are not Protestants.
The Protestant denominations are those whose founders (Like
Martin Luther of the Lutheran Church. John Calvin of the
Presbyterian Church. King Henry VIII of the Church of England)
protested against the sins and abuses of the Roman Catholic
Church and finally severed their relations with that church
that they might establish a new religious order, or rather,
return to the teachings of the New Testament. Unfortunately,
they did not fully return to the doctrines and practices of
the early church, but brought out of the Roman Catholic Church
certain doctrines and practices that are out of harmony with
the New Testament, such as union of church and state,
sprinkling or pouring for baptism, and baptism of infants.
Missionary Baptists did not come out of the Roman Catholic
Church; hence, in the strictest sense, they are not to be
classed as one of the Protestant denominations.
—Why
Missionary Baptists are not Protestants?—
I. BECAUSE MISSIONARY
BAPTISTS BEGAN BY CHRIST
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Almost two thousand years ago our Lord Jesus
Christ started His Church. In fact He said. "And I say also
unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church. and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it" (Matthew 16:18). Seven things ought to be
considered right here before we go any further (a) The
church our Lord started was a local church, and not a
universal visible church according to the Roman Catholics or
universal invisible church according to Protestantism,
Pentecostalism and Cults. (b) The Missionary Baptist
Church was started by our Lord during His earthly ministry not
on the day of Pentecost. (c) The Lord Jesus Christ was
the first Pastor of the Missionary Baptist Church. (d)
The Lord Jesus Christ gave to His Missionary Baptist Church
the ordinances (Baptism and the Lord's Supper), and that
before the day of Pentecost. (e) The Lord Jesus Christ
also gave to His Missionary Baptist Church the Great
Commission (preaching the gospel, baptizing the converts,
teaching the saved, baptized disciples, the all things" what
Christ has commanded to her and establish them to churches of
like faith and order, unto the end of the world.) (f)
The Missionary Baptist Church was carefully and patiently
instructed by its first Pastor (our Lord Jesus Christ) in all
matters of doctrine (Read Matthew chapters 5, 6, 7). (g)
The church that was begun by our Lord Jesus Christ was an
Independent from the state government Missionary Baptist
Church.
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Once the Lord announced that He would build His
church, the god of this world went straight to work to destroy
it. Later, the greatest lie ever told about our Lord's church
was introduced, the lie of a "universal church." Because of
this false, wicked idea which is generally accepted today,
several things have taken place. (a) A lack of
reverence and respect for the local church. (b) A very
large misunderstanding of the ordinances and whose they are.
(c) The rise of the various Protestant denominations.
(d) The lack of Biblical understanding of church
authority. (e) The lack of knowledge of church history,
and particularly, Missionary Baptist history.
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The lack of proper knowledge concerning
church history has hurt the cause of truth for too many years
because Satan is the god of this world system, he has don
an outstanding job in hiding the true picture of the Lord's
churches. Most church historians see the Missionary Baptists
as beginning during the Reformation Period or just after. On
that account, many so-called Missionary Baptists have accepted
that as the truth. But very few historians have told the truth
about Missionary Baptist History. Proper history will reveal,
that from the time of Christ there has always been true
Missionary Baptist Churches.
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There are two kinds of Baptists in general
today. (a) The General Baptists―They
are Arminian in their theology, many of them practice open
communion. (b) The Particular Baptists―They
are Calvinistic in their theology and for most of them, they
are known for practicing close communion. However, Missionary
Baptists have never liked being called Arminian or
Calvinistic. We arc Missionary Baptists and therefore, do not
claim loyalty to any one individual or group. History has
proved that the Missionary Baptists have existed from the time
of our Lord until the present time. Our Lord Jesus Christ
started a local Missionary Baptist Church. Furthermore, our
Lord promised to that church that it would not succumb to the
various attacks of the god of this wicked world system of
Satan.
—Why
Missionary Baptists are not Protestants?—
II. BECAUSE MISSIONARY
BAPTISTS ARE
OLDER THAN THE ROMAN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS
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The Roman Catholic Church
was founded by Gregory the Great in Rome. Ital in A.D. 590.
The Protestants have their various founders. (a) The
Lutheran Church by Martin Luther at Wittenberg, Germany in
A.D. 1517. (b) The Presbyterian Church by John Calvin
at Genera. Switzerland in A.D 1534 (c) The Church of
England by King Henry VIII at London, England in AD. 1534.
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The Cults. We shall not
consider them at this point, but only mention a few of them.
(a) Seventh-Day Adventist Church by William Miller at
Washington. New Hampshire in A D 1843. (b) Jehovah's
Witnesses by Charles Russell at Pittsburg. Pennsylvania in
A.D.1872. (c) Latter Day Saints (Mormons) by Joseph
Smith at Payette. New York in A.D. 1830. All of these
mentioned and many more were started before. during or after
the Protestant Reformation. But none of these could ever be or
have ever been known as the Lord's true church.
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Various Identification Marks
of a True Missionary Baptist Church. (a) The Lord was
the founder and head (Read Matthew. 16:18). (b) The
Lord was the Chief Shepherd of His flock (John 10:11). (c)
The Missionary Baptist Church had the true gospel right from
the ten beginning (Read Mark 1:1). (d) Our Lord
required that the members of His church show repentance and
faith and be baptized after conversion (Acts 1.22). (e)
Our Lord commissioned the Missionary Baptist Church to do
missionary work (Matthew 28:19, 20). (f) Our Lord also
gave to His Missionary Baptist Church the various ordinances
(baptism and the Lord's Supper).
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Missionary Baptists received
their doctrine from the Lord Jesus Christ, never from the
Roman Catholic Church or any other movement for that matter of
fact. That can also be said true with regards to the
Protestant movement. Missionary Baptists are the only ones
that can trace their history back to the days of our Lord
Jesus Christ. For many of us, our belief can be somewhat
summed up in our name. That means that if you would take our
wonderful name, Baptist, the name that our Lord gave to us
over the years.
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Now, to be totally honest
and fair, it must be pointed out that some of these truths are
embraced by the so-called Protestant Churches. Some, but not
all. To our limited knowledge, and we do not claim to be an
expert, but Missionary Baptists are the only ones who have
held to all of these precious truths down through the years.
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Missionary Baptists have
never been Protestants. Protestants, as with the Roman
Catholic Church, came long after our Lord Jesus Christ started
His Missionary Baptist Church during His earthly ministry. The
Roman Catholic Church began in the fifth century and so they
cannot qualify' as with the Protestants. But we have always
rejected her as a false church and still do today.
Protestants came out from the Roman Catholic Church, and
Missionary Baptists have no reason to protest in that sense.
—Why
Missionary Baptists are not Protestants?—
III. BECAUSE CHURCH
HISTORIANS TESTIFY THAT MISSIONARY BAPTISTS DID NOT COME OUT
FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
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Cardinal Hosius. Roman Catholic priest of A.D.
1554 wrote these words, "If the truth of religion were to be
judged by the readiness and boldness of which a man of any
sect can be truer and surer than that of the Anabaptists,
since there have been none for these twelve hundred years
past. that have been more generally punished or that have more
cheerfully and steadfastly undergone, and even offered
themselves to the most cruel sorts of punishment than these
people." (Hashes Letters Apud Opera. pages 112. 113).
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Dr. Dermont, chaplain to the King of Holland
and Dr. YPEIJ. professor of theology at Graninger, a few years
since received a Royal Commission to prepare a history of the
Dutch Reformed Church (Presbyterian), This history, prepared
under royal sanction and officially published, contains the
following mane and generous testimony to the antiquity and
orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists: "We have now seen that the
Baptists who were formerly called Anabaptists, and in later
times Mennonites, were the original Waldenses, and have long
in the history of the Church received honor of that origin. On
this account, the Baptists may be considered as the only
Christian community which has stood since the Apostles. and as
a Christian society which has preserved pure the doctrines of
the Gospel through all ages." (History of the Dutch
Reformed Church. Breda, XD. 1819. Volume 1, page 148).
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Mosheim. Lutheran historian of great note. "The
first century was a history about Baptists before the rise of
Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in almost all the
countries of Europe persons who adhered tenaciously to the
principles of modern Dutch Baptists" (Mosheim Church History.
Century Sixteen, part 2, Chapter 30).
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Sir Isaac Newton, a member of the Church of
England, learned English philosopher, student of the
Scriptures and of history, says, "The Baptists are the only
body of Christians that have never symbolized with Rome" (Whiston.
Memoirs of. written by himself, page 201).
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Robert Barclay, Quaker, says about the people
called Anabaptists: "We shall afterwards show the rise of the
Anabaptists took place prior to the Reformation of the Church
of England, and there are also reasons for believing that on
the Continent of Europe small hidden Christian societies. who
have held many of the opinions of the Anabaptists. have
existed from the tunes of the Apostles. In the sense of the
direct transmission of Divine Truth. and the true nature of
spiritual religion, it seems probable that these Churches have
a lineage of succession more ancient than that of the Roman
Catholic Church." (Barclay. The Inner Life of the Societies of
the Commonwealth- pages II.. 12. London. A.D. 1876).
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Alexander Campbell. founder of the Christian
Church. Disciples of Christ, and Churches of Christ or
Campbetlite Church says: "The Baptist denomination in all ages
and all countries has been. as a body, the constant assisters
of the rights of wean and the liberty of conscience. They have
often been persecuted by Protestants. but they never
politically persecuted others, though they have had it in
their power." (Baptism, page 409, by Alexander Campbell.
edition 1851, 1853). "Clouds of witnesses attest the fact.
that before the Reformation from popery and from the Apostolic
age, to the present time, the sentiments of Baptists. and the
practice of baptism have had a continues chain of advocates,
and public monuments of their existence in every century can
be produced." (Campbell -McC al la Debate, page 378. Buffalo,
New York. 1824 edition).
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John Clark Ridpath. Methodist, author of that
monumental work, "Ridpath's History of the World," in a letter
to Dr. W.A. Jarrell (Baptist Church Perpetuity. page 57),
says: "I should not readily admit that there were Baptist
Churches as far back as A.D. 100. although without doubt there
were Baptist then, as all Christians were then Baptists."
Conclusion
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Missionary Baptists are not Protestants and
have never been so connected with them. They have always had
good reason to protest. as it were, the evil doctrines of the
unholy Roman Catholic Church. But she did not come from Rome
and therefore. in reality, has always objected to her and her
false doctrine.
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We are Missionary Baptists and thus very proud
of our Baptist heritage. Many of our forefathers have laid
down their lives for a truth, a principle that the New
Testament speaks about.
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To be a true church of our Lord Jesus Christ.
we must in reality practice what has become known as the Bible
test. Beloved, we must have the correct practice in our church
policy and then the correct history. Our history must go
all the way back to Jesus Christ. our founder and first
pastor. Then, we must have the correct doctrine—doctrine
that is in agreement with the grand old Book of books: the
Holy Bible. May God bless you as you think on these very
important things.
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Our message to our separated brethren (Roman
Catholics. Protestants. Charismatic-Pentecostals and Cults) is
this, please come back home to the Missionary Baptist church
where you came from. You are very much welcome to our
fellowship. And if you are a minister there is a place for you
in the Missionary Baptist church ministry.
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Please contact us right now, We are very much
happy to serve the Lord with you in one of His churches. If
You are already saved. then follow the Lord in Scriptural
baptism. May God bless you all and lead you in the right
direction is our prayer for you.
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