I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and was always led to imagine that John the Baptist founded the Baptist Church. Effectively, it manufactured sense: John was a “Baptist” we were “Baptists.” So John have to have started the Baptist Church, correct? Of course, optimistic pondering at its ideal. Perception is, as they say, reality. Often our perception and Fact are in opposition. And, sometimes, we locate out the hard way.

Studying the Bible in its entirety, rather than pulling out a handy verse right here and there, creates the Creator’s supposed result – illumination of Truth.

At the age of 21 I started to study the Bible. Not the common casual perusal by means of a handful of Psalms or Proverbs, but a deliberate, systematic examine of the 66 guides that make up the Bible. Reading the Bible induced me to appraise the items we Baptists believed and practiced.

After a cautious review, I realized that there were a host of techniques that we Baptists advocated that failed to align with the Bible. But one Baptist doctrine stood out above all other people – that John the Baptist launched the Baptist Church.

Did John the Baptist begin the Baptist Church? Do you want to uncover it for by yourself, or would you like to me share what I located? If you might be looking through this sentence, I can believe that you want me to share what I identified. Alright, here is information from the Word of God. I hope you will confirm it for your self.

We uncover King Herod, in the 14th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, spending his birthday at his winter palace. He’d been ready to seize and imprison John at his palace. Why did Herod want John in shackles? Because John experienced explained that Herod should not be sleeping with his sister-in-legislation, Herodias consequently, John was incarcerated for his incendiary assertion. Truly, Herod desired to execute John, but feared the reaction of the crowds because the populous considered John to be a prophet of God.

Then, in baptist church in Raleigh of the celebration of Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter enticed Herod by dancing erotically before him. Evidently Herod was mesmerized by her seductive abilities and promised to give her something she wanted. She’d already been coached by her mom on what to ask for. “Give me John the Baptist’s head on a platter!” demanded Herodias’ daughter. Herod was now among a rock and the proverbial challenging-spot. He failed to want to incite the crowds, but he also had to demonstrate that he was a male of his phrase. In the end he selected to you should Herodias’ daughter. Herod experienced John decapitated.

Why is this historic account of John’s death crucial? Because it uncovers the response to the question, “Did John the Baptist start off the Baptist Church?” How does it uncover the response? John’s loss of life at the hand of Herod was before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made the 1st prophecy that any church would be created. Jesus said that He would build a church – not John. Jesus said that it would be His church – not John’s. John the Baptist established no church. His name “John the Baptist” was simply a descriptive phrase of his mission and steps. John was a baptizer of males unto the baptism of repentance.

In the 16th chapter of the gospel of Matthew we find Jesus questioning His disciples. “Who are the crowds stating that I am?” His disciples responded, “Some are expressing that you are John the Baptist. Some are declaring that you are a prophet, these kinds of as Elias or Jeremiah.” But Jesus needed to know what His very own disciples thought. “But who do you consider I am?” Jesus questioned. Peter responded and mentioned, “You are the Christ (the Messiah Savior), the Son of the residing God!” Jesus exclaimed that Peter was blessed because his information was given by God and not by flesh. Then Jesus tends to make an amazing prophecy to Peter and to the rest of His disciples, “You are Peter, and upon this rock (the rock of perception that Jesus was the Son of God, or what we would call the confession of faith in Christ) I will develop my church.”

It was Jesus, not John, who stated that He would create a church. We find that the Lord’s prophecy arrived correct in the very last part of Functions chapter 2. That segment of Scripture reveals that all who ended up saved have been added to the Lord’s church by God. God adds the saved to the Lord’s church. There was no earthly council, no associations, and no conventions that voted on prospective church member candidates.

Moreover, Christ’s church was a “blood-bought” institution, as said in the twenty eighth chapter of the e-book of Acts. It was to be an important, divine, blood-acquired establishment that the saved of God would be included to by God.

Consider this real truth: John failed to prophecy that he would construct any church. John didn’t give his blood for a church. John was merely the fore-runner for the Christ.

Historical past records that the Baptist Church was launched by a guy named John Smyth, an Anglican priest ordained by the Church of England in 1594. Smyth turned a “Separatist,” and shaped the first “Baptist” church in Holland someplace amongst 1607 and 1609 – some 1570 a long time following Christ recognized His church. Smyth “re-baptized” himself by pouring drinking water in excess of his head. Then he baptized (poured) his followers. 1609 is the unofficial starting of the Baptist Church.

Prior to his loss of life, Smyth abandoned his Baptist views and began attempting to proselytize his followers into the teachings Menno Simons, and the Mennonite Church.

Modern Baptist Church users are a group of excellent, honest, moral, and zealous folks. Nevertheless, they belong to a guy-created firm. They belong to a church that was not bought with Christ’s blood, hood-winked in believing that John the Baptist established their organization. How is this feasible? Baptist folks have not taken the time to look into their personal heritage. They have not taken the time to diligently review the Scriptures of God. They “assume” that what they’ve been advised is the fact.

Why would so numerous good folks align by themselves with an firm that was evidently started by a male, as an alternative of basically obeying the instructions of Peter discovered in the 2nd chapter of Functions and getting added to the church of Jesus Christ by God Himself? The response is as plain as the nose on your confront. They just never know. They are ignorant of these biblical and historic details.

Each and every Baptist want to know that Jesus Christ started His church and gave His blood for it. Paul informed the church at Ephesus that Christ liked the church and gave Himself for it. Paul also explained that Christ is the Head of His church, and the Savior of His entire body, the church.

So we boil it down to this: do you want to be a member of the church that Jesus Christ established, or do you want to be a member of a church established by John Smyth? My option is Jesus. Give me the prospect to obey the guidelines for salvation identified in Acts two, and God will add me to the church of Christ, Functions two.

If you have the spiritual wish to be a “Christian ONLY,” and a willingness to uncover the one particular, accurate, New Testomony church of the Bible, Michael challenges you to go through the guide Muscle and a Shovel. It’s not only a tale that will get you quickly and not let go, but it will problem your present beliefs beyond your imagination.