This ministry exists due to the burden I have from the Lord to move the Lord’s people to a deeper understanding of Who God is and what He has called His children to do as witnesses on this earth. When one is born-again in Christ, they are not left on this earth to simply enjoy their life from that point on, knowing they are secure in Christ. Rather, as children of God, we are called to be witnesses for Christ. To accomplish that calling, the Lord Jesus Christ established the New Testament church, which exists as a local, visible, unaffiliated body of covenanted believers. Thus, to fulfill the will of God, one must follow the Lord Jesus Christ in Scriptural baptism and enter into covenant with the Lord Jesus and other believers in a New Testament church to be a witness for Him on this earth all the days of their life.
Though this is the express will of our Lord and Savior, it is astounding how few people actually follow the Lord and serve Him throughout their life. Instead, what we see are individuals, and thus churches, that are more accommodating to the world, than to their Head, which is Christ Himself. This ministry exists to work to rectify this problem. It is only through the expounding of sound doctrine and practice that the LORD's people will be encouraged to walk closer to the LORD and be better witnesses of the grace, righteousness and holiness of the LORD.
This ministry is a fundamental, unaffiliated, King James only, Baptist ministry that operates under the authority of a local New Testament church, Faith Baptist Church of Spokane, Missouri. Since all authority for operation rests in the local, New Testament church, I will not accept support unless it is sent through Faith Baptist Church, Spokane, MO. Currently, I do not ask for support as I believe that one should not ask, but the LORD ought to move on the hearts of individuals to provide that support. In this way, I can be assured that the supporting of this ministry is indeed a work of the LORD
In the section below there are brief explanations of the various aspects of this ministry.
In Christ,
- Aspects of the ministry
- There are four major aspects to the ministry the Lord has called me to. Two of them I see as indispensable to any called man of God. The other two are particular gifts that the Lord has blessed me with to accomplish the purposes of bringing people to Christ, and teaching the Lord’s people so that they may be sound in doctrine and practice, well-grounded against error.
- Teaching
- This is the primary part of the ministry the Lord has called me to, and I do more of it than anything else. Whether I teach in a formal setting, or when witnessing to someone, my goal is to impart understanding. The Lord impressed that upon me very early on after I was saved. If someone has no real understanding of who the LORD God is, and what the Lord has done for them, it is impossible for them to come to Christ for salvation. Thus, teaching forms the backbone of this ministry.
- Teaching has two purposes: First, it is used to bring those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, to the point of understanding why they need salvation. Second, without sound doctrine, the Lord’s people are subject to being led astray by those who “sound” right, but have significant problems doctrinally. Proper teaching strengthens the Lord’s people and causes them to be more fruitful for the Lord.
- I do not teach outside the framework and authority of the local, visible, New Testament church. This is where the Lord has vested His authority for carrying out the Great Commission, and where the Lord blesses His people. The Lord is very express that He established the New Testament church for the purpose of preaching the Gospel to a lost and dying world, and for the maintenance of the Scriptures and the attendant doctrines of Scripture.
- This is not to say that I do not minister outside the New Testament church. Rather, this is what we are here for — to reach the lost, and those who know the Lord, yet are not serving Him in His ordained institution. To this end I publish studies and will answer questions from anyone concerning scriptural doctrines and practices. I enjoy teaching, and am delighted anytime I have the opportunity to be used of the Lord to increase someone’s understanding of the LORD and His word.
- Preaching
- This is a natural outgrowth of the Lord’s work in my life. Though there are some that draw a great distinction between preaching and teaching, I view both preaching and teaching as parts of a whole. To me, it should be that anytime the man of God preaches, he also teaches. There are several purposes the Lord has for preaching, but the primary purpose is to present the Gospel.
- Writing
- As is evident by the pages of this website, I love to write. I initially did not start out writing in the ministry. Instead, it was a process where the Lord brought me to the place of being able to write. When I was in school I did not like to write, particularly if it was something that had to be “made up.” Even if it wasn’t a made up story, it was difficult to write. Nevertheless, when the Lord saved me, he began to change me so that I desired to explain things on paper, and gave me an understanding the value of the printed word for instructing others in the things of God. As with the teaching, I am delighted when someone reads an article, a booklet, or finishes a study, and they come away with a better understanding of what God requires of them, and how to fulfill His will in their life.
- Website Design and Maintenance
- This portion of the ministry grew out of the need to publish articles without the limitations of print publishing. Although access to the articles is limited by access to the internet, the reach of the articles extends far beyond fundamental, unaffiliated Baptist circles to touch a worldwide audience.
- To meet the need, I designed the Reproach of Men website to be as simple and accessible as possible, yet with a liquid design to flow to fill the viewer’s screen. Since the launch of Reproach of Men, I have recoded the pages and launched two other companion websites, Oprobio de los Hombres and Spott der Leute, which are the Reproach of Men website in Spanish and German. . . .More.