Post by joshuadaryl on Apr 16, 2014 14:58:12 GMT -5
My name is Joshua Crissen, I have been married to my wife Linda for 15 years, we have two boys Matthew is 14, Micah is 12.
My testimony : My father was saved back in 1981, and we started attending Independent Fundamental Baptist church. I was 5 years old, and from that point I grew up a typical church kid. I got "saved & baptized" several times during my youth. As a teen I grew rebellious, violent, and out of control. On Easter Sunday 1993 I was riding home on my motor bike after an evening of sin, I was crossing the highway when I was struck broadside by an on coming car. I died, a couple times, once for 6 minutes. I distinctly remember consciousness and awareness in a place of nothingness, darker and colder than outer space. I was so aware of conviction, and somehow I knew that if I made it, I had to change, I had to accept Jesus Christ and follow him, or else.
In November of 1993 I publicly accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour, when I was able to walk the following Spring I followed in Believers Baptism. I was on fire, filled to overflowing with the Spirit, ready to Convert the whole world. I was going to go into missions, I was going to preach, I was going to do it all
. Funny even in the new testament the Zeal of new converts has remained the same.
Over time the everyday living took hold, and the conservative sobriety of Fundamental Baptist took hold. I would drift , hot, then cold. The connection of my early conversion cooled. It was like I hit a wall. The questions of Biblical relevance of different passages of the Bible grew. It seemed more and more that no matter the Baptist church I attended, that there was some memo all the pastors got that explained what parts of the Bible mattered, and what parts do not. The church body all seemed very devout on Sunday, but when ya seen them during the week, well, they talked the talk, but it did not seem they walked the walk. You see some of the pastors families, they were a mess, and the church body took in marriage, and if "they were not happy" they divorced, then remarried, sometimes multiple times. I was feeling like one of the Prophets of old Israel, distressed at watching, the the Israelites, me the New Testament Church, watching them stray farther and farther from the word of God.
I finally fled to the only comfort I had, the Scriptures, I collected many interpretations, sat them around my KJV , I collected concordances, dissertations on different books, Greek, and Hebrew dictionaries, I spent several years, not all at once, but days at a time for several years going thru the Bible, comparing interpretations, looking up words from Greek and Hebrew, reading differing dissertations, and most important praying, meditating, and listening for that still small voice, until here I am now, with a list of convictions, and important doctrines that I feel were not being met in any of the Independent Fundamental Baptist, Southern Baptist, non Denominational, or even Pentecostal churches I attended, and boy I attended all of them within 90 minutes from my house, more than I thought were out there.
My biggest problem was with accountability,I had strong debates with more than a few brothers on the idea and practice of a church body, and on the literalness of the verse, "if thy hand offend thee cast it off, if thy eye offend thee pluck it out, is it not better to enter eternal life without an eye or hand" I stand on that this is talking about the church body. I stand that this asserts the fact that as a body, thus a family, we are to be of one mind and one accord, as our triune God. Now as humans who are with sin, we must hold each other accountable, "if you have aught against a brother approach him etc." we must strive unto perfection, we must "be in the world not of the world, called to be a peculiar people, called out of the world, to be separate" this did not win me any friends, or followers if you will. Brother Josh, this is 2000 whatever, we have to attract people into the church, what excuse me but am I our you not the church, to be in the church one must be born again, one must be called out by God, as no man except he be drawn by God can ever hope of breaking free. Yes we must preach and carry the Gospel to every living creature, casting seed with hope some land on fertile ground, but never do we jump in to save a drowning man lest we ourselves are pulled under with him. The final straw for me was when my mother and fathers home church borrowed several million dollars from a world bank, to build a bigger church, and a million dollar gym. This I said is no longer about God. I could go on, but I am already very close to gossiping.
I am currently attending an Amish Mennonite church, toying with the idea of joining. I have been vetting them, practicing "study to show thyself approved, a workman need not be ashamed rightly divining the word of God" The preach and teach from the KJV, they stay true to the spirit of its teachings. They support missions, and interact with the public being a witness for Christ, and of course here in Greene county Indiana, or Monroe, or Owen, the Amish and the Mennonites are the only ones who practice head covering that I personally know. Some of their traditions are the only hang up I and the family have, but my argument with my family is " Hebrews 10:25 - Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." But I can not assemble my self with those that I know are not following scripture.
The woman wear pants, they preach and teach in the church, they go with their heads uncovered, the people marry divorce and remarry, after they know better, they refuse to practice church discipline, even when members flaunt sin, they go to church on sunday, live like the lost during the week. I can not be a hypocrite, cite these reasons, and then fail to follow the assembly that scripture demands, so I must find a church that follows the scripture even if they want us to dress like it is 1899. That is the hangup for my wife, that and the swimming pool, painting her car black, and for me it is the computer, which is were I study and do business. My boys do not like that they do not use instruments, and I have debated that one to no avail. I am sorry that I have kept going for so long.
My testimony : My father was saved back in 1981, and we started attending Independent Fundamental Baptist church. I was 5 years old, and from that point I grew up a typical church kid. I got "saved & baptized" several times during my youth. As a teen I grew rebellious, violent, and out of control. On Easter Sunday 1993 I was riding home on my motor bike after an evening of sin, I was crossing the highway when I was struck broadside by an on coming car. I died, a couple times, once for 6 minutes. I distinctly remember consciousness and awareness in a place of nothingness, darker and colder than outer space. I was so aware of conviction, and somehow I knew that if I made it, I had to change, I had to accept Jesus Christ and follow him, or else.
In November of 1993 I publicly accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour, when I was able to walk the following Spring I followed in Believers Baptism. I was on fire, filled to overflowing with the Spirit, ready to Convert the whole world. I was going to go into missions, I was going to preach, I was going to do it all
. Funny even in the new testament the Zeal of new converts has remained the same.Over time the everyday living took hold, and the conservative sobriety of Fundamental Baptist took hold. I would drift , hot, then cold. The connection of my early conversion cooled. It was like I hit a wall. The questions of Biblical relevance of different passages of the Bible grew. It seemed more and more that no matter the Baptist church I attended, that there was some memo all the pastors got that explained what parts of the Bible mattered, and what parts do not. The church body all seemed very devout on Sunday, but when ya seen them during the week, well, they talked the talk, but it did not seem they walked the walk. You see some of the pastors families, they were a mess, and the church body took in marriage, and if "they were not happy" they divorced, then remarried, sometimes multiple times. I was feeling like one of the Prophets of old Israel, distressed at watching, the the Israelites, me the New Testament Church, watching them stray farther and farther from the word of God.
I finally fled to the only comfort I had, the Scriptures, I collected many interpretations, sat them around my KJV , I collected concordances, dissertations on different books, Greek, and Hebrew dictionaries, I spent several years, not all at once, but days at a time for several years going thru the Bible, comparing interpretations, looking up words from Greek and Hebrew, reading differing dissertations, and most important praying, meditating, and listening for that still small voice, until here I am now, with a list of convictions, and important doctrines that I feel were not being met in any of the Independent Fundamental Baptist, Southern Baptist, non Denominational, or even Pentecostal churches I attended, and boy I attended all of them within 90 minutes from my house, more than I thought were out there.
My biggest problem was with accountability,I had strong debates with more than a few brothers on the idea and practice of a church body, and on the literalness of the verse, "if thy hand offend thee cast it off, if thy eye offend thee pluck it out, is it not better to enter eternal life without an eye or hand" I stand on that this is talking about the church body. I stand that this asserts the fact that as a body, thus a family, we are to be of one mind and one accord, as our triune God. Now as humans who are with sin, we must hold each other accountable, "if you have aught against a brother approach him etc." we must strive unto perfection, we must "be in the world not of the world, called to be a peculiar people, called out of the world, to be separate" this did not win me any friends, or followers if you will. Brother Josh, this is 2000 whatever, we have to attract people into the church, what excuse me but am I our you not the church, to be in the church one must be born again, one must be called out by God, as no man except he be drawn by God can ever hope of breaking free. Yes we must preach and carry the Gospel to every living creature, casting seed with hope some land on fertile ground, but never do we jump in to save a drowning man lest we ourselves are pulled under with him. The final straw for me was when my mother and fathers home church borrowed several million dollars from a world bank, to build a bigger church, and a million dollar gym. This I said is no longer about God. I could go on, but I am already very close to gossiping.
I am currently attending an Amish Mennonite church, toying with the idea of joining. I have been vetting them, practicing "study to show thyself approved, a workman need not be ashamed rightly divining the word of God" The preach and teach from the KJV, they stay true to the spirit of its teachings. They support missions, and interact with the public being a witness for Christ, and of course here in Greene county Indiana, or Monroe, or Owen, the Amish and the Mennonites are the only ones who practice head covering that I personally know. Some of their traditions are the only hang up I and the family have, but my argument with my family is " Hebrews 10:25 - Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." But I can not assemble my self with those that I know are not following scripture.
The woman wear pants, they preach and teach in the church, they go with their heads uncovered, the people marry divorce and remarry, after they know better, they refuse to practice church discipline, even when members flaunt sin, they go to church on sunday, live like the lost during the week. I can not be a hypocrite, cite these reasons, and then fail to follow the assembly that scripture demands, so I must find a church that follows the scripture even if they want us to dress like it is 1899. That is the hangup for my wife, that and the swimming pool, painting her car black, and for me it is the computer, which is were I study and do business. My boys do not like that they do not use instruments, and I have debated that one to no avail. I am sorry that I have kept going for so long.
