Weekly update

I write to you that pray for us today with a simple thought. Let's consider two kinds of Christians: those who read what is in God's word and try to conform to it and those who read what is in God's word and try to explain it away. Which one are you?

There is a young man who has much Bible knowledge. He has read his Bible several times. However, he has never been challenged to think Biblically. Recently, Bill and I have taught that baptism as recorded in the New Testament was always by immersion. "That is right," he agreed but then added, "but persecution through the centuries has caused some Christians to be sprinkled and call it baptism." He was trying to make the point that sprinkling is a Biblically valid mode of baptism. Then Ganpurev pointed out to him that we face no persecution in Mongolia. So why would sprinkling be necessary? He had no response for that.

Later, the issue of women leading churches as the pastor/overseer/elder came up. Again, he agreed that the Bible teaches that women are not to be in positions of leadership and teaching men in the church. But, he continued, that was for those times. We live in different times today.

So I pointed out to him that it sounded to me as if he were saying, "The Bible clearly teaches this, but today we cannot do it that way." I insisted that if God gives us a pattern for doing something, He will give us the ability to do His will in a Biblical manner without resorting to methods devised by men.

What kind of Christian are you? Are you always saying, "Yes, but" to Biblical truth? Pray for Mongolians that more of them would be like the Berean Christians who searched the Scriptures and then submitted themselves to its teaching.