Acts 5:28

“Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

    Can the citizens of your town, of your city, or of your community accuse you of filling your area with doctrine, as they accused the church at Jerusalem? Or do you ignore Bible doctrine and get upset with those that are doctrinally sound? If you are not filling your area or even the church which you attend with doctrine you are unfaithful to God. If you are opposing doctrinally sound churches and people you are rebelling against God just as those doctrine haters in Jerusalem.

    Do not follow the example of the contemporizes nor of the first century ecumenists in Jerusalem that were in constant opposition to the Word of God. Why is it that so many who call themselves Baptist are constantly invading the Lord’s churches and trying to throw out the eternal truths that contradict their man made ideas. Paul warned us of this. II Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” (We have a heap of ear ticklers, today!) Its not the man of God’s job to pacify unsound folks nor to tick their ears. It is his job to use sound doctrine that will convict lost hearts, change lives, and solidify churches.

    They were not accused of filling Jerusalem with evangelism. Their enemies complimented them by complaining about their doctrine. Those members of the church at Jerusalem must have been Landmark Baptists. We were here before the evangelicals. Our predecessors who were members of the First Baptist Church at Jerusalem were doctrinal promoters. They were not afraid of their doctrine making heretics mad. I guess it was politically incorrect to be doctrinally sound then just as it is today in many religious circles, and even in some socalled Baptist organizations. By the way political correctness is not a Bible term nor a Bible doctrine; but doctrinally sound is. Titus 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: Psalms 119:80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed. Those who have been saved for decades that are not sound in the faith should be ashamed of themselves!

THE PROFIT OF DOCTRINE II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,…”

    The first profit of the scriptures is doctrine so says perhaps the greatest soul winner of all, the apostle Paul! No one loved lost souls more than the one who wrote more Christian doctrine and church doctrine than all the others put together. He used the word doctrine over twenty times in his writings. He especially encouraged the young preachers to preach doctrine. The inspired Apostle was a doctrinal writer, a doctrinal preacher, a doctrinal missionary, and a doctrinal evangelist. He was thoroughly addicted to the doctrines of God!

    THE POWER OF DOCTRINE Psalms 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” Doctrines not only have the power of evangelism; but they have the power to make the simple and shallow wise.

    There will not be a real evangelism explosion apart from the doctrines of the Bible. If you ignore doctrine you throw away half of the Bible in your evangelism.

    Doctrine has the power to convert the soul. “converting the soul” Isaiah 29:24 “They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.” If you murmur against doctrine or those who preach doctrine, this passage says you are in error and that you lack understanding. Rejection of Bible doctrines is a deep spiritual problem. It is a sickness that needs healing in order that one may be a healthy Christian. Brother, accepting doctrine makes for healthy Christians and healthy churches. A good dose of doctrine will keep you from being anemic and is a good cure for the spiritual weakness that is running rampant in evangelism, today.

    Doctrine had the power to convert one of the first evangelicals. Jude 3, 4 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” He must have realized that the party people and the good time Charleys that had slipped in unawares were making a mess out of things. Today many evangelicals are turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. They are turning it into a party. Just come to church and have a good time, you don’t have to get serious, you don’t have to behave yourself, or listen to a sermon. Church has become a boys and girl club in many cases. We’ll tell you a story that won’t bother you and you can leave feeling good, even if you leave lost.

THE NOURISHMENT OF DOCTRINE Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. One needs to be weaned from the bottle and start partaking of the meat of the Word in order to grow and be strong. Christian men should be strong instead of being wimps which are produced on a diet that lacks nutrition and protein. The people of God should be doctrinally strong. Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Are you like a leaf in the wind or are you solid and unmovable. It is past time for the fickle, the wishy washy, the unstable, and the shallow to become solid and staunch soldiers of the cross.

THE PROBLEM OF DOCTRINE

     Bible “doctrine” is not a problem, but it sure does create problems with many folks. Mark 11:18 “And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.” Jesus’ doctrines were impressing people, therefore His enemies were jealous of His doctrinal teachings. Why does doctrine upset so many people. Does doctrine upset you? If so you not only have a problem with doctrine you have a problem with Jesus which needs to be immediately solved! Does it bother you when a doctrinally sound person finally gets to talk? Why? oh why? are so many in the Baptist world opposing the same doctrines that the first church filled the city of Jerusalem with???????

THE CONTINUATION OF DOCTRINE Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. These First Century Christians continued in apostolic doctrine. They didn’t just believe it for a short while and then turn to something new. Why is it that some who had doctrinally sound preacher dads are the very ones who are failing to continue in the great truths that they were taught at home? Some of them are even leaders that are straying.

THE HEEDING OF DOCTRINE I Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. The salvation of a life depends upon heeding doctrine and continuing in it. If we fail to heed the doctrines of Bible lives will be lost. We are in danger of losing not just the next generation; but we have already lost two or three generations and this trend will continue until we start heeding doctrine. The doctrine ignorers are the biggest losers; regardless of the great number of souls that they claim to lead to the Lord. If we keep going like we are going there will not even be any churches left to proclaim salvation by grace because somebody didn’t think that church truth was important! Let us go back to being the ground and pillar of the truth that we are responsible for so future generations can be saved! I Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

THE HONOR OF DOCTRINE I Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. There was a time when Baptists honored those who were doctrinal preachers. Doctrinal pastors are to be honored and paid twice as much as others instead of half as much. The more doctrinal preachers are pushed down the worse our mess is going to get. Good strong doctrinal preaching is the only solution available for the problems that have invaded us.

THE AUTHORITY of DOCTRINE Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. J. B. Jeter said, “Doctrine is the heavy artillery of heaven.” It is time to quit bear hunting with switches and roll out the cannons and thunder away at those who have crept in and started turning the grace of God into a party!

THE SPIRITUAL REST OF DOCTRINE Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. The Lord said quit being a contemporary Christian and quit singing the 7-11 songs. Get back to the days to the ways of the first Church at Jerusalem. Standing in God’s ways and walking in the old paths brings rest to the soul. The most restless souls in the Lord’s work are those who have forsaken the old time way. Are you one who is saying I “will not walk therein”? I ain’t gonna do it! Quit being stubborn and DO IT!!!

    During World War II a giant experimental explosion took place at the Trinity Site in White Sands, NM not far from me. Something had to be done to end World War II. Something has to be done with the situation that we as true Baptist are facing, today! Its time to drop the bomb! It is past time for a doctrinal explosion!