F.I.S.H. is an acronym standing for "Fellowship for an International Scripture Heritage." It is one of several ministries of FellowHelpers To The Truth, Inc., a non-profit organization begun in 1982 under initial endorsement of Spring Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Benton, Arkansas. F.I.S.H. Ministry utilizes on-site missionaries to receive and distribute Bibles and New Testaments on various mission fields, as free-will offerings make copies of the Word available.
Be a Fisher of Men! Helping to spread God's Word Internationally is a mission that needs all of us! How can you help?...... Prayer: We need your prayers, include us daily as you speak with God....... Support: Free Will offerings is the financial life blood of our operations. One time donations are wonderful and monthly donations are fantastic!..... Involvement: If you have a burning desire to share your talents, contact us and we will help fan that flame!
We are Baptist people seeking to be helpful to the Lord’s churches and works both at home and abroad. We identify with the ancient Waldenses, Paulicians, Donatists and others who have stood in the hedge and filled the gap as a succession of true churches from the time of Jesus and the apostles. The true churches of the Lord Jesus Christ are the “Pillar and ground of the truth.” The truth is the Word of God, the “faith once delivered to the saints.” It is incumbent upon us as God’s people to propagate His Word as foundational to individual lives and the continued growth of His churches. To this end we both pray, and labor in fields that are white already unto harvest. Furthermore, to this end we encourage others to get involved in prayers, financial support, evangelistic and teaching activities.
FellowHelpers To The Truth
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The FellowHelper
FellowHelper is the first part of our corporate name of FellowHelpers To The Truth, Inc. Shortly after the start of this ministry a hard copy newspaper named “The FellowHelper” was sent out four times a year to over 8,000 recipients. It contained information on all the works and ministry being done by the workers of the organization. In today’s era of technology “The FellowHelper” has evolved into this website that is available 24/7 not only providing information on works and ministry being done but a repository full of riches can be found in the Library section and hopefully insightful sermons and series discussion in the Video section. FellowHelpers To The Truth is an organization of God’s people going about the work of helping God’s churches in multiple areas. We have among our people so much talent just bursting to reach out and bless us. If you need our help contact us, If you want to share your talents join us, If you want to support us please contribute in the Donate section, If you believe it is God’s will, pray for us! -
Fish Ministry
F.I.S.H. is an acronym standing for “Fellowship for an International Scripture Heritage.”
It is one of several ministries of FellowHelpers To The Truth, Inc., a non-profit organization begun in 1982 under initial endorsement of Spring Creek Missionary Baptist Church in Benton, Arkansas.
F.I.S.H. Ministry utilizes on-site missionaries to receive and distribute Bibles and New Testaments on various mission fields, as free-will offerings make copies of the Word available.
Latest Apologetics
BLESSINGS OF LIFE BOTH NOW AND EVERMOREDeath was introduced to, and inducted into the human species at its fountain head in Eden. English translations of Holy Writ convey “Surely die” (Gen. 2:17) as the penalty of eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The ancient language uses participial action, and literally translated it reads, “Dying, thou shalt die.” This conveyance is proper, denoting death as a working process that culminates in removal of life from the earth, and ultimately eternal heavenly life or death in hell (conscious existence apart from the Creator and His blessings). So it was then; so it is now.Length of days has varied over the vicissitudes of time, but aging (dying) always continued. Physically, the process is noted at the molecular level. Science shows that billions of body cells die and are replaced every cycle of seven years. As they reproduce themselves each ensuing one is affected by free radicals, making it less perfect; hence, the aging (dying) process.It is this very process which Solomon so eloquently wrote about in Ecc. 12. It is noted as a failure in delight; vision diminished; gloominess and depression increased; teeth (grinders) become few; bending down becomes burdensome and painful; fear of falling and of heights generally dominate; even the grasshopper becomes a burden. Sleeplessness prevails, and the end of it all is the silver cord is loosed, and the golden bowl broken. It is then that the dust (body) shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit of man return to God Who gave it. It is a predictable process which cannot be stopped as long as people are in the natural, sinful state of life. Medical science is indeed vaunted in the 21st Century, but it has neither improved upon, nor negated the truth of Psalm 90:10.However, the progress of man, blessed of God, allows the aged of the age to live a more palatial life in their latter days. It is called aids! No, not the disease, but the devices. Happy indeed are many of us who are the benefactors them all. We have CPAP machines that allow us to get six to seven hours of sleep most every night, maintaining a level of health for productivity to continue. Furthermore, we are blessed with the aid of glasses to correct vision to 20/20, and now the removal of cataracts which allows good vision without glasses. Additionally, hearing aids allow fuller interaction in conversation. With them, it is amazing what one hears, but some things not heard would be a blessing, too.With all the aids of the age(d), life continues in a largely unabated force, but the cellular breakdown continues, and soon we must all go the way of all the earth. The good news is that there is a marvelous light at the end of that tunnel of death for those who know the Lord Jesus Christ personally. It is none other than Him Who welcomes us into the eternal realm where life is always at its zenith, and aids do not exist because they ae not needed. Who could entertain missing that future? Readers are not stupid, but some are blind and deaf to the Holy Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Every human life should be blessed by the provided aids needed both here and especially for the hereafter?
PATIENCE’S HAS IT’S PRIZEPatience! Patience! What is it anyway? Someone once said it is the ability to idle your motor when everyone else is stripping their gears. A motel office sign defined it this way: “For night service, ring this bell, then keep your shirt on while I get my pants on.” The ancient Bible word from which it is translated is “hupomeno” meaning to “stay or abide under.” It is to keep on keeping on: in calm assurance the desired result will happen. Near fifty years ago, Laura and I found ourselves in Australia and we were more than a little amused at the many different species there. One catching my attention was the Kookaburra. It is a parrot-sized bird that makes a chilling, chattering, jungle sound; a sound that is used in most all jungle movies even though the bird cannot be found outside Australia. It is a carnivore predator, quite wild, and many people in Australia have not had nor wanted one extremely close to them.A strong male Kookaburra could be heard each evening in the green belt next to the house where we were staying, and I really wanted to see it up close. So, I sat alone on the patio with a ball of fresh meat in my hand, not moving or making a sound. The bird came closer, but soon flew away. This was repeated several days until finally, with much caution, the bird came to me and snatched the meat from my hand. I was elated. From inside the house, a picture was made of the event, and much conversation ensued over the rare moment. But the joy of this unique experience depended upon the exercise of patience. So many good things come in the exercise of patience.King David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1. Centuries before him another great patriarch, Abraham reaped the reward of patience. God made great and exceedingly precious promises to him, and the scriptures affirm for all time that “. . . after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:15.A lot of good things are associated with Abraham. His name is used often in modern religious conversations, but the reward of his patience is seldom mentioned. This example of the patriarch should mean much to every Christian. Like Abraham, modern day Christians must exercise patience to win the reward. The author of Hebrews included this very prescription, saying, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Heb. 10:36.Finally, we hear King David again from his vast experience, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him . . . Psalm 37:7.
PENDULUM OF GOVERNMENT SWINGS God created three great institutions for, and among men. They are the home, the government, and the church, in that order. The forces of evil, and the natural law of deterioration have done much damage to them over time. It was so prophesied. The downward progression of human government was revealed early on to the prophet Daniel. It was a troubling dream of Nebuchadnezzar. Think about his vision as related in the book called by his name.The vision was of the form of a man. The head was of gold, the chest and belly were of silver, the thighs were of brass, and the legs were of iron. Finally, the feet were a mixture of iron and clay. God revealed to Daniel, and he to the king what the vision meant. Babylon was the first of world empires. It was represented by the head of gold. Following Babylon would be the Medo-Persian Empire represented by the chest and belly of silver. Next, the Grecian Empire would be represented by the thighs of brass, and the Roman Empire by the legs of iron. The final form of empire would not be named, but represented by the feet, a mixture of iron and clay. Of course, iron and clay do not mix. they are not a mutual alloy. Instability and weakness are therefore underscored by their being in the same formation. But that was not the end of the vision. It concluded by a great stone being cut out without hands. It smote the image in the feet, breaking them apart. Then was the entire image destroyed and blown away as chaff in the wind. Moreover, the stone that smote the image grew and filled the whole earth. Daniel explained to the king the progression and inferior qualities of government, and that the Lord Himself would establish a government that would know no end. Dan. 2:44.But what about the home? The deterioration of the home is so evident that any explanation seems boringly redundant. It is magnified in terrible conditions in all the cultures of the world, and in the United States in particular.On the other hand, the church has sailed bloody seas, but what made the church to be God’s mountain has not deteriorated while being railed upon and evilly mimicked. So how does it all work out? Isaiah spoke of the mountain referenced in Daniel 2 as the mountain of the Lord’s house. Isaiah 2:2. The church is the Lord’s house, I Tim. 3:15. It is the end of a long process of God working with men in covenant relationships that began in Abraham. It is this system of the faith once delivered to the saints by which it is positioned, and is presently the executor of the spiritual side of the kingdom of heaven. Furthermore, Jesus specifically promised that His church would bring Him glory throughout all ages, world without end. Eph. 3:21.Much damage has been done to the home, and to human government. They are destined to end, but not the true church. It is as vibrant, alive, and serving God and His truth as ever. It shall never end, but increase to be the final form of government in the millennial reign of Jesus and in the heaven age! Rejoice if you are part of it?
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF SPIRITUALLYStudents of Hebrew grammar soon discover a number of joyous gems of truth in the scriptures that otherwise lie mostly hidden. No, these discoveries are not earth shattering, certainly not contradictory to the JKV English edition, but enlightening. Consider the incidents in Egypt as Moses repeatedly asked Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. In Exodus 5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 21; 9:1,13; 10:3, 4 the request or demand is repeatedly made, “Let my people go.” In those instances, in which Pharaoh initially agreed, he changed his mind when the plague was removed, one wonders why he was so adamant in his refusal. The answer, of course, lies in Exodus 10:1. God told Moses, “For I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him.” So, God hardened his heart.Now, enter information from Hebrew grammar. In parsing the stems of a Hebrew verb varying degrees of intensity are conveyed: simple, intensive, causative, reflexive. Take a verb as “Kill” This would be read: “He killed” (simple); “He killed, poisoned, shot, and crushed” (intensive); “He caused to kill” (causative). “He killed himself” (reflexive). Since most folks have forgotten their exposure to grammar, the point will be no longer labored, but concluded. The verb “hardened” referencing the heart of Pharaoh is in the intensive degree in Hebrew, and may be understood to mean God made adamant, turned to stone reinforced with steel, so that no other option was then exercisable. God would get glory from Pharaoh and His servants in this manner.A similar matter is related in Deuteronomy 2:30 as Moses spoke of “Sihon, king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.”Understanding how God dealt with the forces of evil in men in history gives one insight as to how he may deal with them again in the future, pointedly as they more adamantly reject truth in the end of this age.It is to this that the Apostle Paul pens the sobering information about those who receives not the love of the truth as recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “And for this cause. God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. . .”When God sends obstinacy or delusion, there is no turning from it. With exception of tiny pockets of New Covenant believers here and there, the world does not hear, nor does it want to hear the truth of God’s Word. Could it be that we are seeing people under that strong delusion already? If so, the time of great revivals is over, and God’s people need to intensify their study of the Word, and their fellowship with one another. God’s people have been here before as exemplified in the antediluvian world and in the chronicles of Israel under the Judges. History repeats itself spiritually.
ROBBERY A MATTER OF THE HEARTI know, I know! Everybody’s mind is made up from the title of this article what it is going to be all about. When pastors choose this title and use Malachi 3:8, it is almost always a message of giving of money to the cause of the church. So how could this be any different? Certainly, a lot of churchgoers do rob God in the matters of tithes and offerings as the context of this Old Testament passage of scripture indicates, but that is not the primary burden of this article. Robbery of God takes on a much grander scale of which robbery in tithes and offerings is but a symptom. Consider that when one repents from sin and receives Christ Jesus into his heart, he is born from above and his spirit sealed with the Holy Spirit of God. That person has been purchased by the shed blood of Jesus. He is no longer his own, but a subject of Jesus. As such he is to render praise and honor to his Savior (how logical). So what do many do? They find any excuse, and the slightest one at that, to miss church worship services or the giving of themselves in any noticeable way to honor the God of their salvation. Many, yes, many, would be embarrassed beyond words if they were called upon to lead in prayer, because prayer is a stranger to them. Will a man then rob God of the just honor due Him? Will a man rob God of the glory He is to receive from him in His church? Will a man rob God of His rightful place in his heart? Will a man rob God of His rightful place in his home? Will a man rob God of the power of personal testimony that he is failing to portray to others? How many ways modern Christians do rob God!The problem is a heart problem! Moreover, that speaks to the attitude toward tithes and offerings. Jesus pungently said it when He taught that where a man’s heart is, there will his treasure also be. So, look around. Where does your money go? Where is your leisure time spent? Where do you find your joy? There is where your treasure is. Certainly, it is a precious few who find their heart and their treasure in the things of God. Among far too many the decision is repeatedly made to rob God! It is robbery, sheer robbery! It is the kind of robbery that a sermon, or brow-beating, or grudging change will NOT fix. It is the kind that underscores heart trouble. Knowing that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of deeds whether they are good or evil, wisdom cries out for a return of the heart to the God who bought it with His precious blood. When that cry is heeded, all the other things will be fixed.
CIRCUMSTANCES CIRCUMSTANCES“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil. 4:13.CIRCUMSTANCES! What is meant by this term? It can be forces beyond one’s control or perhaps unusual events of the present, or any number of things. The base meaning of the term is simply “Things standing around.” Often such unnamed things mark the attitude of people given to a syndrome. A syndrome is defined as a set of symptoms or a condition characterized by a set of symptoms working together by which it is identified, as the “not in my backyard” syndrome.In today’s world, it is easy to find a negative syndrome dominating the lives of God’s people. It is the sense of overload, of burden that limits or negates altogether their pressing forward in the things that really count in life: that which is of God, and beneficial to self and to others. What I mean is this: When asked how one is doing or when asking for someone to actually do something, one is likely to hear: “I am doing all right under the circumstances,” or “I would love to, but cannot under the circumstances.”Now why is it that most folks are always “under the circumstances?” Is this just an excuse, or do people really feel loaded down, depressed, unable to do what they should with any degree of joy? Doubtless, this is a condition that actually exists in the lives of some folks at times, but then they become comfortable in it, and it becomes a syndrome by which they are recognized. The good news is that there is another, completely different syndrome that can characterize life. It is the “I can” syndrome. Folks in leadership capacity often look for someone to take responsibility for a task. They find without exception that if they really want to get something done, they call on someone who is really busy. In him/her they will find one who has learned to manage time and abilities; one who is characterized by the “I can” syndrome. Such persons live in the joy of accomplishment: on TOP of the circumstances instead of under them.This is the syndrome that characterized the apostle Paul. He, more than others, could have set forth reasons why he had enough burdens, and experienced too many heartaches, but his was the joy of involvement, of accomplishment. He is a great example of what we all can be in Christ. We should all be busy doing what we can do for the cause of Christ, not under, but on top of the circumstances. Not of myself, but in Christ is the kind of folks known as “I can” people!
Fish Ministry News
PATIENCE’S HAS IT’S PRIZEPatience! Patience! What is it anyway? Someone once said it is the ability to idle your motor when everyone else is stripping their gears. A motel office sign defined it this way: “For night service, ring this bell, then keep your shirt on while I get my pants on.” The ancient Bible word from which it is translated is “hupomeno” meaning to “stay or abide under.” It is to keep on keeping on: in calm assurance the desired result will happen. Near fifty years ago, Laura and I found ourselves in Australia and we were more than a little amused at the many different species there. One catching my attention was the Kookaburra. It is a parrot-sized bird that makes a chilling, chattering, jungle sound; a sound that is used in most all jungle movies even though the bird cannot be found outside Australia. It is a carnivore predator, quite wild, and many people in Australia have not had nor wanted one extremely close to them.A strong male Kookaburra could be heard each evening in the green belt next to the house where we were staying, and I really wanted to see it up close. So, I sat alone on the patio with a ball of fresh meat in my hand, not moving or making a sound. The bird came closer, but soon flew away. This was repeated several days until finally, with much caution, the bird came to me and snatched the meat from my hand. I was elated. From inside the house, a picture was made of the event, and much conversation ensued over the rare moment. But the joy of this unique experience depended upon the exercise of patience. So many good things come in the exercise of patience.King David said, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1. Centuries before him another great patriarch, Abraham reaped the reward of patience. God made great and exceedingly precious promises to him, and the scriptures affirm for all time that “. . . after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:15.A lot of good things are associated with Abraham. His name is used often in modern religious conversations, but the reward of his patience is seldom mentioned. This example of the patriarch should mean much to every Christian. Like Abraham, modern day Christians must exercise patience to win the reward. The author of Hebrews included this very prescription, saying, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Heb. 10:36.Finally, we hear King David again from his vast experience, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him . . . Psalm 37:7.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF SPIRITUALLYStudents of Hebrew grammar soon discover a number of joyous gems of truth in the scriptures that otherwise lie mostly hidden. No, these discoveries are not earth shattering, certainly not contradictory to the JKV English edition, but enlightening. Consider the incidents in Egypt as Moses repeatedly asked Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. In Exodus 5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 21; 9:1,13; 10:3, 4 the request or demand is repeatedly made, “Let my people go.” In those instances, in which Pharaoh initially agreed, he changed his mind when the plague was removed, one wonders why he was so adamant in his refusal. The answer, of course, lies in Exodus 10:1. God told Moses, “For I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him.” So, God hardened his heart.Now, enter information from Hebrew grammar. In parsing the stems of a Hebrew verb varying degrees of intensity are conveyed: simple, intensive, causative, reflexive. Take a verb as “Kill” This would be read: “He killed” (simple); “He killed, poisoned, shot, and crushed” (intensive); “He caused to kill” (causative). “He killed himself” (reflexive). Since most folks have forgotten their exposure to grammar, the point will be no longer labored, but concluded. The verb “hardened” referencing the heart of Pharaoh is in the intensive degree in Hebrew, and may be understood to mean God made adamant, turned to stone reinforced with steel, so that no other option was then exercisable. God would get glory from Pharaoh and His servants in this manner.A similar matter is related in Deuteronomy 2:30 as Moses spoke of “Sihon, king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.”Understanding how God dealt with the forces of evil in men in history gives one insight as to how he may deal with them again in the future, pointedly as they more adamantly reject truth in the end of this age.It is to this that the Apostle Paul pens the sobering information about those who receives not the love of the truth as recorded in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12, “And for this cause. God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. . .”When God sends obstinacy or delusion, there is no turning from it. With exception of tiny pockets of New Covenant believers here and there, the world does not hear, nor does it want to hear the truth of God’s Word. Could it be that we are seeing people under that strong delusion already? If so, the time of great revivals is over, and God’s people need to intensify their study of the Word, and their fellowship with one another. God’s people have been here before as exemplified in the antediluvian world and in the chronicles of Israel under the Judges. History repeats itself spiritually.
NEVER ALONE OR SEPARATED BY SELF-WILLA lot of people in this world are extroverts and so gregarious! The rest of us are introverts. Extrovert personalities like company, lots of people, lots of talk, etc. Introverts on the other hand prefer a quiet corner to read a book and can be quite happy being mostly alone.But there are times when both extroverts and introverts may share a feeling of solitude in matters of faith. While seeking to focus life on the things of the Lord, it is easy to think no one else cares. It seems the whole world is laughing its way to a devil’s hell, and where are those who will share rejoicing in the Word? It is especially discouraging when folk who should be striving to follow God’s path appear to walk everywhere but there. Truly, in those times one might feel that he is alone in striving to honor God in his living. Perhaps Noah had a right to feel that way. Elijah definitely felt that way as he fled from Jezebel’s threat of his life. But even then there were more than 7,000 who had not bent their knee to Baal.It is no longer arguable that churches are shrinking and true Christians are becoming fewer. But should that not encourage us to let our light shine even brighter? When one is bold enough to stand up for God and His Word and Way, it is amazing how many people are found who are keenly interested in learning of God’s ways and power, especially if they think it can truly transform their lives.This then is the power of God working through His people. He is able to make us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Undeniably, the time any of us have to let God work in us in this way is extremely short. So, urgency intensifies. The lesson has to be relearned. When we are weak then are we strong in God’s might. God is pleased to repel the wise and reveal himself to the simple. He is pleased to dwell not in the big things, but in the small things of seemingly little consequence to men whose mind is firmly fixed on worldly things. In identifying with Him, the believer knows that He is the head of the corner, but it must be remembered that first He is the stone the builders rejected. Happy indeed are those who come to know Him and walk in His ways. They learn what the great characters of the Bible learned, causing them to rejoice. They were never alone! Neither are his dear children today. He promises, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” One does not have to look very far to find dedicated disciples. They are not in the hoopla of the world around us, but in the quiet out-of-the-way places where love grows and heavenly company remains. Where this is not true, it could be that self-will has taken the ascendency.
ETERNAL SECURITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENTGod’s people rejoice over the many New Testament scriptures that teach eternal security for the believer, and rightly so. It is not that several references of the same are absent from the Old Testament, rather they are often not so readily apparent to the English reader. One such reference is especially enriched by the way translation puts it in various contexts. That term is the Hebrew “Chashaq.” As this story unfolds, what may appear to be odd coalesces into a common idea producing a tremendous blessing to those who know the Lord.Various usages of the Hebrew term appear in several different English terms. Some of these are:1. In I Kings 7:33 the translation is “Spokes” as part of a wheel.2. The “fillets” connecting the vertical boards of the tabernacle is translated from “Chashaq.” Exo. 38:28.3. Emotional “Desire” as in a man desiring a woman is often translated from “Chashaq.”4. This term is translated “longeth,” as an action applied to what a caananite prince did to Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob. This caused the sons of Jacob to slay an entire village. Gen 34:85. The term is also translated “Love” in Isaiah 38:17.There are other similar usages, but one can easily see that the idea however used Is “Attachment,” whether emotional or physical.Underscoring the meaning of the title of this article is that of Isaiah 38:17, “Behold for peace, I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love (Chashaq)to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” This is not something the believer did or merited, but action initiated by God extended to the soul. It is therefore not the option of the believer to undo what God has done, and the power of preservation is only as strong as God Himself. Readers should now coordinate John 10:29 and Romans 8:38-39 with “Chashaq” and rejoice!
BAPTISM DOOR AND GUARD OF THE SPIRIT ENDOWED CHURCH(Requested by several)Baptism in water of a professed believer in Christ Jesus as it was practiced in New Testament times and continues to today, began with one man: John the Baptist. He was sent from God to prepare a people for His only begotten Son. He baptized such as brought forth life-fruit appropriate to repentance. He knew no other method or practice than immersion or burial of a candidate in water. Consequently, the scriptures state that John was baptizing in Aenon near Salim because there was much water there. John 3:23.John was austere, but most faithful to his calling. He refused to baptize the unrepentant. Realizing he alone had heaven’s authority to baptize, he must not violate its divine constraints. So it remained until the initiation of the public ministry of Jesus whom John baptized and announced to Israel. Upon the assimilation of the apostolic church, Jesus placed the authority for water baptism in the New Testament church. Presently, it alone has heaven’s authority to administer the ordinance as specifically stated in Matthew 28:18-30. Like John the Baptist, true churches must not violate its heaven-given restraints.The importance of baptism is underscored in Luke 7:29-30, “And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” Through the centuries, the Lord’s true churches though known by various names in sundry countries, one name identified them all: Anabaptist. They were, as true churches of their descendants are, adamant about the authority that makes a baptism valid.Following the Divine order, disciples are made through repentance from sin and belief in Jesus as the only Savior. Baptism is then administered upon the authority of a New Testament church and by which the new convert is entered into the Holy Spirit endowed body, the baptizing church.In recent times much has been done to erode faith in the Bible and in the work of the Lord’s churches, not the least of which is about baptism. False churches may sprinkle or pour and even admit infants to what they call baptism, but it is iniquity plain and simple. Still others, claiming to be scriptural and more conservative will not question a proposed member’s baptism as to method or administration. They may claim that so long as it is “Believers Baptism,” all is well. (Believer’s baptism is an idea that it does not matter who administers baptism on a believer). All is never well when man’s ideas supplant the Word of God. There is a bible word for that, too. It is called “Iniquity.” The plain truth is folks who may be admitted to a scriptural church with invalid baptism are denied an understanding of the faith once delivered to the saints, and the unity of Jesus prayer in John 17. They will not stand in troublesome times. They cannot stand because they are in opposition to the counsel of God as much as the Pharisees were in Luke 7:30. Let Satan’s counterfeits do as they may. It remains that heaven recognizes only the directions it has given. Far be it from any of us to assume editorial changes to the Holy Word.