30/07/2025
Ecclesiology by elder Victor Carter continued
XI. Perpetuity
This is a great subject and one that is missed, and confused, and denied by too many. This word simply means something perpetual. Something that continues. Something that started and has kept on since. This is the church that Jesus started, and promised he would always be with. It is a shame that many people try to teach the promises of God, and forget this one. Even the great commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 tells us that Jesus said, "lo I will be with you always, even to the end of the age." How can this be if the church went out of existence even for one minute? It cannot be. If this promise is not true, does it not place a question mark on all the rest? Sorry, it does. If the church has not always been here, then my very salvation could also go away. This cannot be. Just how many of you that read these pages. Want that to be a possibility? I didn't think so. Therefore, let us accept this doctrine as truth. Allow me to print something that I have had in my Bible for many years. I do not know the original place that this was taken but I pray you all enjoy it.
OUR BAPTIST HERITAGE
The Lord's Baptist Church was organized by elder Larry Killion from the South Park Missionary Baptist Church on January 26th, 1980, in Tacoma, Washington. (See organization minutes of TLBC)
The South Park Missionary Baptist Church was organized by elder Glen Tweet from the Bryan Station Baptist Church on July 4th, 1957, in Seattle, Washington. (See organization minutes of SPMBC)
The Wilmington Baptist Church was started by elder Dan Ferrell nearly 50 years ago from the Bryan Station Baptist Church.
The Bryan Station Baptist Church, Lexington, Kentucky was organized on April 15th, 1786, by elder Lewis Craig from "Craig's Church" also known as "the traveling church" which moved to Kentucky territory from Spotsylvania, Virginia. (See Echoes From Glory, a concise history of the Bryan Station Baptist Church page 5)
The Traveling Church was organized as a Baptist church on November 20th, 1767, between the James and the Rappahannock rivers by elder James Read, Samuel Harris and Dutton Lane. (See a history of the baptists by John t. Christian page 289 and 290 and history of the baptist in Virginia by Semple page 23)
Read, Harris and Lane were from the Dan River Baptist Church (history of the Baptist in Virginia by Semple page 17 and 65) which came from Abbots Creek Baptist Church pastored by Daniel Marshall (history of the Baptist in Virginia by Semple page 16) Who came from Sandy Creek Baptist Church.
Sandy Creek Baptist Church of Guilford County North Carolina was organized with 16 charter members on November 22, 1755, by elders D. Marshall and Shubal Stearns. (History of the Baptist in Virginia by Semple page 14)
Sandy Creek came out of the Opeckon Baptist Church in Berkeley County, Virginia (history of the Baptist in Virginia by Semple page 13). Other spellings for this church are Opequon and Opeckon. She was reorganized by certain ministers of the Philadelphia Baptist association in 1751. Upon the Calvinistic plan, sifting out the chaff and retaining the supposed good seed according to the record.
From 1751 on, the Opeckon Baptist Church was connected with the Philadelphia Baptist association of churches and was officially received into the association October 8th, 1754. (Minutes of the Philadelphia Baptist association from 1707 to 1807 page 71)
Elder Abel Morgan was one of the messengers at the annual meeting when Opeckon was received into the association. Morgan came from the Welsh Tract Baptist church in New Castle County, Delaware (page 15) which was organized with 17 members at Pembrokeshire, South Wales in June of 1701 and sailed together to Philadelphia, arriving September 8th, 1701.
The charter members of the Welsh tract church, for example. Pastor Thomas Griffiths, came from the church at Rhydwilim, which was called anabaptist by their enemies, but they felt unjustly so, because theirs was the only true kind of baptism. (History of the Welsh Baptist by Davis page 72)
The Anabaptist Church at Rhydwilim associated with the particular Baptist of Wales and England and was instrumental in publishing the 1689 London confession of faith which was also adopted by the Philadelphia Baptist association in 1742. (The American Baptist heritage in Wales by Joshua Tomas page 93 and 94, and history of the Welsh Baptist by Davis page 188)
The first association meeting of these old and apostolic Baptist ministers to meet after the Reformation was in 1653. Though the records are lost, we believe men like Dyfrig, Illtyd and Dynawt had their associations long before Austin's slaughter of Welsh Baptist for the cause of popery in AD600. Before AD 600, believers immersion was the only mode recognized in the British isles as the baptism of the New testament. (History of the Welsh Baptists by Davis page 187, 14 and 15)
These great forefathers of the faith have much in common with their brethren in the alleys of the Piedmont, but the very first of them to begin assembling themselves together as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ came to Wales shortly after AD 63. As a result of the apostle Paul's ministry in Rome. They were not Protestant rejects of the Roman Catholic Church or the church of England. (History of the Welsh Baptist by Davis page 7, 6, 17, 20, 21 and Acts 28:17, 28 to 31 and 2nd Timothy 4:21)
The Old Particular Baptist of Wales and England were often scattered by their enemies and reorganized in secret, only to flourish again, depending on the intensity of their persecution and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Many who were led away by the teaching of infant baptism were brought back to the religion of their forefathers and baptized or dipped in the river Allen only 25 mi distant from Hill Cliffe. (History of the Baptist Church at Hill Cliffe by Kenworthy page 24)
The Hill Cliffe Church, also known as Lollards, is connected with the ancient Waldensians by elder Aaron Arlington who came to Wales from the continent of Europe in 987. (Israel of the Alps by Alex Munstons page 39)
Aaron Arlington was ordained by the Lima Piedmont Church (Jones Church history page 324) which was organized by Balcolas in 812. (Neander's church history vol. 2. Page 32)
Balcolas came from the church at Timto, Asia Minor (Neander's church history vol. 2 page 320) which was organized by Archer Flavin 738. (Mosheim's history volume one page 399)
Flavin came from the Darathea church which was organized by Adromicus in 671 in Asia Minor out of the Pontifossi Church at the foot of the Alps in France. (Lambert's Church history page 47)
The Pontifossi Church was organized by Telletsman from Turan, Italy in 398 (Nowlin's church history volume two page 318) and the Turan Church was organized by Tertullan from Bing Joh, Africa in 237. (Armitage's church history page 182)
Tertullan was a member of the Partus church which was organized in 150 by Polycarp (Cyrus commentary of antiquity page 924) Who was baptized by the apostle John AD95. (Neander's church history page 285)
John was baptized by John the Baptist and was one of the charter members of the church that Jesus built during his earthly ministry. (Luke 6:12-16, Acts 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 12:28)
I pray this was a blessing to all that read it. It certainly was to me. You all must know, that if we had no records at all, it would not change a thing. The Lord started his church, and gave her the keys (authority) of the kingdom, and gave her the commission, and the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill it. When these things are denied, or laughed at, or anything like this, we should be offended, and take our stand. This is a necessary doctrine. If this is denied; then anyone could claim to be a true church, and there would be no criteria to try that church by. However, this is true, and must be believed, and taught. If the ministry of today neglects to teach this beautiful doctrine; shame on them, and what will happen to the church where they are pastoring?
When you read such as Acts 5:29, and Galatians 1:10, and first Thessalonians 4:1 , you get the right idea. We ought always seek to please God. He started his church, and promised that he would always be with her. To disbelieve this, or to neglect it, is to treat him in a way that he is not pleased with. We need to trust our God. Those that deny this beautiful doctrine, deny it in order to justify their existence. We need to believe it, because it is true. This is our existence. We are the Lord's true church, and this is just one of those truths that the Bible tells us of, and we need to be filled with thanksgiving for it.
I don't want to make this chapter longer just for the sake of being longer, so I will bring it to a close; however, know that if you do away with this truth, you might as well throw the whole package away. If the Lord failed to keep his church intact, for even one minute; then we have no claim to it. If she has always been here, and she has, then we need to claim these promises, and keep them very dear to us, and stand for them gladly.
