Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 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; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. ( 2 Tim. 4:2-5 )
Dear praying friends,
Greetings from the Breakers! We have been very busy these last few months with the ministry, construction, remodeling, and more. It seems like there is always something coming up that requires our immediate attention, and as we finish it, something else always pops up in its place, demanding our attention yet again. But, we remain busy occupying until he comes.
NEW BIBLE INSTITUTE COURSE AND NEW BOOK
Although keeping busy physically, God’s also kept me working spiritually. In March my Pastor in Mexico asked me to put together a new Bible Institute course about the men behind the Spanish Bible. I worked hard many long days and nights on it and bought a lot of old books about these men from the 1600’s to the 1800’s in both English and Spanish, and needless to say I found some new heroes! What those born-again Spaniards did in opposition to the cruel Spanish Inquisition, as they stood for truth and the Gospel in an age of spiritual darkness, religious intolerance and cruel violence is amazing! I look forward to getting to heaven and shaking hands with those courageous men who willingly gave their lives for the cause of Christ.
After finishing the Bible Institute class, another Pastor asked me to write a book about the Spanish Bible and the men behind it. Since I already had most of the material in front of me, it made it easier to simply translate it into English and begin working on it. I hope to have it finished soon, so I can mail it out next prayer letter, as the information is very important, and pertinent to our day.
RENEWING MY WEBSITE
The old saying is “Whatever can go wrong, will,” and boy have I found that to be true quite often. In March, my website went down and I called the company to see what happened. I got five different answers from five different people. On my last call, they told me that it had been deleted because of lack of payment.
I learned later that Dad used to pay the site for me, and I guess I didn’t know that he had it set up to get the bill sent to his email, instead of to our house via regular mail.
Anyway, this led to our having to find another company and upload my website all over again. But with the info from the Bible Institute Course and the new book I’m working on, I was able to update the Spanish Bible page a little and add a lot more information about why our Valera 1602 Purified is the best available Spanish Bible. You can visit my website at: www.rrb3.com
We have found this site to be an invaluable tool in getting out info for people looking for more about the Spanish Bible, and we are receiving a lot of emails and feedback from the site, as many people read it, and are finding the truth about the right Spanish Bible.
EXPOSING THE TRUTH ABOUT SPANISH WORDS “VERBO” and “PALABRA”
Speaking of the Spanish Bible, I’m enclosing in this prayer letter a brand new essay written by Gail Riplinger, in which she defends our Valera 1602 Purified Spanish Bible, and proves that the word “Palabra” is the correct Spanish reading in reference to Jesus Christ in John 1:1, while “Verbo” is the corrupt, Catholic word. Together, we are like the voice of one crying in the wilderness, as most Independent Baptists today ignore this fact and choose to use corrupt Spanish Bibles that are based on either Catholic or critical texts (or sometimes both) which all read Verbo.
We know no other course of action but to expose their perversions of the Scriptures and point people to the best Spanish Bible available. I pray her essay will be convincing, as it proves “Verbo” is not only a Catholic word, condoned by the Pope, but also an Occult, New Age word as well, also used in the Kabala.
VISIT FROM A FELLOW MISSIONARY
In March I got a call from an Independent Baptist Missionary to Spain, currently on deputation in the states, who read my website about the Spanish Bible, and wanted to come and visit me and talk with me. I invited him over to the house, and we spoke for several hours. He confirmed what I’ve been hearing from quite a few other Missionaries on deputation who want to use a pure Spanish Bible like ours, but their “camps” use something different. Oftentimes they are attacked and labeled “dissenters” for not just going along with what everyone else is using. How did this Missionary explain it? Oh yeah, he said: “If you tell others about the Spanish Bible Issue and point out the errors in their corrupt versions, THEY’LL BITE YOUR HEAD OFF!”
It’s sad that it’s like this, but as most of you know, that’s the Independent Baptist Movement. As one Pastor said jokingly, “They are the only denomination that eat their own young!”
As for me, I’ll continue to preach the truth, even though I’ve had my head bitten off quite a few times already. For it is worth it when you find men like this Missionary, who are willing to stand for the truth no matter what, knowing it might cost them fellowship, support, and even friends. Yet, they are still willing to suffer to get a pure Bible to the Spanish-Speaking people, no matter what. That is someone who truly cares about the people he’s trying to reach.
PASSING OUT TRACTS
Everywhere we go, we still run into Hispanic people, and we enjoy giving them tracts. We also are careful to give out English tracts where ever we go, and are often quite busy printing them. I, however, desire not to substitute tract distribution for personal witnessing, which I find is so easy to do, as it’s much easier to just hand someone something rather than taking the time to speak with them and open the scriptures for them to read. But lately, as I try to witness to people, I find that they not only don’t want to hear it, but they become quickly hostile, towards you. Truly, we are in the last days, and the love of many waxes cold. And, even though I’m finding it harder to find opportunities to witness and win souls, that doesn’t mean I’m going to quit trying.
WE’RE HAVING A BABY
We found out in March that Laura is pregnant. She’s about three months along as I write this, and we expect the baby in November. We are hoping it will be a boy, as all of Laura’s sisters who have had children all have had girls. It’s about time for a male in the family! Amen? Please pray for this.
Once again thanks for all your prayers and support. We believe the Lord is using us in a mighty way to reach people with a pure Bible, the right Gospel, and the pleasing way to live for God, and we hope in the future he’ll use us even more. And, as we toil both physically and spiritually, we make it a point to always put God first, knowing he will lead and direct us in his path.
Because of Christ Jesus our Lord,
Robert, Laura, and Emma Lee Breaker
ON A PERSONAL NOTE
I’ve gone back lately and reread all my old prayer letters from the beginning of my ministry (1998) until today, as I posted them all on my website. When I started the ministry, I was green as I could be, nothing more than just a 24-year-old naïve kid, who might have known the Bible, but he didn’t know people. But I did what I knew was right to do, serving the Lord of a pure conscience, not worrying about what others thought about me, being more interested in simply pleasing the Lord.
It didn’t take long, however, for me to see how politics worked within the Independent Baptist Movement and I noticed how it could easily distract men and lead to their becoming covetous of fame, power, and fortune. I also noticed how politics could corrupt men and cause them to lie, or to be nice, “willingly hide the truth from others,” in order to accomplish their own selfish agendas. I never thought that was right. And, I determined never to go that route.
I wasn’t the only one to see this, Dad saw it too, and used to always tell me that he thought my ministry was obvious: “EXPOSE APOSTATE PRACTICES AND PREACH AGAINST THEM!” But I didn’t want to be that guy, you know? I still don’t. I’m not interested in making people mad. I’m a real friendly guy who hates contention. But, I do see a lot of religious corruption in our day, and I know no other course of action but to preach the truth, whether people like it or not. As I look at the Church of today, I see a great need for another Martin Luther, who had the courage to stand up against the religious abuses he saw in his time, and which are now so common in modern Christian circles as well.
Having a rather big mouth myself, I found that I have a hard time keeping it shut, and I always find myself saying something when I see something that’s wrong. When I do, I realize that isn’t what others want to hear, and that leads to me not having many friends, nor getting as much support as others, who are willing to compromise for cash. But no one else seems to be speaking up against the evils in Christian circles, especially when they should. So, I know no other course of action, but to speak out.
Over the years, I’ve found most Ministers reach a crossroads in their life when they have to come to a point of decision: either go against the corrupt majority and do right and suffer for it, or compromise their convictions
Others have not, and I’ve seen their compromise through the years is what led to the downfall of Christianity and the massive augmentation of spiritual apostasy. And their silence has affected the three most important doctrines of the Christian faith: 1. Salvation, 2. Sanctification, and 3. The Scriptures.
SALVATION
Instead of finding that all Preachers preach the Blood of Jesus Christ plainly and clearly, presenting the Gospel in an orderly fashion from the Scriptures, I found through the years that many have chosen to follow man-made plans of salvation, which encourage Sinners to DO something, rather than instructing them to simply trust in what Jesus DID for them on Calvary. In short, I found many ministers preaching BLOODLESS GOSPELS instead of the old BLOOD-STAINED GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus, substituting REPENTANCE (i.e. turning from trusting their own righteousness to trusting Christ’s righteousness) for simply REPEATING a vain religious prayer. (Click here to read my tract “BLESSED ASSURANCE,” which shows when you are saved you DO have assurance of salvation.) I remained quiet about this for years, thinking, “If they aren’t going to preach the Gospel plainly I will!” Yet, I couldn’t overlook the fact that so many shallow soul-winners existed who were guilty of confusing people, telling them they are saved by a PRAYER, rather than by faith alone in Christ’s PROPITIATION for their sins. This has led to the world-wide practice of Sinner’s “praying the prayer” over and over, oftentimes every night of their lives, begging God to save them. Yet, they never have assurance, and never know if they are saved or not.
When my wife saw the light and got saved in 2006, I could remain silent no longer, and I wrote about it in my prayer letter. I truly thought people would rejoice at her being born again, and they would see through the false plan of salvation. Some did, others did not. And, instead of most rejoicing in her salvation, many attacked us, labeling us “retreads” (whatever that means). Yet, I do not regret my decision. I’m so happy I know I’m saved, and I know my wife’s saved, and she knows she’s saved! And, I’m trying to do all I can to witness to others, stressing their need to trust the blood to be saved, so they’ll know they are saved as well!
THE SCRIPTURES
When I started out in the ministry, I noticed most Missionaries to Spanish-Speaking people used corrupt Spanish Bibles (like the old critical text 1909 or the modern 1960 dynamic equivalence version). That really bothered me, and I just couldn’t understand how they could be KJV in English, but then use a critical text version in Spanish. I found at the time there was no such thing as a pure Spanish Bible. I saw the 1865 rise, but then fall, as people rejected it because it read with the corrupt Latin Vulgate. I saw the Gomez gain ground, but then many turned from it, as he used as his basis the 1909 and the modern Spanish of the 1960. And, even though he had claimed to fix all critical text readings, his version still contained a few, as well as some doctrinal blunders. (Click here to read GAIL RIPLINGER's essay on Verbo vs. Palabra, which shows “Verbo” is not only a catholic, but an occult and new age word.)
Probably the saddest thing, was all those versions read “VERBO” (The Catholic word) in John 1:1, instead of “PALABRA” (the Spanish Protestant word).
Finally, in 2001, God gave me a Bible in Spanish that was just what I was looking for, the Valera 1602 Purified, which went clear back to the original 1602 (which reads “Palabra”) and purified it by taking out the Vulgate readings, making it clean of corrupt catholic and critical text renderings. I was so grateful. But instead of finding other Missionaries whom I could work with that loved God’s words and felt as I did, I found most didn’t care, and were only interested in following their “groups” or “camps” as they continued using their corrupt versions in order to get along with their peers.
Still, I do not regret my decision. I’m thankful I can preach from a pure Bible in Spanish, even though my stand has separated me from others.
SANCTIFICATION
I made it to Honduras on probably a third of what most Missionaries get, and worked there seven years, planting several churches. As I was taught, I preached hard on being Spirit-filled, and separating one’s self from the world. So, you can imagine my surprise in coming back to the states and finding how worldly many churches had become here in the U.S. A lot of them before had Pastors whom I greatly admired, because they preached HARD against sin. Yet lately, they had changed Pastors and the new men were now giving illustrations in their sermons not from the Scriptures, but from the latest Hollywood blockbuster movies they saw on the Silver Screen.
Instead of preaching the Bible verse by verse, it seemed many Pastor’s focus was more on the purse with preaching on “FAITH PROMISE” and GIVING, almost all the time. This bothered me. Especially, since I was saved out of the Pentecostal movement, and I knew that Faith-Promise had its roots from that denomination. How could the IFB be preaching a method of giving that came from the same folks that gave us the “Prosperity Gospel?”
I was also appalled at the blatant man worship in the IFB ranks, and the secret society mentality of some Pastors who rigidly defended their Bible Schools, and set them up as their basis of fellowship with others. (i.e., if you weren’t connected with their college, you were no one they wanted to have anything to do with). And, I found myself sickened by how easily and often Pastors fell into sin, and then with the help of their Minister friends, their transgressions were quickly covered up from their congregations. I was further saddened by the abuse of some Pastors and their methods of using “fear tactics” to control and enslave their congregations acting as mini POPES rather than humble, godly MINISTERS to their congregations.
I found an old book at a Garage Sale that seems to sum up nicely what I’ve been seeing in many churches as Pastors often chose to use man-made programs to run their churches instead of just preaching the Bible as written, and permitting the Holy Spirit of God to move and work:
As I preached in churches on deputation, I usually heard the same thing over and over from Pastors, “If you continue to preach like that, you’ll never get any support as a Missionary.” The reason being is I preached hard against sin at every church I went to. Oftentimes the Pastor didn’t like that. Instead, he’d say things like, “Why not just stick to messages on Missions, since you are a Missionary?” Yet, I felt I was preaching what the Holy Spirit laid on my heart. I have no regrets. "Religious Organization is an association of people of like precious faith. A made-by-man vehicle to promote fellowship and to better facilitate the command of our Lord to "GO YE." God regards human engineered Organization mainly because he regards the men and women who make up its constituency. If a people be watchful and wise, organization can be health to their bones. If they become careless and foolish and more interested in the rewards of organization and the spoils of office than promoting the Sovereignty of the Holy Ghost, Organization can easily become a tyrant, A FRANKENSTEIN MONSER THAT WILL SHACKLE THEM AND DRIVE GOD FROM THEIR MIDST... Like any worthwhile piece of machinery, Organization can be misused to the detriment of those who made it. Thus, instead of serving its constituency and the cause of Christ in general, the very purpose for its existence becomes perverted, and the people who make up its membership are forced into becoming slaves to a system. This is especially true when men lose the Spirit of God and regard office and salary and position and power and prestige as coveted stakes as they do in a secular form of democratic government."
Looking back from when I started the ministry to today, I find things have changed so much, and I find I’m greatly disappointed, angered, and yeah even discouraged at the direction the modern IFB church is going, (as oftentimes leaders within that movement choose politics over purity). I don’t want to come across as this, but I can’t help but report on what I see. Thank God not all Pastors are bad! There are still a few out there preaching the Gospel plainly and clearly, living holy, preaching hard against sin, and standing for the word of God no matter the cost! But sadly they seem to be in the minority and no longer the majority, as a religious SYSTEM has replaced simple Christian SERVICE.
All I can figure is that the Lord Jesus must be coming back very soon, for things seem to be apostatizing even more at such a rapidly increasing pace. And though I look at myself as a little jaded from my experiences in the ministry and all the apostasy I see around me, I also find it gives me more of a desire to do more for Jesus. Please pray for me, as I try to have the right balance of righteous indignation mixed with Christian compassion and boldness for the Lord. For oftentimes, I keep asking myself, “Why on earth won’t people just do right and follow the truth?”
But then God comes along and sends another soul across my path to witness to. Plus, we get email after email from people saying the 1602 Purified is the best, and they thank God they don’t have to use a worse Spanish Bible like the Gomez, 1865, 1909, 1960, etc.
So truly, there is a cause, and a just reason for continuing on, and that’s exactly what we’re determined to do.
Although blessings are less and less and encouragement seems farther and farther apart, we readily look forward to serving the Lord more and more, knowing the rapture is nigh. We humbly ask for your prayers for us as we serve the Lord oftentimes feeling so alone, amidst a lost and dying apathetic world, falling everyday headlong into deeper apostasy and depravity.
IS FAITH PROMISE BENEFICIAL OR HARMFUL TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST?
Years ago I heard of this new modern teaching in the FIB (Fundamentalist Independent Baptist) movement called "Faith Promise." I never was for or against it, thinking it was helping Missions, so it must be okay. But as I went to Mission Conferences, met and talked with various Pastors, and saw firsthand some of the fruits of Faith Promise, I began to wonder whether or not it was right. It wasn’t until I talked to several other brothers in Christ a few years ago that the question came up whether or not Faith Promise was even Biblical. For the more I studied it, the more I saw many of the verses men used to preach Faith Promise were taken out of context. (They would always use the same few verses in different passages without reading or preaching the entire context).
As a Pentecostal before I was saved, I was familiar with the whole “giving by faith thing,” and it bothered me to hear the same message in the FIB churches I entered after having gotten saved, as FIB Pastors would say things like “You are to give not of what you have, rather of what you do not have. You are to believe God to give it to you so you can give it!”
This reminded me a lot of the “Faith” healers I used to follow in days of old (before I realized they were all a sham to milk people of their money). And, I viewed first hand in FIB circles that when a Church's Faith Promise program didn’t reach its annual goal, the Pastors blamed their congregations, saying, “It’s all your fault, you just didn’t have enough faith!” This sounded so much to me like what I was taught in the Charismatic church. When I wasn’t healed, or when I didn’t get what I prayed for, or I didn’t “prosper” it was always MY fault and it was always because I had a “lack of faith.” My faithlessness kept me from getting or doing what I was supposed to, and that made me feel horrible!
I would examine myself and my life and agonize over what I could do to find more faith. But the more I pondered and prayed, the more I found I had a ton of faith, but things just didn’t go the way I wanted them to. (I learned later that God is not a money tree and he doesn’t just give you “stuff” because you ask for it. Sometimes, God wants you to be poor so you’ll rely on him more!)
Looking back at before I was saved, and comparing that with the modern “Faith Promise Giving Program” being taught in FIB circles today, I began to question it, because it looked to me like Independent Baptists were starting to teach just like the Charismatics on the subject of money, saying things like:
“You’ve got to believe God will give you the money you pledge to give even before you have it!”
“The more you pledge to give to God, the more you will receive and the more you will be blessed!”
“You have to give to God and have faith to believe God will bless you if you do.”
It almost got to the point where I started looking around for the video cameras, thinking I was on the set of a “Twilight Zone” episode; for many things I heard preached in FIB churches about Faith Promise were the same things I heard in my old Assembly of God Pentecostal Church, or were the same things I saw preached by many “Tel-evangelists” on the television. It all focused on “my faith to give to God” and I was always promised a blessing because of it. In short, it lined up entirely with the modern Charismatic “Prosperity Gospel,” which so many FIB ministers claim they preach against.
As I studied the growth of the Faith Promise movement in FIB circles and the men who preached it, I learned just how intertwined it was with the subject of Missions. Oftentimes, Mission Conferences were nothing more than Faith Promise Conferences and the focus was changed from that of the Gospel and winning souls at home to raising money only to win souls abroad. So closely Faith Promise became interconnected to soul-winning, that to ask questions about it would lead to Pastors dogmatically labeling you as a "Dissenter" and "someone who didn’t love souls."
So I admit. I kept quiet about it. Cause I didn’t want people to think I was against Missions and soul-winning!
I’m still not against missions and soul-winning, but as I studied the Faith Promise teaching, which many churches are now putting into their doctrinal statements and are even claiming is now an official FIB doctrine in which all others must adhere to be part of their fellowship, I’ve come to some interesting conclusions. And knowing very well that I run the risk of being “ostracized” by others FIBer’s, I’ve now decided to speak out on the subject, because it appears Faith Promise is quickly becoming a Baptist Tradition rather than a Bible Teaching. And I would challenge anyone to study it out! Look at it’s foundations, it’s message, and it’s fruit and then you tell me if it’s Biblical. If it is, PRACTICE IT! If it’s not, then why not use a better method to raise funds for Missions!
Below are my conclusions about the modern Faith Promise Giving Plan in light of the Scriptures.
1. Faith Promise's Foundations are not in the Bible.
As you study the fountain of the Faith Promise Giving Plan, you find it wasn't started by anyone in the Bible. Instead, it's more of a modern teaching. One website tells us, "...The Faith Promise Plan, as we know it, was developed in the late 1800s by Dr. A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance."
If this be true, how can many modern FIBers claim Faith Promise is a Biblical teaching taught by the Apostle Paul? Wouldn't that be a FIB (Sorry. But the pun was intended!)
2. Faith Promise Goes Against the scripture in trying to get people to give what they don't have.
The modern Faith Promise Giving movement teaches that a man must by an act of faith determine within himself an amount of money that he will pledge to give to God. This amount he is encouraged to give is an AMOUNT THAT HE DOES NOT YET HAVE! He, then, is supposed to promise to give God more than what he has. But, is this scriptural? As I read the Bible, I find the exact opposite. For there we find:
11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. (2 Cor. 8:11-12)
Here we find the Apostle Paul commanding man to give, now watch this, as all I do is quote Paul: "ACCORDING TO THAT A MAN HATH, and NOT ACCORDING TO THAT HE HATH NOT!"
Did you catch that? Allow me to paraphrase, "You are supposed to give according to what you HAVE, not according to what you don't HAVE!"
To command the Saints of God, as Faith Promise teaches, to give what they don't have is contrary to the scriptures! We are only to give of what we have, (and then only what we are willing and ready to give). Wasn't it Jesus who spoke of the poor widow in Luke 21, who gave all that she HAD (Luke 21:4). She didn't give what she didn't have.
The teaching of Faith Promise is to encourage Christians to give tomorrow something that they don't yet have. Doesn't this violate the following scripture:
Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. (Prov. 27:1)
How can we promise to give something if we don't even know if we will ever even get it? And then to say, "Well, just have faith you'll get it!" Doesn't that sound a bit Charismatic to you rather than FIB?
3. Faith Promise twists the scriptures.
Modern teachers of the Faith Promise doctrine preach that it is for giving to Missions only. And they have plenty of verses to prove this. One such verse is 1 Cor. 16:2, which reads:
"Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
Promoters of Faith Promise use this verse often. But if you check the context (vs 1) you find this is not an offering for Missions, rather for the poor saints in Jerusalem that were suffering. Where is "Missions" in this? Isn't this someone twisting the scriptures?
Again, Faith Promisers are quick to quote 2 Cor. 8:4-5, but those verses speak of a special "giving" to Paul to use for the "ministering unto the saints." It had nothing to do with “Mission giving,” rather sending money to Paul so he could give it to help poor Christians.
Is this, then, also not twisting the scriptures to teach what they do not?
Now, I'm not against Missions. Let me dogmatically state that! But isn't it wrong to twist scriptures? Shouldn't we just teach the scriptures as they stand? And shouldn't we give to Missions because we know it's the right thing to do?
4. Faith Promise constrains people to give to Missions.
Probably the most quoted verse to teach Faith Promise is 2 Cor. 9:7:
"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
But as I've seen this verse preached by advocates of Faith Promise, I've always seen at the end of the meeting ushers passing out "cards" in which people are commanded to fill out how much they are going to give. I've even heard pastors saying things like: "Faith Promise giving is a commandment of God!" and "You must make a decision on how much you will give to Faith Promise."
As I watched this, I sat and scratched my head. Is this not making Faith Promise giving of NECESSITY, something which this verse says should not be!
As I poured through the websites on the Internet and looked at church bulletins during Faith Promise conventions, I saw many of them dogmatically saying the same thing: "Faith Promise Giving is not a pledge!"
But then when those cards were passed around during the conference, most of them read: "This is your Faith Promise PLEDGE CARD." I thought to myself, "Am I the only one who sees the double speak here?"
And why does the Pastor need to know how much a person "pledges" to give anyhow? Shouldn't that be between that person and God? It's almost as if the Pastor's lack of FAITH in his congregation's giving, is what makes him want to know how much they'll promise to give.
5. Faith Promise Makes Christians into LIARS!
As a Missionary Evangelist, I've traveled to many different churches, and I've heard the same thing time and again from Pastors who tell me they NEVER (and I repeat NEVER) get the full amount of money that has been "pledged" oh, er, um, I mean "promised," to Faith Missions Giving at the end of the year. This means someone LIED! For they made an agreement with God to give a certain amount and then they didn't give it!
What does the Bible say about such as this? One Old Testament verse says:
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. (Deut. 23:21)
Now, I know we are not in the Old Testament (thank God!) But this verse does tell us it's SIN to vow to pay something to God, and then not pay it!
Again we read in Eccl. 5:4-5:
When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Here God calls a man a FOOL who doesn't follow through with his vow or his promise to God.
So what about those who vow to do Faith Promise and then don't follow through with it? I'm sure we'd all agree, it's sin for them to do so. But who's to blame? Couldn't some of the blame be the Pastor's for "pressuring" his congregation to make a VOW to give a certain amount to God, especially when he's encouraging them to give what they don't even have?! I'll let you answer that for yourself.
6. Faith promise browbeats the church
Having established the sound Biblical fact that it is indeed SIN to promise God something and then keep from doing or paying it, we find those who by the Faith Promise Plan promise to give a certain amount and then don't, have lied to God. They have sinned.
Now the Pastor, knowing this, must spend his time and energy in his messages to tell the church they've done wrong in not giving what they have "pledged." (Sorry, I've used that word again, and Faith Promise disciples say "It's not a pledge!" So let me rephrase to use their terminology "PROMISE").
Oftentimes, Pastors spend message after message rebuking their congregations for not giving what they have "promised" to give to God, and guilt tripping them into giving more. (I've heard those messages time and again. Haven't you?).
I've even heard of a Pastor who followed Faith Promise, and how he was told by the well-known Faith Promise "Evangelist" who came to preach it every year in his church that he would not receive the full amount of the "pledge cards," (whoops, I mean "promise cards.") He said, "You can pretty much figure if they promise 100,000, then they'll only give about 75,000."
Did you get that? This famous Faith Promise Preacher KNEW that his plan would not work, and it would make Christians guilty of promising to pay more than they had and that there was NO WAY they could come up with the money. Yet, he preached that system anyway which he KNEW would make the congregation LIARS. Men like that scare me! How about you?
7. Faith Promise Makes the Congregation the Bad Guys
As we've already stated, Pastors who don't receive the total yearly amount of funds that their Faith Promise Conference assured them of, oftentimes take out their frustrations on their congregation as they "browbeat" them in message after message of the importance to give to Missions and follow through with their pledges, (er, I mean “promises.” There I go again!)
Thus, the Faith Promise system makes the congregation at fault for their lack of FAITH. (Shouldn't we then call it what it is: "Lack of Faith Promise Giving?")
Faith then is the determining factor. So, would it then be right to say that "Faith" Promise doesn't work in such cases? Why then would a Pastor continue to use that plan after he's seen it doesn't work?
Let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Let's say it's all the congregations fault, those dirty, faithless rascals! So now what? Do we get them to just start all over in another year of "Faith Promise" and hope this time their "faith" will work for them? If it didn't before, why would we foolishly think it would now? (And, wouldn't we be guilty of making them Liars when we know they won't pay what they said they would? And, um, doesn't the Bible instruct us to, "...neither be partakers of other man's sins...?" (1 Tim. 5:22)
8. Faith Promise puts the emphasis on the "far away" souls instead of those "here and now."
In many of the churches I've been in personally in which Faith Promise is preached, I notice that many of the members are not well to do. And, many of them are struggling. They are trying to make ends meet week to week, sometimes even day to day. Some have a mortgage they just can't keep up with. Others have lost their jobs, and even others are struggling with sickness and massive doctor's bills.
Instead of the Pastor focusing on helping those in the church and working with them to reach the lost in their own community in order to see the church grow, often the Pastor wants to focus on the poor and lost in other lands. The "10-40" window is a good example. But why not look out their own window first?
I'll not debate about whether money given to Faith Promise that goes to foreign missions is money well spent or not. It quite possibly might be! But why do all Mission Conferences and Faith Promise Conventions have to focus on FOREIGN Missions? What's wrong with DOMESTIC Missions? What about those in your own state, city, town, and neighborhood?
Whether you know it or not, America is no longer a Christian nation. It's gone to Hell in a hand basket. And instead of trying to reach the lost in your own back yard, Faith Promise Giving only focuses on those in a foreign field. So much so, that many who preach, practice, and believe in Faith Promise often scoff at Missionaries or Missions within the United States of America. They only desire to support those in foreign fields. But where in the Bible does it say a Missionary is only to go to a far away place? Isn't he supposed to be a Missionary everywhere he goes? And, hey, aren't all Christians "Missionaries?"
9. Faith Promise often misdirects funds.
Now I'm going to tell on some of the Pastors I've met. I'm sure they won't like it, but who cares, right?! Aren't we supposed to tell the truth no matter what? (Like one Preacher said, "If you're not afraid to DO it, I should not be afraid to PREACH AGAINST IT!)
I've personally seen in several churches that the “Faith Promise Funds” do not always go to "Faith Promise Missions." I've seen some churches dwindle in their membership, and the church offerings that were supposed to go to Missions have instead been used for church salaries, repairs, utilities, etc. Now, I'm not going to stand in judgment. I'm not God. I'm not condemning anyone. But I do have a question. Shouldn't money that's labeled "Faith Promise" go straight to Faith Promise? I mean, isn't that what it's for? And I mean, come on, shouldn't a Pastor have enough "Faith" in God to believe He'll keep the doors of the church open instead of having to steal FP money for that?
How could a Pastor preach Faith Promise, but then use Faith Promise money for something different? Wouldn't he be sinning? And wouldn’t he be destroying the "FAITH" of those who gave it. Because, I mean, they made a "pledge" (there I go again) to give it to MISSIONS, but then it went to something else!
On a side note, (and now I've just gone to rambling), what about those who the "Faith Promise" is supposed to go to? It goes to "Missionaries" right? Well, who picks those missionaries? Usually, the Pastor does. Why doesn't the congregation get to vote on who they should support? (Especially when they are the ones footing the bill!) Some churches (and sadly there are very few) vote on which Missionaries they want to support. But in most FIB churches I've been in and most Mission Conferences I've attended, the Pastor is who decides who gets financial support. Often, it's only those Missionaries who attended the same Bible School as he did. (Yep, that's right Pastor. I'm telling on you!)
10. Faith Promise often divides the brethren.
So strong is the Faith Promise teaching in FIB churches that if you don't go along with it, you are labeled an outcast and someone who is not practicing "Sound Biblical Principles" (although we've seen Faith Promise isn't Bible teaching, rather Baptist Tradition rooted in the Christian Missionary Alliance, and shares much in common with Charismatic doctrine).
I can't tell you how many church splits I've seen personally or how many brethren I've met that have left FIB churches over this practice. Many have told me the same thing, "I want to give! But I don't want to be pressured to give that way!"
A lot of these people have begun giving to Missionaries individually on a monthly basis. And can you believe that FIB Pastors are actually preaching against this now? They are saying things like, "To give directly to Missionaries is not right if you give to them outside the Local Church and outside the Faith Promise Program!"
I've even heard some preach, "God cannot bless you at all if you give to Missions without giving it through the Local Church!"
What could possibly be their motive for saying things like this? I mean, couldn’t we say to them what they like to say to those who they claim are against Faith Promise Missions Giving: "What? Don't you love souls, and don't you want to see people giving to Missions?"
Could there be some "ulterior motive" for this? Hmmm. I'll let you decide.
11. Faith Promise has become a Business!
Have you ever noticed that the majority of those who preach Faith Promise Mission Conferences are actually Missionaries themselves? They receive regular support from other churches who practice Faith Promise, and they usually receive really nice offerings for preaching "Faith Promise Mission Conferences."
In other words, they seem to be making a living on “Faith Promise."
I guess we could then ask, "Are these men really living by faith, when they are getting a boat-load of CA$H for what they are preaching?"
You see, in Faith Promise it seems like those who are asked to practice Faith are those who are giving, while those who are receiving are not expected to practice faith in God at all. (For they usually are given huge amounts of support for their service of further propagating Faith Promise.)
Did you know the average income of a FIB Missionary today (who has a Mission Board) is $5000 to $6000 a month? What? You didn't know that? And did you know that usually Mission Boards take at least 10 to 20 percent of that money from the Missionary. What? You didn't know that either. Really?
And, did you know that those pushing the Faith Promise Plan the most are those who have, are connected with, and/or are sent by Mission Boards. (P.S. Mission Boards are not in the Bible. And as you study the Bible, it's the CHURCH that sends Missionaries, not a "Board." See Acts chapter 13 for more.)
It almost seems like this whole FAITH PROMISE MISSION PROGRAM is nothing but a great big money generating business!
Oh no you didn't, Bro. Breaker! You said it! Yep, I sure did. (Sorry, it's just what I was thinking, and what I know you would have eventually thought yourself as you study this whole thing out and see the big picture!)
The truth is, Faith Promise constrains struggling poor church members to trust God to provide for them so they can give by FAITH what they don't have, while those who receive the money usually go to the field with their wallets full and build big homes for themselves to live in while they "evangelize" in their fancy new 4x4 trucks. But where is the Missionary's FAITH in God to provide? If the truck breaks down, or the house burns, or something bad happens, he KNOWS his needs will be met as more support and even "special offerings" will come to him. HOW IS THIS LIVING BY FAITH???
And what about those poor church members back in the states who are struggling, yet they are continually constrained to give more by their Pastors. Where’s their relief? For in the Bible, it was Paul who helped THE POOR CHRISTIANS with the offerings he received.
IN SUMMARY
I hope the things written here will cause you to THINK. I'm not against the FIBers, Missions, Missionaries, Pastors, Churches, Church Members, Mission Boards, etc. I'm not even against Missions Conferences, monthly Missionary support or taking up special offerings for Missionaries. I'm in favor of MISSIONS.
I'm very much in favor of Missions. But what I am against is modern-day Pharisees who use made-made programs to compel others to give while they themselves prosper knowing they are deceiving congregations into making a pact with God to give what oftentimes they cannot obtain.
I am well aware that God can use money obtained by "Faith Promise" to go to Missionaries who will use it to win souls. I know and understand that. But I've been in the system myself, and I've watched a lot of abuse in the man-made FP program. I've also seen how the fruit of it can take away a Missionary's FAITH IN GOD to supply his needs, and make him totally dependent upon MAN. I further have seen men who would rather preach this man-made system, knowing they are twisting the scriptures to do so, in order for them to prosper, and make a name for themselves, rather than just preach all men should place their faith in God and give to Him out of love as He lays it upon their hearts. And, I see the great lack of love this FP plan produces, as it pits a Pastor against his congregation, as he's forced to brow-beat his people for not giving what he thinks they should to Missions. (What more can they do? He's already gotten them to promise to give more than they have!)
To me, Faith Promise is not Biblical. It's just man trying to secure funds for God their way by pressuring their flocks, instead of just preaching on Biblical giving (giving willingly and cheerfully) and allowing God to touch the hearts of the congregation to give cheerfully. (I often wonder if church members would give more without Faith Promise after hearing good preaching on love, charity, grace, and cheerfulness, giving because they WANT TO, not because they are CONSTRAINED TO).
FP further can (notice I didn't say it does) do more harm than good. And I've personally seen a lot of harm and abuse associated with that man-made business system. Let me just give one illustration. I'll not give the name of the Pastor, or even the location of his church. I'll just tell you the story and let you come to your own conclusion.
Not long ago I visited a Faith Promise Mission Conference in which I sat and watched the Pastor hammer his congregation hard on giving. Time and again he encouraged them to give above and beyond their measure. The conference grew to a close and the Pastor passed out the "Pledge Cards" and afterwards, the congregation sat and waited as the tally was counted. The Pastor then read the sum and tallied up how much the church had promised to give that year to Missions. And when he saw the number he grew vehemently enraged. His face instantly glowed red and he rigorously blasted his congregation for their "lack of faith." The figure he told the congregation that "God" had given him was "$100,000" annually that they should give to Missions. But the church promised a little over a tenth of that on their "pledge cards."
Care to guess what happened next, at everyone's surprise? The Pastor a week or so later resigned the church, telling everyone that God had called him to be a Missionary to a certain Island Nation.
And, you know what else? (And here's the interesting part...) The Pastor taught the church to support only Missionaries sent out of that church, so he desired to be sent out of that church and have the church foot the bill for his going to the field.
Do I really need to say more? Can you put two and two together? If not, maybe I should just state the obvious: "Seems like his FAITH was in FAITH PROMISE and not in GOD to supply his need to go to the field!"
In closing, I'm sure you might say, "Okay, Breaker, you've pointed out the bad. So what do we do now?" Well, how about just preaching the cross of Calvary. Wouldn't that make the church want to give more? And don't you think they would even give more if they gave "willingly," than if they were forced to do so with some man-made system? (Especially when they are ridiculed for not giving enough!) It worked for the Apostle Paul. He didn't ask Christians to give what they didn't have. He instructed them to give what they did have, and to give "cheerfully." And look at how the world was turned upside down in his day. I wonder if we'll ever see revival like that again, especially when many FIBers have accepted Faith Promise over God's promises in the Bible to be faithful to his children.
Our faith should not be in our own promises, nor in those of others. Our faith should be in the Promises of God. And we should give because HE wants us to, not because some MAN constrains us to with his made up plan.
