Mount Isa Baptist Church

Danger, Beware!

Philippians 3:1–7 - key vs.2

What does a danger sign tell us? Stay Away! Don’t go there, don’t approach, stay away!! Have you ever ignored a warning sign? Absolutely, I have because I was curious, I wanted to see what was so dangerous. We want to go there and have a look. Paul here is not telling us to watch out for live electric cables. He is not telling us to watch out for toxic waste. Paul is saying to us here that there is something far more serious in the passage before us that you need to be aware of. As we look at verse 2, Paul tells us to “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.” Paul is brutal with his wording about these false teachers and calls them “dogs.” It was common for Jews to call Gentiles dogs, but now Paul unmercifully gives these Jewish legalizes the same title as they would give a Gentile. The dogs mentioned here are the mangy, flea-bitten, vicious mongrels who were scavengers living off the garbage of the street, who, if they bit you, would most likely give you some sort of disease or even rabies. And you know that if you don't get the necessary treatment, you can die a horrific death. What strong language Paul is using here as he describes these Jewish legalists and calls them dogs! Paul was being straightforward and blunt in calling these false teachers impure, unclean, and immoral dogs. These Jews were trying to get all Gentile Christians to practice the ceremonial laws, traditions, and customs of the Jews. Paul is warning the Philippian Believers, and us here today, that there were and are false teachers around in Philippi and in the church even today. And these false teachers packed a far more lethal bite than those mangy, flea-bitten, vicious, rabies infested dogs. That's what Paul wants us to know here.

Who were these false teachers? They were converted Jews who were like dogs, snapping at Paul's heels and following him from place to place, “barking” their false doctrines. They were troublemakers within the church and carriers of dangerous infections.

Paul also calls them “Those men who do evil.” These false teachers probably did not deliberately go about doing evil. In their own eyes, their intention was to do good. They had sincere religious convictions, but they were sincerely wrong. The outcome of their wrong doctrine was not good but evil. Even today, false teachers are very sincere. They are often very educated people. They are usually dynamic individuals who are appealing to listen to. Yet, they are heretics of the first degree. And the product of all their labour, the end result, is evil.

Paul also calls them “Those mutilators of the flesh.” Here we see the attitude of Paul towards those who teach false doctrine. They taught that even if a person professed Christ, he still had to be circumcised according to Jewish ceremonial law if salvation was to be effective. So disgusted was Paul with legalists that he calls them mutilators; that is, those who cut their bodies to please God. Paul sees these people as mutilators who destroy Christians. Circumcision was a Jewish ritual to show that a male child was under the covenant of God, given to the nation of Israel. But all it was, was an outward symbol, but had nothing to do with the salvation of their souls.

What did they believe and teach to receive such a harsh reprimand from Paul? They believed Jesus was the Son of God sent into the world to die for sinners, and He died a sacrificial, atoning death. They believed that apart from Jesus Christ, a person cannot be saved. They taught Jesus is the way; He rose from the dead; He ascended to the right hand of God the Father; and He will return again. They believed that one must believe in Christ and repent of his sins to be saved. You may say that this seemed to be sound doctrinally. And up to that point, it is sound doctrine. But they also taught that one must believe in Christ PLUS one more little ritual which they added. They said circumcision was essential for salvation. Christ PLUS this extra little ritual, which is essential for salvation. So, up to a point, they got it right, but then they deviated. Most people would say, “This is just a little ritual. Just a little error. Why get so upset?” We know that circumcision is not necessary to salvation, but if it is so important to these Jews, why not let them perform circumcision on Gentile Christians? They believe the fundamentals. Most of the message they preach is correct, not all of it, but most of it. We might even go as far as saying, after all, we must show love, and we want to keep the unity of the church at all costs. “N,o” says Paul! This is false teaching, and, in the end, it will destroy Christianity. Adding anything to the message of the gospel, anything added to by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, is heresy!

How does this apply to us today?

Any person who tries to add anything to salvation is a spiritual legalist. Any time a person says, “Believe in Christ AND...” it is a false doctrine that they are bringing to you. NO Conditions must be added to salvation by grace through faith in Christ. Salvation is found in Christ and in Him alone, apart from any human effort. In contrast to the false Christians, Paul describes the true Christian as someone who worships God in the Spirit. A true Christian is not so concerned about external conformity to man-made laws and customs but is concerned about having an inward heart dominated by Christ, worshipping in the power of the Holy Spirit. A true Christian is someone who boasts in Jesus Christ. A true Christian is someone who has no confidence in the flesh. The true Christian does not trust in his good deeds, law-keeping, or his religious achievements. The true Christian also understands that by the power of the flesh, he cannot accomplish sanctification.

BEWARE, LOOK OUT for the danger signs and stay away from them.

Below is a letter from Pastor Morgan Slykerman with all the details. If you would like to contribute financially, you can do so in three ways:

1. Add your Donation to the Offering Bag in an envelope clearly marked for Cooktown Baptist Church Roofing Fund

2. You can deposit into the MIBC bank account electronically. Please state in the description what the offering is for so all donations are easily identifiable for their intended purpose (Bank account details are toward the bottom of this Newsletter).

3. You can give directly to Cooktown Baptist Church's own Bank Account. The details are at the end of the letter.

To our Brothers and Sisters in Christ

I am writing to make known a need we have for our fellowship. We are in a position where we need to replace our leaking roof and are presently $20,000 short of the funds required. We are reaching out to see if there are any congregations or individuals who may be able to assist us in meeting this shortfall of funds.

The fellowship of Cooktown Baptist Church is the Northernmost Baptist Church in Queensland, Australia. We are comprised of a small group of families who love Jesus and are actively engaged in sharing the gospel in our community. Many within the fellowship are teachers or other staff members of the local Christian School, as well as some retired folk who bless us with their wisdom and experience.

As a group of Christ followers, we are passionate about sharing the gospel, loving God, and loving others. We focus on being genuine in our individual walks with the Lord, and have seen new believers find a home amongst us where they feel valued and safe to grow in their faith as well. Our building is in a central location next to the only grocery store in town and is highly visible to the wider community. We see this as a good thing, as the witness of Jesus is shining boldly into the community.

However, we are currently faced with a challenging situation. We have been blessed with a turn of the 20th Century wooden building as our place of worship. However, maintaining a 120-year-old building comes with many challenges.

2 years ago, we worked together as a congregation and painted the inside of the church. This year in June, we painted the outside of the building. We are now facing a further significant challenge in that our roof also needs replacing. About 12 months ago, we patched lower portions of the roof that were leaking. However, the repairs were not completely successful. Water is still leaking in and causing damage to the building interior. The roof needs a complete replacement to ensure that it is both leak-proof and cyclone-proof.

This year, we have learnt that due to the roof pitch, not all roofing contractors have the capacity to do the job. We had a local contractor organised for the job, but it turns out the scope of the job is beyond his capacity. The materials were purchased at the time and are ready and waiting in the church yard. We have made enquiries with a number of roofing contractors but have so far been unsuccessful in locating a company either locally or further afield with capacity to complete the job.

The wet season is now fast approaching. This week, in faith, we laid hands on the roofing material and asked God to provide. At 0730 the next morning a Cairns based roofing company walked into the local hardware where I work as a bi-vocational job. Upon explaining the situation and on their inspection of the roof, they have returned with a quote and the ability to complete the work before Christmas, which importantly is before the start of our wet season. We rejoice in Gods provision of this contractor; however, their quote is substantially higher than the initial local quote. We now understand that due to the specialist nature of the roof, the installation costs will be charged accordingly.

Our small fellowship gives generously and faithfully; however, the quote for the roof installation is almost the same as our annual income. If others within the church community were able to support us at this time of need, we would be greatly appreciative.

Yours in Christ
Morgan Slykerman
Pastor
Cooktown Baptist Church

Bank Account Details

Cooktown Baptist Fellowship

BSB 014-303 (ANZ)

ACC 2954-26307