This is an email I received this morning early. A nice start to the week!
My answer follows immediately and then the email itself. I have omitted the name of the writer.
It highlights the departure from the TRUTH of God that is sadly found in the ranks of the next generation of young Free presbyterians.
I cannot but blame the failure of our pulpits for such ignorance of God’s Word and the God-honoured stand of the Free Presbyterian Church in years past!
Here is cause for faithful believers to pray that the Lord will, in mercy, turn the tide!
Sincerely in Christ’s name,
Ivan Foster
My reply to the email below
And a very good morning to you, XXXXX XXXXXX.
You say I don’t know you but I do now, as your name is given in your email address even though you leave it off your email letter.
You say you are a ‘Free Presbyterian’. I would correct you and inform you that you are of the ‘new breed’ of Free Presbyterians!
The purpose God brought the Free Presbyterian Church into existence back in 1951 was to EXPOSE AND PROTEST AGAINST the oath-breaking of the ministers and elders of the mainline churches.
Your write a lengthy diatribe against me is in DEFENCE of an incident which centred upon the breaking of a solemn oath taken by a FP minister but a few weeks before. That makes you anything but a Free Presbyterian!
You accuse me of using the internet to attack Mr Wilson. I merely used the same medium that he used when he, or a family member, posted a picture of him dancing on November 5th in complete defiance and breach of the oath he had taken before God on September 18th.
You say that the dancing in this instance was out of the couples’ “desire to honour God and grow closer to him.”
Do you really believe that a minister honours God and grows closer to Him by casting aside the promise he made to Him and engaging publicly in that which he had sworn to ‘expose and oppose’ as immoral?
You show great concern for the ‘feelings’ of the minister, his daughter and his new son-in-law. But you seem to have no regard however for the ‘feelings’ that the Lord might have at such a blatant display of defiance of Him and His Law.
Please consider these words. “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them,” Isaiah 63:10. There is a high price to pay for offending and vexing the Lord by rebelling aginst His Word. Defiance of Him is provocative and that is no light matter! “And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?” Numbers 14:11.
As for your improper use of Titus 3:2, I did not speak ‘evil’ of Mr Wilson. I merely showed how his actions were a denial and overthrowing of the oath he made before God at his ordination! His was a very strange way to start one’s ‘service for God’!
Again, your use of Matthew 18:15 is improper and ill-considered. If your understanding of the meaning of the Saviour’s words are correct, then Paul was very wrong when he tackled Peter for his wrong-doing. “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. . . . . But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” Galatians 2:11, 14.
Please note the words I have undermined. Peter’s sin was no private matter between him and Paul but a public scandal which troubled the Church of God so Paul faced him publicly! I feel my actions were in keeping with Paul’s example.
You will likely I am sure have heard your minister criticising the actions of an ecumenist or a priest of Rome or some other individual. Did you then tackle him and quote Matthew 18:15 to him?
You ask, ‘What did I gain from my article’? I would like to think that I might gain but a little of that which follows the obeying of Paul’s exhortation, preached by Dr Paisley at my ordination some 56 years ago.
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 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. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing,” 2 Timothy 4:1-8.
You state the obvious when you say that you ‘not theologically gifted’ and that ‘despite being saved for well over half of my time of earth, I am still young in my faith’. That awareness however, does not prevent you attacking a minister of long standing for setting out the truth!!
You refer to the Scripture’s use of the word ‘dance’. Do you think those who formulated the questions directed to ministers and elders at their ordination regarding the ‘IMMORALITY AND SOCIAL VICES of this present evil world such as DANCING’ were ignorant of such Bible references?
The dancing that the Bible finds no wrong in, is a display of joyful exuberance by an individual. It does not refer to the dancing of a man and a woman. An example of this is found in 2 Samuel 6:14. “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.”
This was no ‘ballroom waltzing’ or the more frenzied antics of today’s dancehall. This was merely what all have engaged in at some time and for some reason when they have ‘danced for joy’ to give expression the irresistible impulse to manifest their happy feelings in a physical manner from clapping their hands, stamping their feet to jumping about!
Had you but read the dictionary quote you directed at me you would have seen this to be so. How foolish is the one who cannot discern the truth of what they quote as they try to state the very opposite to what they are quoting!
You apologise for being ‘not gifted by God with an ability to write’. Believe me that is not the only lack you have, if you could be recognise this fact!!
I might add, that as a means of informing the FP Church, I will mount your email and my reply on my website. I will however, show more regard for you than you have for me by not revealing your name!
Kind regards,
Ivan Foster
The email I received this morning
Hi Ivan,
You’ll not know who I am and to be quite frank I’m glad of that. But I am a young man that goes to a Free Presbyterian Church, and have done my whole life.
Firstly, I don’t understand what gives you the right to openly and publicity attack the Rev Wilson in this way. It’s a low attack that had no need to be posted on the internet and I’m sure there would have been much more sensible ways to address the issue with your fellow brother in Christ.
Marriage is supposed to be a day of Celebration of two people’s love for each other, and their desire to honour God and grow closer to him. From my own personal experience in life, attacks like yours do not build someone up in the faith, or help them grow closer to him. They merely drive us further from God and I can only pray that this does not have a negative effect on Rev Wilson and the Married couple.
“to speak evil of no man, to be NO BRAWLERS, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.” Titus 3:2
In my opinion your words although directed towards Rev Wilson, you have neglected the feelings of his daughter and Son in Law and how you have brought their special day into the forefront.
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” Luke 6:41
I trust that you are able to read the words above and know that you are in a place in your spiritual walk with God where you do not have a mote in your eye. But from reading my Bible I know that NO ONE is perfect except Christ… so I hope if you are willing to publicly expose Rev Wilson ‘wrongdoings’, then I hope you are able to comprehend your own.
“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault BETWEEN THEE AND HIM ALONE: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” Matthew 18:15
Knowing that you have been a minister and Christian for quite some time, I’m sure you’ve most definitely heard of this verse. Quite clearly Rev Wilson has grieved you with his ‘dancing’…. you go on about desiring to follow God’s word, did you forget about this verse when you decided to publicly voice your opinion on this matter. I myself am struggling to understand how your online newsletter follows this
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Colossians 3:17
From reading this verse I myself am struggling to see how an open and online attack on a fellow Minister, brother and sister in Christ in any way brings glory to God, or can be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially with it being done in the way it was…
So, I have to ask what did you stand to gain from this attack & why did you not consider the words of Matthew 18v15 when clicking a send?
Secondly, in your post regarding the minister’s email.
If ‘dancing’ is acceptable Christian behaviour, then Presbytery will have to change the vows used at the ordinations of ministers and elders and also its BOOK OF ORDER!
It will also have to apologise to the people of God generally for our Church imposing an unscriptural oath upon men for the last seventy two years and repent for misrepresenting the mind and will of God on this matter!
Now I will be the first to admit that I am not theologically gifted, and despite being saved for well over half of my time of earth, I am still young in my faith. But, I pride myself in knowing that I like to gain my own opinion of different stances and doctrines, I don’t like being the kind of Christian who inherits a view from my parents and just goes with it.
To be honest before reading your article this was not a matter, I had ever thought much about, as I didn’t really believe there was anything wrong with it. But, after just simply searching the word dance in my bible app and found lots of examples of ‘dancing’. I will list the verses below
“a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” Ecclesiastes 3:4
“for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing,” Luke 15:24-25
“Let them praise his name in the dance: Let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp,” Psalm 149:3
“Praise him with the timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and organs,” Psalm 150:4
These verses amongst others CLEARLY show that dancing isn’t biblically refuted, but quite the opposite, it is used to express our love for God, to praise our God, or to express thankfulness for God.
But I then questioned, well maybe dancing means something different in those times. But from what I can find this is not the case.
Dictionary definition for dancing
- as the translation of hul, which points to the whirling motion of Oriental sacred dances. It is the rendering of a word (rakad’) which means to skip or leap for joy
- In the New Testament it is in like manner the translation of different Greek words, circular motion, leaping up and down in concert and by a single person
- It is spoken of as symbolical of rejoicing. The Hebrews had their sacred dances expressive of joy and thanksgiving, when the performers were usually females
And to use an example from my own life I have been on a few missionary trips (None FPC Related), where we use singing and especially dancing as a way to expound the gospel to kids and let them have a fun time praising God. Is that on opposition to the bible, because I don’t see how it is?
There is obviously dancing that is not appropriate, and that exsalts Evil rather that God, but I also struggle to understand how a dance with your daughter at her wedding, is wrong. Personally, I think it shows forth the love and good relationship that Rev Wilson has for and with his daughter. THIS CAN ONLY GLORIFY GOD & I do not see what is to be opposed in this. Personally, I believe Presbytery should review this wording and consider what the Bible verse have to say about it.
I would love to hear your reasoning as to why dancing is so opposed?
Apologies for any grammatical mistakes in this, sadly writing isn’t how God gifted me.
Many Thank,