All graphics and images are copyright of A True Church

Valley Baptist Is Bad News!

Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93308, is another church in the heap (2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Peter 2:1-3) that follows after error. They deny the power of godliness (2 Timothy 3:5), follow after psychological deceit, and peddle the word of God.

I. Deny The Power Of Godliness

Valley Baptist is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. Besides Charles Stanley's folly (having been president twice), an example of how bad that covention is, note the magazine LIGHT which is "The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Of The Southern Baptist Convention." In the November-December 1998 edition in an article by Bruce H. Wilkinson entitled "Sexual Purity: Countering The Devastating Epidemic," emphasized in large bold print it is written,

Believers who are in bondage to immorality find that unless they experience victory in this area, they cannot grow in holiness or serve the Lord with passion and power.

This statement denies the power of godliness that is in every true believer in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 2:4). Any "believer" that is in "bondage to immorality" is a false believer, and is still on their way to hell (still a child of wrath, Ephesians 2:2). As Ephesians 5:5-6 warns,

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience

To propagate that a person can be sexually immoral ("in bondage to immorality") and yet still be saved is a damning (destructive) heresy (2 Peter 2:1), and totally against the word of God (1 Corinthians 6:9f; Revelation 21:8).

II. Psychological Deceit

This same magazine (LIGHT) brings further darkness in their article entitled, "Sex, Lust, and Compost". This article is taken from the deceptive magazine The Promise Keeper (Vol. 1, No. 4, July/August 1998, pp.1,4). In this article by Don C, Matthews, M.F.C.C., it is stated,

We pile up a lot of personal garbage as we go through life. Most of it is psychological, the product of a poor self-image resulting from long held feelings of worthlessness.

This "wisdom" is the wisdom of the world (1 Corinthians 1:19), is not according to Christ (Colossians 2:8-10), and is from the cesspool of the psychological deceit of our age. In the above quote, Mr. Matthews equates "personal garbage" with "the product of a poor self-image". Jesus said the product of "a poor self-image" (i.e. poor in spirit) was eternal life!

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

So, Mr. Matthews, Promise Keepers, LIGHT magazine, and Valley Baptist Church (by propagating this magazine), all turn what Christ calls good (poor in spirit, i.e. poor self-image), into something bad, just like the wicked Israelites of old.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; (Isaiah 5:20)

This is exactly what this article does. It puts darkness for light, and light for darkness. In this same article it states,

Sexual addiction is about intimacy - actually, the lack of it.

That is a lie! Just the opposite is true. Sexual addiction is about wicked sexual perversion (called sin), and actually, it is all about intimacy, getting too intimate with whom you should not!

In this same article, they "put darkness for light" by saying,

If you are worried that your sexual behavior may be out of control, let me assure you - there is hope. Here is a plan guaranteed to help you regain ownership of your life and management of your sexuality.

Then Mr. Matthews gives four things to do:

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEXUAL DRIVE AND SEX ADDICTION

SEE THE 'BIG PICTURE' IN WHICH OTHERS ARE RECOGNIZED AS GOD'S CREATION

BECOME ACCOUNTABLE TO ANOTHER MAN

This may all sound good to the fleshly ear ("great swelling words", 2 Peter 2:18), but it is void of the real answer: JESUS CHRIST (Hebrews 4:14-16)! The apostle Paul put it this way (and it is this simple).

Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galations 5:16)

Matthews diverts people off the road to Christ by good sounding counsel that leaves the Savior (Christ, the one who saves us from our sins, Matthew 1:21!) out of the picture.

To further illustrate the perversion of this magazine (that Valley Baptist Church propagates), you could note the article entitled, "Beyond the Politics of Abortion" in which they write,

...pro-lifers who say, 'I don't understand how anyone could have an abortion,' are blind to how hurtful this statement can be. Think about it. What is the implication of this comment to a person who has had an abortion? Won't it be heard as, 'Only an evil person could ever have an abortion?' This is not what most pro-lifers intend to say, but it is the message that is heard.

Mr. Reardon (the author) writes this as if this is an erroneous message! The problem is, it is true! Only an evil person could ever have an abortion! If they weren't evil, they wouldn't get an abortion! Murder is evil. Those who murder (abort a child), especially their own child, ARE EVIL (Luke 11:13)!

Besides propagating the above deceit, Valley Baptist Church has the psychologically oriented "DivorceCare" program with their "support groups" for those "victims" of divorce or separation. The "DivorceCare" brochure claims "that God is a part of DivorceCare". The "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4) is the god who is "part of DivorceCare".

DivorceCare is a deceitful departure from the "God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3), the God of Scripture. If a person separated from or divorced their spouse, they need to repent and ask God for mercy for their hard-heartedness and disobedience (1 Corinthians 7:10-11; Malachi 2:16; Matthew 19:8; Isaiah 55:6-7). They need Christ and His forgiveness, not a "support group". If someone was separated from or their spouse divorced them, they need to find refuge in God (Psalm 46:1), forget the past (Philippians 3:13-14), and move on (Romans 13:11-14). Again, Christ, and Christ alone is the answer (Colossians 2:3-10). When other answers are given (like DivorceCare), it is a deceitful diversion from the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).

In addition, Valley Baptist Church,

III. Peddles The Word of God

Even though Valley Baptist Church takes in approximately $200,000 a month, their DivorceCare program charges a $20 registration fee. Also, their "Christian Counseling Services" "begin at $30 per session". "Sessions are 50 min. to one hour." (from the "Valley Baptist Christian Counseling Services" brochure, on file).

The apostle Paul did a lot of Christian counseling and he said this:

For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:17)

2 Peter 2:3 is so true today (and of Valley Baptist Church).

By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words.

a true church, P. O. Box 130, Moodys, OK 74444
1-800-HOW-TRUE, www.atruechurch.info