Quest For Truth Ministries, Inc. Is Full Of Lies
Mark John Ostrum - 2004-10-02 19:27:00
We at Seeking Real Truth Ministries had originally planned to call ourselves Quest For Truth Ministries. However, when we were selecting the domain for our website we discovered there already was a Quest For Truth Ministries, Inc. We clearly could not operate under the same name as them. So we went to visit their website, and clicked on their 'What We Beleive' link, we discovered some appalling misrepresentations with respect to God's word. In view of this, and our first mission statement, we present to you what they say, and what God's word really says regarding their statements of belief. Not all of their statements are false, so we will concentrate only on what is false in their beliefs.
They claim:
"Water baptism and the Lord's supper are ordinances to be observed by the church during the present age. However, they are not to be regarded as a means of salvation."
We reply:
John 3 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Mark 1 4And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 3 3He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Romans 6 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Ephesians 4 4There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Colossians 2 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
1 Peter 3 18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Acts 22 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.
Galatians 3 (Sons of God) 26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
There is only one baptism for the remission of sins. Baptism clearly is a means to salvation.
Matthew 26 26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
1 Corinthians 11 (The Lord's Supper)
17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
John 6 53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. (Read from John 6:25.)
We can claim to be saved, and even participate in the Lord's Supper. But if we fail to recognize Jesus as we take it, we are eating and drinking judgement on ourselves. Jesus also clearly said, "for the forgiveness of sins" When we partake of the Lord's Supper, it is a means of salvation, and as we partake, we are not only receiving reassurance of our salvation, but we remember and proclaim his death and ressurection. In John 6, Jesus clearly says that unless we partake in communion (with the right attitude as stated in 1 Corinthians 11), we have no part of him.
I will be posting chapters from my book, "My Quest For Truth ..." at a later time which talk about the Lord's Supper and Baptism. In them I fully expain and support these two means of grace.
They claim:
"In the eternal security of the believer. Once saved, always saved."
We reply:
1 Corinthians 5 12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." (Real all of 1 Corintians 5, you will see he is warning about the immoral brother inside the church, not those outside the church.)
Hebrews 5 (Warning Against Falling Away)
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 6 1Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,[1] and of faith in God, 2instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And God permitting, we will do so.
4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because[2] to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
7Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation. 10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Matthew 11 6Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
Read the parables and explanations in Matthew 13. Here Jesus warns about those who fall away, and what will happen to them.
Galatians 5 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Galatians is a wonderful book to read. In it Paul clearly determines the difference between relying on the LAW for salvation, and relying on FAITH (the Gospel). In all these passages, we clearly can see that there is a danger of falling away every day. Throughout the Corinthians and even in Romans Paul talks about the dangers of falling away from faith.
They claim:
"The personal, pre-millenial and imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer."
We reply:
Jesus will come only one more time. Their statement implies that Christ will come two more times; first for the pre-millenium rapture, then seven years later for the thousand year reign.
John 5 28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
1 Thessalonians 4 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Hebrews 9 27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews is a good and important passage to study, for it says 'he will appear a second time,' but never does it say Christ will return a third time.
Secondly, we already are in the millenium. Just read Matthew chapters 24-25, and you will clearly see that the signs of tribulation have been going on for two thousand years, and as Jesus said, "These are the beginnings of birth pains." What happens during child-birth? The pains start slow, then increase as the time draws near. This is what Jesus was referring to when he used that term, it is an analogy. We can clearly see that the signs he foretold not only have all happened, but continue to do so. Just this past week on the news we heard that Mount St. Helen's might blow again. We can go to http://www.usgs.gov/ and watch the increase of earthquakes. We are always getting into wars around the world - it has not been at peace since before Jesus came.
What about the millenium? Is it really a one thousand year period?
Psalm 90
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
2 Peter 3 (emphasis added)
The Day of the Lord
1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
What should our focus be?
As we discuss these things, we need to remember our focus. That focus is to be on Christ, and spreading his word, as he commissioned us to do. How do we do that? Through our every day contacts with the world. But when we 'evangelize', should be be thumping peple on the head? Should we be jamming the word down people's throats? Should we be focused on rapture, the gifts of the Spirit, or anything other than Jesus? Read the accounts in Acts 2:14-41, 3:12-26, and 4:8-20, and how Peter and the apostles and disciples preached about Jesus. There was a certain set of points they made in each sermon:
- Jesus as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy,
- Jesus' life,
- Jesus' death,
- Jesus' resurrection,
- Jesus' ascension to heaven,
- Jesus' return to take us to heaven.
This is all they spoke about when they preached, and nothing more. This is all we need to speak about, too. Jesuse is the fulfillment of prophecy, he is the Messiah the world was waiting for.
Concluding Remarks
We at Seeking Real Truth Ministries is appalled that a ministry claiming to be a ministry of God's truth has so blatently lied in their teachings about Christ, as Quest For Truth Ministries, Inc. has done. Even if one published statement is contrary to the truth in God's word, that ministry is to be publicly rebuked, and others are to be warned to stay away and to not support false teachers such as these.
2 Timothy 4 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
We come against this deceptive ministry in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power he has given us to publicly admonish those who preach contrary to God's word. We pray for the members of that ministry to either repent of their deceptive teachings which are designed for leading the naive into eternal damnation, or that thier ministry will be utterly destroyed by their sin. In Jesus Name. Amen.
You will notice in this article, there are very few words written by me, but there are a lot of bible passages. Often this will occur in my writings. The reason is because the Bible is fully self-supporting. In addition, I do not intend to spoon feed my readers. I expect you to study the bible on your own. Finally, if you feel there is something I am saying that is not in line with the word of God, I welcome your ocmments. See the Contact Us page on how you can email me your concerns. One of the objectives of this ministry is to have YOU become like the Bereans in Acts 17:11. Don't take my word, or anyone else's about what is true. Let the Word of God speak to you for itself. Only when you learn how to do that will you really know what it means to have a 'higher faith,' a level of faith that goes far beyond your imagination, and grows daily. And the blessings you will receive will totally amaze you.