Is there not a cause?
By: Holmes Moore
When David was reproached by his eldest brother because he had made himself bold to defend Israel in the cause of the giant, Goliath, and his defiance against the armies of God, he defended his actions by a penetrating question, “Is there not a cause?” (I Samuel 17:29).
So it seems to be in our day.
A thousand objections can be raised against our present efforts to form a Fellowship of autonomous, Sovereign Grace Baptist churches and I am sure that not a few will question what we are trying to do and the motives behind this effort. Concerns and fears of affiliating with anything beyond the local church are as various and numerous as the pastors and churches themselves. Some may be almost ready to reproach us for the very thought, much more the attempt of such an endeavor.
Let me assure all those who may be at this point that the many objections and fears that you now are experiencing have tormented my mind and heart too. It has not been an easy thing for me, personally, to come to the position of sponsoring such a concept as The Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship.
Yet I truly believe that “there is a cause,” and that this cause is worth the subduing of our doubts and fears and the tackling of the considerable problems involved in our getting together in order to do something significant toward the advancement of the Kingdom of God in our day. While nations still lie in darkness and we possess the light and have the means, if banded together, to spread that light, “there is a cause.”
For the last few decades God has been renewing His truth of sovereign grace among us. This truth has been planted in many local churches throughout our land so that it is difficult to travel anywhere today and not meet with at least one of these. For the most part we are small and struggling groups of believers, yet firmly established in the grace of God. Surely there are many among us, who like David of old, are ready to take a bold, new step in order to advance the cause of God and truth. I firmly believe that such a step could be our affiliating together in The Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship. If God be in such a step how many giants of error and wickedness might fall before us to the praise of His glory and grace!
Holmes Moore is the pastor of Bible Baptist Church in St. Louis, Missouri and first moderator for the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship.