What is Gospel Labor? At least one use of the term has been to describe the labor among churches and brethren, which conforms to Gospel teachings, in handling erroneous doctrine and practices. Gospel labor has also been used to describe a ministers labor in the Gospel field. This application fits into the scriptural comparison between the oxen that labors in the fields and gospel ministers being yoke together with fellow laborers in the field of preaching the gospel. I suspect the latter definition is the more accurate one but I find no problem with using the term in either manner. Whether we are using the term as laboring in the ministry or laboring to restore fellowship between churches or brethren the term labor indicates action (exertion of mental powers usually united with bodily employment Webster 1828). Being burdened and offering fervent prayers for peace would be part of laboring but if we just kept on mingling with those that are promoting unscriptural doctrines and practices, never forthrightly confronting the problems, then we would not be fulfilling our duty to labor for peace. In the remainder of this article I would like to center my thoughts on Gospel labor in the sense of Laboring for peace.

We are clearly taught by the scriptures that we should be a peaceful people and endeavor to labor for peace among our brethren. Peace is a great blessing "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Psalms 133:1). We are also taught in the scriptures to not be hasty, overbearing or merciless to our brethren but we should be longsuffering as the Lord was. "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." (Colossians 3:12,13) I believe we should exhibit these traits in all our laboring for peace whether private or public offences. In Matthew chapter 18 we are clearly instructed as to what steps we should take when a brother or sister trespasses against us. The purpose in laboring with a brother or sister is to reclaim them and that should be our goal in laboring with churches also. If these steps in Matthew Chapter 18 (sometimes referred to, as Gospel steps) are not followed, the moderator of the Church has the authority and should indeed deny the conflict from being brought before the church. If a brother or sister does not take the steps outlined in Matthew 18 but allows the problem to fester by their inaction, it is harmful to the cause just as our inaction against the liberal movement is. There is a difference however between how we are to handle trespasses between brethren and how we are to labor with a church or minister who is promoting departures in faith and practice. We have clear instruction on how to handle a heretic. "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;" (Titus 3:10) Again I re-emphasize that in order for us to be laboring for peace we must be taking scriptural action. Inaction and continuing to preach with heretics and fellowshipping unscriptural practices hoping the problem will clear itself is not Laboring for peace.

Our brethren in the past made errors in laboring just as we have today but they also left us some good examples of laboring for peace, one of which is contained in an article at the following web link
www.essentialbaptistprinciples.org/ebp_published_articles/progressive_movement.htm.  The article gives the reader a glimpse of the start of the Progressive movement among the Primitive Baptists. The response by Elder Walter Cash and others, to remove the progressive element, is a good example of actual laboring to restore peace. They addressed the problem openly and forthrightly. Especially notice the last part of the article where dropping of correspondence with the Salem association was being considered. Elder Cash fought for more time to labor with the Salem association concerning their use of progressive preachers. His desire for more time was not one that ignored the problem but one that addressed the problem. He used the time to take action (labor) with the Salem association, encouraging them to take active steps to remain in correspondence with the Yellow Creek Association. His statement to the Salem brethren indicates that although he was willing to labor, they must make a choice and show by their walk that they mean it: "You must say now which way you are going. If you say you are going to stay with our churches and associations on the old line, and will show that you mean it, the correspondence will be continued; otherwise not."

We should be just as forthright, as Elder Cash was in 1904, in our stand against the leaders of the present day progressive/missionary movement and all that are willing to stay associated with them either directly or indirectly. But what about the statement that it is the right of each individual church to decide who she will and will not fellowship or what preachers she will use? I agree they have that right if we are speaking of orderly churches/ministers but not if you mean they can fellowship or use just anybody they want to without regard to their sister churches. Orderly churches not only have the right but also the duty to labor, in love, with sister churches for using disorderly ministers or ministers which in effect are supporting the disorderly ones. By a minister or a church, in love, exhorting brethren not to preach with certain ministers or encouraging them to come out from among the progressive/liberals is not an attempt to Lord over Gods heritage or dictate to them who they can preach as has been suggested but counter wise, in most cases, it is showing a concern for the welfare of Zion. No church of Christ is completely independent of her sister churches. All churches of Christ are subject to Christ and the laws he set up when he established his church. "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." (Ephesians 5:23,24) How can a part of the body of Christ be completely independent from the other parts, especially the head?

Some have suggested that we should never put up bars of fellowship but we should go among erring churches in order to preach them out of the error involved. I agree that a period of time should be given for laboring with the preached word in order to effect a turn from error. But to do so a long period of time without actual laboring between churches just is not scriptural. We are taught, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (II Corinthians 6:17) In the case of a church having been in error for some time, either in doctrine or practice, I believe it would only be acceptable for a orderly minister to go among them and preach if there is an indication that the church desires to reestablish fellowship with orderly churches. It would also be imperative that it be done with the blessing of the ministers home church and a general support of orderly brethren to give the minister time to labor for peace.

The present day progressive/missionary movement among the Primitive Baptists started to profess itself openly around the year 1992. It had been growing for many years prior to then because the leaders of the movement were cunningly, "speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them", but in the year 1992 there were clear and identifiable strides by the promoters of changing the Primitive Baptists. Leading the way was, Elder Lasserre Bradley Jr., of the Cincinnati Primitive Baptist Church, who introduced a preachers school under the name preachers meeting. Other practices foreign to orderly Primitive Baptists began to be introduced such as: bible studies, youth camps, womens meetings (aux), mens prayer breakfast etc. False doctrine is now openly a part of this movement. Some of the false doctrines being promoted include: teaching Calvinism, Gospel regeneration, tithing in a modified form, perverted view of time salvation and teaching that the command (commonly called the great commission) was given to the Church not just to the apostles. It is now year 2005, which means these departures in faith, has been openly going on for approximately 13 years. To those among the Old line Primitive Baptists at this point in time that say lets not act hastily; I agree with you only if you are going to actually start laboring to correct the departures in faith and thereby bring peace to the church. But if the call for restraint is tantamount to continuing to preach with ministers which either directly or indirectly support the promoters of change, I strongly disagree with your call for restraint and encourage you to reconsider.

Again, in the interest of peace, I would support giving more time to labor with erring churches if indeed there was to be labor (action) in bringing about a return to scriptural practices but if not then more time would just be giving the promoters of change extra time to destroy more churches and take more sheep away from the fold. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." (I Corinthians 16:13,14) --Elder Claude McKee