I am sure you're wondering why another blog has been created to discuss the Bible, as there are already many on the Internet, but it's a great big world out there, and I figure there's room for one more. I am Jesse Kragiel, an independent Baptist musician, singer, and evangelist. I grew up in the Baptist church, was saved at 15, and went to Bible school at 19. At 22, I took a position at Faith Baptist Church in Smyrna, Delaware as the choir director and pianist. I had the privilege of sitting under pastor Alan Ryman for almost 10 years before The Lord directed me into a fulltime evangelistic ministry, where I am today. I am still a member of Faith Baptist Church, and love my preacher and church.
In evangelism, I have ministered at hundreds of churches, and seen many different ways of doing things. I have learned both what to do, and what not to do, just by observing the way people handle situations, doctrine, and other things. It's been a great ride, however, none of that experience makes me qualified to discuss the things I wish to discuss in the words of this blog.
I heard the comment recently, "The more I read my Bible, the more I disagree with the Baptists." To be sure, I believe that initially, the Baptist movement was a remnant, a group of people who desired to keep God's word for what it said, and not what it was presumed to teach. Baptist believed in eternal security of the believer, baptism by emersion as a testimony and the first step of obedience to our Lord, the Lord's supper as a memorial and not a ritual, and most importantly, the infallibility of Scripture, and preservation of it. In the true sense of the word, I am a Baptist, however, as society has degenerated, and higher education has taken over our ranks, there are many different types of Baptists now, thus the word Baptist on a church sign means very little anymore. Even in the school of Baptists which I described earlier, there has been a breaking of ranks, as like the Jews in Galatians 2, brethren creep in and try to add works to grace.
I have read the Bible through several times since I've been saved, but for years, was content to live under the yoke of what other people taught me I should, and shouldn't do as a Christian. That may be good when a person is very young, but as he grows up, and all he has are other people's convictions and preferences, he begins to question things. That was my case until probably about the 10th time through God's word when I discovered what the book of Galatians was really saying. Coupled with Romans, I began to discover the grace of God in a fresh and new context, and as one can imagine, I became angry with the folks who tried to add law to grace. It made me so angry, in fact, that my preferences and convictions swung dangerously liberal for a time, but as I continued to read God's word in the new context of grace and liberty, God started rebuilding my foundation as only He can. So we go back to the statement, "The more I read my Bible, the more I disagree with the Baptists." That is what future entries in this blog will be about. In these pages, I would like to discuss some of those issues that folks want to make a lot of noise about, but have no Biblical leg to stand on unless they lift verses out of the text for their own pleasure and corruption. I may not make friends with this blog, but maybe it will help a young preacher who wishes to study some of the issues for himself in light of God's word. All discussion in this Blog will utilize the King James Bible, for it is the inerrant, preserved, infallible and inspired word of God in the English language.
