The Reasons Why We Left Our Old Home Church and Joined Another One
by Robert Breaker III
copyright 2009
* The following has been designed to be "printer friendly." So please feel free to print the entire thing and read it through!
Why We Left Our Old Home Church
It is with much prayer, fasting, patience, and carefulness that I write this article. My purpose is not to attack, put down, or ridicule anyone. However, after having heard from at least three people that we have been slandered, misrepresented, and/or lied about, we believe we must write here the reason we left our old home church and joined ourselves to another one.
I had hoped never to have to do this, but as more and more people are asking us the reason, I believe I must plainly present the facts, so anyone who has any discernment might study the matter and come to the rational conclusion that we did nothing wrong, nor did we leave on bad terms. Our reason for leaving was our own, and we believe we did the right thing in so doing.
The story begins in 1992, when for the first time in my life I heard the Gospel plainly presented to me, and accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour, trusting only His shed blood alone for salvation. CLICK HERE FOR MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY
Prior to that day, I never heard the Gospel presented plainly, and was only taught Romans 10:13 as the plan salvation, thinking calling meant simply only repeating a prayer over and over. With chick tracts, I "uttered the prayer" every night from age 13 to age 18, hoping each prayer would somehow mystically secure God's pardon of my sins, and give me eternal life. It did not. For I was trusting in my PRAYER instead of trusting in God's PROMISE of salvation by simply trusting in His finished work alone. I was confused into thinking my prayer saved me, instead of trusting alone in Christ's payment for me.
After getting saved, I attended one year of the University of West Florida. While there I determined a secular education was not what I desired, and I wanted to learn the Bible. My father recommended to me the Pensacola Bible Institute of Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, the same school where my Dad audited Bible classes in the late 70's. I then joined Dr. Ruckman's church, and enrolled in his school in 1995, graduating in the class of 1998. I still think this the best move I've ever made, as I learned more Bible than I could have ever imagined. I love and appreciate Dr. Ruckman for teaching me the word of God!
But, my father's recommendation to attend the school did not come without the following words of caution, "Be careful! There are things going on there you don't know about, and they are changing what they used to preach and believe. Practice discernment!"
My father even told me of people he knew that had graduated from that school who weren't even saved! I could hardly believe this, but have now come to understand why he said it, and believe it more than likely to be so.
While attending school, I was happy as I could be, learning the Bible, and I enjoyed growing as a new Christian. Life was good. I had made friends, and enjoyed street preaching and door knocking (something I still do often).
My first encounter of doubt that something wasn't right was when a student in my class (who was an older gentleman who before had been kicked out, but was given another opportunity to attend classes again) gave his testimony. According to what he said, he received Jesus as his Saviour on three different occasions! This did not sit well with me, as the Bible clearly teaches a sinner can only be saved ONCE!
My father had recently written a gospel tract entitled, "THE BLOODLESS GOSPEL," a title which he claims Dr. Peter Ruckman coined years ago. CLICK HERE FOR A BRIEF TRANSCRIPT OF RUCKMAN'S WORDS ABOUT THE BLOOD
In the tract, my father showed how biblically, a person IS NOT SAVED by any other means than TRUSTING JESUS CHRIST AND HIS SHED BLOOD! Any other plan of salvation that leaves out faith in the blood of Jesus is a false plan of salvation, and will damn a soul to hell! CLICK HERE TO READ MY BOOK ENTITLED "THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS"
I printed Dad's tract and handed it out to two or three people in my class, who had also given their testimonies in which they claimed they had been saved, but by a "bloodless method." Worried about their salvation, and them going to hell, I wanted to make sure they heard and understood the Gospel, and were truly saved.
One of them fell under conviction. He went forward crying at the end of a preaching service. The assistant Pastor B. Donovan, then took him aside and dealt with him. Dr. Ruckman watched anxiously, to see what had happened. After they arose from their knees, Dr. Ruckman asked if the young man had just gotten saved. The reply from Donovan was, "No, he just needed assurance." I watched Dr. Ruckman's countenance fall, and as he simply uttered, "Oh." (It appeared Dr. Ruckman was really expecting that crying sinner to get saved.)
I learned from the young man later that the following had taken place: "I went forward wanting to get saved, and Donovan asked me, 'Have you said the prayer?' I told him I had, and then he said, 'Okay, let's pray it again for assurance.' So we did."
My father will testify, as so will I, that we have both seen this happen countless times. But where is the faith in the blood of Jesus? Doesn't this make a person trust their prayer instead of Christ's propitiation? (And interesting note is that years prior there was a white-headed gentleman who dealt with sinners who came to the altar to be saved. Dad said that man always took time with the sinner and pointed them to salvation by faith alone in the blood atonement. I remember that man distinctly, and after having talked to him, I believe he did preach FAITH IN THE BLOOD and not a bloodless SINNER'S PRAYER gospel).
Later, both Dr. Ruckman and Donovan read my father's tract (The Bloodless Gospel) in Bible class, and ridiculed two or three points in it. I looked around and saw the people's expressions, and talked to several of them afterwards. They told me they thought that Donovan and Dr. Ruckman were saying a person didn't have to know about or believe in the blood of Jesus to be saved. CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT QUOTE BY CLARENCE LARKIN ON THE BLOOD
I then went to both Dr. Ruckman and Mr. Donovan personally, and asked them if what my Dad wrote was heresy. They told me it was not. I then asked, "Why did you ridicule it so much? The people got the wrong idea, and now they think the blood of Jesus isn't necessary for salvation!"
They both told me the tract was good, but several points weren't clear enough or else were confusing. One example will suffice. The tract mentioned Rev. 1:5, which states "...unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.'
They both said the way the tract was written would make a lost person think his soul was already washed in the blood of Jesus, as Rev. 1:5 only applies to Christians, or those who are washed because they are already saved.
I then asked if I rewrote the tract, would they read it. They said they would, so I did, changing the several points they mentioned in order to make it read more clearly. Dr. Ruckman never responded.
Through my girlfriend at the time, I gave the rewritten tract to Donovan, and she told me later, "He said he read it and it was okay!" CLICK HERE TO READ MY REWRITTEN COPY OF DAD'S BLOODLESS GOSPEL TRACT
I thought that would be the last of the issue, but boy was I wrong! Further, the damage had been done, as several students told me later that they thought both Ruckman and Donovan were against preaching the blood for salvation, and according to them, a person didn't have to know or hear about the atonement to be saved. With Romans 3:25, I set them straight. CLICK HERE FOR AN OLD QUOTE OF RUCKMAN CLAIMING YOU MUST TRUST THE BLOOD TO BE SAVED
Going out on visitation every Thursday night, I noticed some of my partners would not tell people about the blood of Jesus. Instead, they'd follow a Bloodless method, and only presented four or five verses (sometimes only three), and then end up in Rom. 10:13, telling a person, "Now all you have to do to be saved is just repeat after me, and you'll be saved because of your prayer."
This did not sit right with me, because nowhere in the Bible does it say your Sinner's Prayer saves you! That's not to say you can't have a person pray. Sure a sinner can pray! However, he must realize the prayer itself is not what saves him! CLICK HERE FOR A GOOD QUOTE BY JOHN R. RICE ABOUT PRAYER
I saw several things that shocked me. One time my partner gave a guy only three verses then ended with Romans 10:13, and asked the sinner to repeat after him in prayer. The sinner did, and then afterwards pulled out a beer and guzzled it down, exclaiming, "Okay, thanks, now leave me alone, as I have a party to attend here!"
Yet, my partner bragged later about the young man getting saved. But did he? I seriously doubt it. All he did was repeat a vain repetitious prayer from his mouth, he did not REPENT from his heart, nor did he trust the blood of Jesus Christ.
Another time I remember coming in late for visitation, and hearing the visitation director telling a story which went like this, "There was a Catholic family who let us speak with them for about 30 minutes. We took them through many verses, and then I asked them, 'Would you like to be saved?' They replied, 'No thank you, not now!' So we then asked them, 'Can we pray for you before we leave?' They replied, 'Sure!' But as we were praying, we noticed they repeated everything we said. So we prayed, 'Lord please save me, Amen!' As we left, we realized, WE LEAD THOSE PEOPLE TO THE LORD, AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT!"
Now, NOBODY gets saved and doesn't even know it. It's impossible to trick people into getting saved!
(It must be noted that the visitation preacher now claims he never told this story, but I heard him tell it with my own ears.)
These are just a few examples I saw that left a bad taste in my mouth. Yet, I continued in school, on visitation, and Saturday street preaching. (Note: Sadly, I've seen this more and more, as those who claim to be "Soul Winners" leave out the blood of Jesus completely, only giving a sinner a few verses and stressing their need to repeat their words after them. This is shallow evangelism, but it is practiced all too frequently in Independent Baptist Circles).
While in School, God dealt with me about being a missionary. I remember Dr. Ruckman preached a message stressing, "God will use what you have in your past!"
I had four years of Spanish in High School, so I went down to the front and told the Lord that it wasn't much, but I'd give it to Him to use if he would.
Less than a month later he preached on Missions, and I remember the Lord laid it on my heart to go forward and get on my knees and surrender to serve God on the mission field. It wasn't much later that God showed me the field of Honduras, where I went for almost three months in 1998, and worked with Missionary S. Ortiz. While on the field, both my grandfather and my uncle died, and this was devastating, especially not being able to attend their funerals.
Before returning to the U.S. and beginning deputation, Bro. Ortiz took me aside and said the following: "Now, I'm going to give you some good advice. When you return to Dr. Ruckman's, sit on the back pew, and be quiet. Don't talk to anyone unless they talk to you, and don't tell them too much, as that church is full of gossipers, and they will use any thing they can against you!"
I laughed at first, but then Bro. Ortiz told me story after story of what he'd been through, and how other brothers and sisters in that church had hurt him. This was my second word of warning (the first coming from my father).
I started Deputation in December of 1998 and finished it in July of 2001. In August of 2001, I flew to Honduras as a single missionary with only two thousand dollars a month support. God used me in a mighty way, and I quickly reached several mountain villages by street preaching, door knocking, and more. In four villages, I was able to get a Bible into every house. CLICK HERE FOR MY JOURNAL OF MY TIME IN HONDURAS
Eventually, I opened a children's ministry, and this led to the parents coming also. And God sent along another Missionary named Mike Lane to work with, and together we started New Hope Baptist Church. I also started a small mountain work in Quebrada de Lajas.
Missionary Homero Romero had a church in the large industrial city of San Pedro Sula, and I visited him every couple of months and preached for him. On one occasion, we were robbed at gunpoint, and we learned that we were to be killed. Not knowing what else to do, I preached what I thought would be my last message, while shaking uncontrollably with fear. The more I preached, the more courage God gave me, and I was at peace with the fact that I might die that day. I can still remember one of the thieves pressing the gun barrel to the back of my head while I was on my knees praying, "God, please don't let him miss, and please make it clean and fast! I'm looking forward to coming home!"
Obviously God wasn't through with me, and has left me here because there is more work to do.
After having been on the field a few years, and communicating with a wonderful young lady back home, we set a date to get married, and I flew to Washington State for the ceremony. But things didn't work, out and I was left jilted, dejected, and devastated.
I went back home and attended a Bad Attitude Baptist Blowout (the name of their yearly revival service) at Dr. Ruckman's church. Instead of finding comfort from my pastor, Dr. Ruckman called me "Brother Love Affair." I respectfully resisted the urge to call him "Dr. Divorce," even though I felt the words forming on my tongue. But, I was devastated he would call me that. The Bible tells us, "It's not good for a man to be alone!" And all I wanted was to have a good godly wife to help me in the ministry. Even Dr. Ruckman taught me a wife comes before the ministry!
I then returned to Honduras, where I received a dirty letter from a former classmate from Pensacola Bible Institute, claiming I was a low down, sorry rascal, and accusing me of slandering the young lady who decided against marrying me. Although I made it a point to only praise her in my prayer letter. This discouraged me even more.
After working on the field even longer, I received a letter from my Mission Board, stating, I had to sign an affidavit promising not to leave the Mission Field for five years. I contacted several other missionaries, and heard that the Mission Board had mailed it to all their missionaries because one missionary was leaving from Europe or someplace, coming back to the U.S. for stupid reasons, like to attend a great-aunt's birthday or something the like.
I went through and reread the mission board handbook again, and prayed about the issue. The reason I joined my Mission Board was because they said they would never try to tell me what to do, and only desired me to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in my ministry, which I've always tried to do. But then they were now trying to Lord over me, and tell me what to do. I then found out other missionaries were against it as well, so I threw the letter into the fireplace and refused to sign it. I never heard anything back, figuring they were testing their power. (I later learned half the missionaries signed it, and half didn't).
Later, a friend suggested I begin writing Ms. Laura Beth Flood, of Sarasota, Florida. She was an Independent Baptist like myself, and we hit it off nicely. After several years, we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God's will for us to wed, so I returned to the U.S. to marry her. We exchanged vows on April 10, 2005. We then returned to Honduras together a month later.
A year later, my wife awakened me in the middle of the night to tell me God had been working on her and had showed her she was not saved. She repeated a prayer at age five, just as I did, but realized she had been trusting that prayer her whole life, and not Jesus and His finished work alone. Struggling all night, she finally realized she was lost, and right there she trusted in Christ's shed blood as sufficient to save her. As she puts it, "I realized there was nothing for me to do, but simply reject what I had done, and rest in what Jesus Christ had done for me!" CLICK HERE TO READ MY WIFE'S TESTIMONY
I sincerely thought people would be happy to hear such great news! So I had my wife write down her testimony and we mailed it to everyone on our prayer letter list (almost 250 different addresses). I never in my wildest dreams would have thought anyone would have ridiculed and put us down for announcing the good news of my wife's salvation. (Just think, she would have gone to HELL if she'd died before that day!) But we received hate mail, dirty emails, and more from supporting pastors, family members, and others, all claiming we were deceived, and that my wife was already saved before. Some even said I had deceived my wife, and we were members of some kind of cult.
All those who attacked us, failed to realize it was not me, but the HOLY SPIRIT that convicted my wife of her lost condition! In fact, it was several tracts, and several messages she read and heard that lead to her salvation. CLICK HERE TO READ SOME OF THE TRACTS MY WIFE READ THAT LEAD TO HER SALVATION
I didn't realize it at the time, but we had hit the nail too close to the head, and had rocked the boat, and opened a can of worms that most pastors do not want to even think about, much less address, especially in this day of apostasy, that is:
THAT THERE ARE COUNTLESS CHURCHES FULL OF PEOPLE JUST LIKE MY WIFE THAT CLAIM TO BE SAVED, AND HAVE EVEN BEEN BAPTIZED, BUT THEY AREN'T SAVED BECAUSE THEY WERE NEVER EXPLAINED THE GOSPEL CLEARLY AND ENDED UP THINKING THEY WERE SAVED BY THEIR PRAYER INSTEAD OF BY FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST'S FINISHED WORK!
The main issue turned out to be that of ASKING verses TRUSTING. Both my wife and I asked God to save us time and again. But we were not saved because we ASKED. We were trusting in our asking instead of in Christ's shedding His blood for us. We made our asking a work of salvation that we did, expecting God to save us because of it. We did not simply trust Christ's blood alone. In short, we were trusting our own righteousness, and had not submitted ourselves unto the righteousness of God. CLICK HERE TO READ A GOOD ARTICLE ABOUT ASKING VERSUS TRUSTING
Eventually, my wife and I went back to the U.S. for furlough, and while there we received an email from missionary to Canada, Aaron Clippinger, also from Peter S. Ruckman's church. He asked us what we believe about salvation, or how someone gets saved. I replied, "A person can only be saved by trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone!" (I said this because that's what the Bible says, and that's what Dr. Ruckman taught me in class).
He replied by telling me I was right, but then he added a great big, "But...," in which he stated a person is saved by confession, unless of course that person cannot speak, and then he is saved by simply trusting in Jesus Christ. So here he was giving three different plans of salvation: 1. By FAITH in the blood, 2. By SPEAKING or CONFESSING WITH THE MOUTH, and 3. Just believing from the heart for those who can't speak.
This bothered me. There is only one plan of salvation. What he was saying sounded like the 1,2,3, pray after me shallow soul winning that's so rampant today, which puts the emphasis on the prayer (babbling), instead of on Christ's propitiation (the blood), or better said, on repeating, instead of on repenting.
I wrote him back and told him it's either by faith alone in the blood of Jesus Christ or it's not, you can't have it both ways. I also sent him a working manuscript of a new book I was working on called, "The Heresy of the Sinner's Prayer." CLICK HERE TO READ OUR CORRESPONDING EMAILS
We corresponded several times, and unbeknownst to me, he gave my emails and book to Assistant Pastor Brian Donovan, who then called us into his office to speak with him. What happened next was like an episode of the Twilight Zone.
My wife and I went into Donovan's office on a Sunday afternoon. Mr. Donovan then showed us my emails and my book Mr. Clippinger had given him. Donovan showed me some places in my book where I could have been clearer, and I cordially thanked him and told him I'd take it into consideration. (I've since rewritten the book to make it as clear and plain as possible, even using many of Mr. Donovan's suggestions). CLICK HERE TO READ THE UPDATED VERSION OF MY BOOK THE HERESY OF THE SINNER'S PRAYER
In the course of our discussion, Mr. Donovan turned to Romans 10:9,10, and told us the words, "confession is made unto salvation," means that a person is saved by confession. This sounded Catholic to me, and I pointed out the context of the verse that salvation or righteousness, is through believing from the heart. But Mr. Donovan told us six times that salvation is "with the mouth." (My wife is witness to his saying that, as she was right there with me!)
Now I must backtrack in this story way back to when I was accepted onto the mission Board at Bible Baptist Church in 1998. There was a man there named Steve Jordi, who had a horrible testimony. He used to be a Satanist, and claimed he'd gotten saved when he crawled up into a tree and asked Jesus into his heart. I was the only one to question his testimony during that time, and he didn't like it. He told me that he believed Rom. 10:13 and Rom. 10:9,10 proved to him that salvation came by his SPEAKING or PRAYING, and that he was saved BY HIS PRAYER. When I showed him salvation is by FAITH in the blood of Jesus Christ, he became upset, so I said, "Let's go talk to Donovan and ask him!"
I'll never forget what happened. We were walking out of class under the overhang on our way to the church auditorium when we asked Mr. Donovan if a person is saved by CONFESSING or by BELIEVING. Donovan's answer was, "Well, technically, you are saved when you believe."
Steve Jordi then ceded he was wrong and walked off in a huff. Later I gave him my Dad's rewritten tract on "The Bloodless Gospel."
When my appointment to get on the Mission Board came, Steve Jordi went to Brian Donovan and accused me of being a heretic. During the meeting to vote to take me on, Donovan brought out the tract on the Bloodless Gospel and asked me if I believed in Romans 10:13. I exclaimed, "I do believe Romans 10:13, cause it's in the Bible!" And I do! (But I also believe 2 Tim. 2:22, which states calling is from the HEART, and not just the mouth, and the calling must be in TRUTH (Psalm 145:18). Anyone can ask God for salvation from the mouth, but if there is no heartfelt repentance and faith from the heart, they are not saved!)
To make a long story short, Dr. Ruckman asked me a few questions, and then said I should be accepted to the Mission Board. Obviously, he had no problem with me.
After leaving his office, Steve Jordi stood right outside the door, waiting to speak with me. His first words, in a spiteful tone of voice were, "Well, did you get on the Mission Board?" I responded, "Yes I did, no help from you!"
I then invited him out to dinner, and we talked. He then told me, "I have a problem with you, because if what you say is true, I'm lost! I've only prayed from the mouth, but didn't believe from the heart, and that scares me!"
I then took him through the plan of salvation again, and showed him what Jesus did for him, and showed him the importance of trusting the blood. I then asked him one final question, "When did you trust the blood of Jesus alone from your heart as sufficient to save you?" He replied, "Right now!"
I've never told anyone this except my wife years later. Nor did I go away and brag that I won him to the Lord. But if it's true, then he didn't get saved until that night. CLICK HERE FOR HIS CONFESSION TO ME LATER, AND HOW A PERSON WHO ASKS JESUS INTO THEIR HEART COULD BE ASKING A DEMON INTO THEM!
Now fast forward to our meeting in Donovan's office some seven years later. Instead of saying what he used to (that salvation is by believing), Donovan was now telling my wife and I that salvation is by what you SAY with your mouth. This is a complete reversal of what he told Steve Jordi and I. Why the change?
I never got to speak to Dr. Ruckman, so I don't know what he believes on the subject now. But that Sunday morning, a funny thing happened. At the end of his message Dr. Ruckman said the following: "Now you want to get saved, you have to ask... er, I mean trust the blood of Jesus Christ to save you!"
Why did he change in mid-sentence? Did he realize he was about to say something anti-biblical? Did he realize he was about to tell someone to do something with their mouth, so he changed it to trusting from the heart? I guess I'll never know, as Dr. Ruckman has never talked with me in person about this. I do however, have a letter from him to my father that proves Dr. Ruckman used to be against telling anyone to "ask Jesus into their hearts" for this is an anti-biblical practice. CLICK HERE TO READ DR. RUCKMAN'S LETTER TO MY DAD
I also need to add that I remember distinctly that my wife asked Brian Donovan, "When did you get saved, and how did you get saved?" Donovan responded, "I knelt by the side of my bed and asked God to save me."
My wife, and God bless her heart, she's so smart, then asked, "So, were you trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ alone when that happened?"
Donovan replied sarcastically, "No, I was trusting in my mattress!"
(Why would he say something like this? Especially when salvation is so important? Why would he make such light of the blood?)
As we left Donovan's office, both Laura and I were confused. It sounded to us that Donovan believed salvation is by confession, a catholic doctrine if ever there was one.
Outside the office, we immediately encountered Mr. Turner, the visitation teacher who cornered us, and demanded we go back into the office to speak with him. He then proceeded to attack me, and yelling, he called me "demon-possessed, a cult leader, a liar," and more. My wife tried to speak up, and he actually told her, "Shut up sister! I don't even know who you are!"
In the heated onslaught that ensued, Donovan even told my wife, "You were already saved when you were younger, you just didn't know it!"
I couldn't believe what was happening. I finally spoke up and said, "Look, we want to leave this church right now, quietly."
Donovan responded, "Okay, just remember YOU want to leave. YOU are the one that said you want to leave. YOU are the one running from your problems!"
But I didn't have any problems. All I knew was that I was preaching what the Bible said, and what I thought both Donovan and Ruckman believed. Obviously, some one changed their opinions.
My wife was too shaken up to sit in church that evening and watch Dr. Ruckman draw. She was crying and asked me to take her home. She also said, "You were too nice to them! They were like wolves attacking you, and you didn't do much." Maybe that is so, but I remembered both my father's and Ortizs' warning. Plus, the following verse kept going through my head, "The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD." (Prov. 17:14,15)
By nature I'm not confrontational, nor do I want to be. I just didn't want any contention, so I let them vent their false accusations, and as nicely as possible I told them we could no longer be a part of their church if they believed salvation was by SPEAKING instead of TRUSTING the blood of Christ.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against prayer (which they have since accused me of). I believe a sinner can pray and trust Jesus as his Saviour when he prays, but he is not saved by his prayer (something even Dr. Ruckman made clear in his Romans commentary). CLICK HERE FOR RUCKMAN'S WORDS FROM HIS COMMENTARY ON ROMANS
On the way home, we talked about what had happened, and couldn't believe we were ridiculed so harshly. Our only crime is to believe a person is saved only by FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT QUOTE BY C. H. SPURGEON
At home, I talked to my father about the whole situation, and he told me that when he was in school there in the 1970's, he saw the "Bloodless Gospel" of 1,2,3, pray after me, entering into the church. And he's talked to several students that he went to school with him have since told him they doubt they are even saved to begin with.
My wife and I went to sleep that night distraught and downtrodden. How could we be treated so harshly. What evil did we do? We aren't adulterers, we don't go bar-hopping, or smoke, drink, lie, steal, cheat, etc? What did we do wrong? We just want to be faithful preaching the BLOOD, the BOOK, and the BLESSED HOPE. Why is that wrong? (And why would they try to turn my wife against me, and deceive her into thinking she was already saved when she wasn't? Were they trying to "retread" her? Or maybe we should say "pretread" her.)
The next morning my father gave me a letter he received from Peter S. Ruckman on this very same topic in 1993. My Dad wrote him, asking him why he’d met students from his school going around telling people to "ask Jesus into their hearts," when he used to preach against this. Ruckman used to preach salvation only by trusting in the blood atonement of Christ. In his response letter Ruckman even said that a person must understand the blood atonement and trust it, and a person's prayer he prays doesn't even amount to "a hill of beans." And he makes clear that salvation is by rejecting one's own righteousness, and trusting only in the righteousness of Christ alone. CLICK HERE TO READ RUCKMAN'S RESPONSE LETTER
This strengthened our faith, and proved to us we were not wrong, nor had we changed our position, someone else had changed theirs.
As we thought about this whole issue, I began remembering more and more things, and we talked them over. While in Donovan's office, I told them I was against, "Ask Jesus Into your Heart." They told me they were as well. I then said, "Then how come I see people all the time when I go on visitation here tell lost sinners to do that?"
They replied, "Tell us their names, and we'll take care of it!" I responded, "Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to be keeping a list!"
I then remembered the man Dr. Ruckman called, "The greatest Missionary ever to come out of P.B.I." and told my Dad about him. If I mentioned his name, you'd probably know him. He travels and does chalk talks on U.F.O.s and more. I've got his tapes. At the end of each one, he tells people they are saved by prayer, and they must ask Jesus into their hearts. (Even in his tape on "How to win souls," he never mentions the Gospel or the blood once! In fact, he even tells people not to take their bibles with them while soul winning!)
I told Dad and Laura that one time I encountered this so-called great missionary and spent a week with him in Connecticut. After one of his preaching services, he turned to me and asked me to take a young five-year-old boy outside and win him to the Lord. I did and tried to show the boy he was a sinner, but it became apparent that he didn't even know what sin was. So after about 20 minutes I gave up and took him back inside. When this great missionary asked me if he'd gotten saved, I replied, "No, he's too young!"
Angrily, he countered, "Nobody is too young to get saved! Come here, boy, and repeat after me!"
The child repeated the entire prayer, and the missionary told everyone he was saved, and then even wrote about it in his prayer letter. But this is deception plain and simple. No one can be saved, until they first realize they are lost. They must know they are a sinner, and they must first hear (Rom. 10:17) and understand the Gospel (Matt. 13:15).
Three days after our encounter with Brian Donovan, our Mission Board called us on the phone. If I remember correctly, it was a man named Dickman who spoke with me. He said he was the third one down, and that neither the director, nor the sub-director wished to speak with me. He then proceeded to tell me, "I'm to inform you that you have 90 days to make other arrangements, for you are no longer part of Bible Baptist Mission."
When I asked him why they wanted me to leave, he could not respond, claiming, "I don't know the answer to that. All I know is I'm supposed to give you this message."
Following my father's advice of always being cordial, I then told him the following, "Well, thank you very much. I would like you to do me a favor and tell everyone there that I appreciate them for all they've done for me and my wife over the years."
He then responded, "Hey, that's a nice thing to say!"
I then said, "Can I just say one more thing? Isn't it funny that they would kick a guy off of a mission board who's only crime is preaching salvation by faith alone in the blood of Jesus Christ?"
He answered, "Boy, that is weird!"
So we were left out in the dark. I never did get a clear reason on why they desired us to leave their Mission Board. Just because we left the church didn't mean we had to leave the Mission Board. (There are many missionaries on that board who are members of other churches). But obviously they didn't want us there.
We've since learned of a missionary that's still on their board who killed his unborn child, but he's not been kicked off. There's another missionary who wrote a book on astrology, but he's still on the board, and much more. But we don't desire to "compare ourselves" with others, as that is "not wise" (2 Cor. 10:12).
Further, we've heard from several others, that the mission board has told them, "The Breaker's have gone off the deep end!" I don't understand what this means, nor what deep end we are in. All I know is we have been faithful to preach salvation by faith in the blood atonement by Jesus Christ, and have not wavered in this.
We then had to find a new church and a new board. But as we studied, and looked, we found there did not exist any board anywhere that didn't try to take a percentage of the missionaries support, and/or try to play Holy Spirit themselves, in trying to tell a missionary what to do. This did not sit well with us, so we prayed and asked God what to do.
When I started deputation in 1998, I remember hearing time and again, pastor after pastor asking us, "Which Mission Board are you SENT from?" But as I did deputation and spoke with other missionaries, and pastors, I learned that Biblically, Mission Boards don't send anyone! THE LOCAL CHURCH is who sends missionaries according to Acts chapter 13. (In fact, there are no Mission Boards in the Bible).
So we came to the realization we didn't need a Mission Board, for all we needed was a sending church. So we first went to South Carolina to join what we at the time thought was a good Bible Believing church, hoping to be sent from it. But, we were told they didn't want us, or to be part of the controversy that we had began (which was what? All that happened was my wife got saved!).
I also had never been ordained. Before I left for the mission field of Honduras in 2001, I asked to be ordained, but I was told by Donovan, "We don't do that here in this church. You go and start a work and then come back and then we'll ordain you."
This always bothered me, as in Acts 13, they ordained them and then sent them out. Not the other way around!
With much prayer and fasting, God opened a door, as he always does, for us to join a good, sound Bible believing church in Monterrey, Mexico, and they even ordained me! (The Church is Grace Bible Baptist Church, and the pastor is Raul Reyes). Since we are called to Spanish-speaking people, we figured it'd be awesome to be sent from a Spanish-Speaking church! This church has produced the Valera 1602 Purified Spanish bible, a pure version of the Spanish Bible that even Dr. Ruckman funded and supported for several years. However, he now only supports the corrupt 1865, and the even worse Gomez Bible. But, that's an entirely different story. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE SPANISH BIBLE ISSUE There you will find more info about the Valera 1602 Purified Spanish Bible.
It is now 2009. We are still serving the Lord, and have no plans to quit. But because of what happened, we have been ostracized in the Ruckmanite camp, and have lost much support, and are lucky to get one thousand dollars a month. Not being able to return to Honduras and live there for good (we could never get my wife's residence in the country), God has called me to do the work of a Missionary Evangelist, and reach lost Hispanics all over the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. Our Prayer Card tells we are to the Hispanic People in the Americas. CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR PRAYER CARD
There is a great need to reach the many millions of lost Latinos, and we desire to be faithful in preaching the truth in both English and Spanish about the three most important doctrines of Christianity: SALVATION, SANCTIFICATION, and the SCRIPTURES.
We are currently doing deputation over to gain more support, for our ministry has been greatly hindered because of all this. (What was I supposed to do, suppress my wife's testimony of salvation, and LIE, claiming she was saved when she was little, when she really wasn't?)
I've since written to Mr. Donovan twice, asking him what his contention was against me, and have received several apathetic and cold response letters, full of misrepresentations and false accusations. He also claims I've called Dr. Ruckman a heretic, WHICH I HAVE NEVER SAID! CLICK HERE TO READ DONOVAN AND MY LETTERS OF CORRESPONDENCE
I've also received several letters from Dr. Ruckman in which he attacks me with strange accusations, even calling me a "Calvinist." (Personally, I despise John Calvin and his strange doctrines that are not found in the Bible. I even wonder if Calvin was saved, as much as he twists the scriptures).
We do not hate Dr. Ruckman or Brian Donovan, nor do we wish them any ill. We pray for them daily. They taught me the Bible, and for this I am truly grateful!
But we cannot go along with them if they have or are changing their position on the doctrine of salvation. They used to preach salvation by faith alone in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. If they are now teaching that vocally "asking" or "praying" saves a person, then the facts represented here prove they once used to preach against this.
Dr. Ruckman is now even preaching that people like ourselves are trying to "retread" people, a term that isn't in the Bible, and doesn't even really make sense. There is no such thing as a "retread." You are only saved ONCE! But, you can be deceived into thinking you are saved many times when you really aren't, because you've been instructed to DO SOMETHING to be saved. Salvation is not doing something, rather it's believing in what Jesus already did for sinners.
Ruckman even made this clear in his letter to my father, and in Bible class. I remember him stating on several occasions that a person can vocally call upon God for salvation, but still not be saved! (Our position exactly!) But then months or years later, God will "cash in," by bringing them the Gospel for them to hear so they can be saved. This is what happened to my wife, and this is what happened to me. This is also what happened to Steve Jordi. But we weren't saved until we heard the Gospel and trusted the blood of Jesus Christ. We weren't "retreads." We were just plum saved! CLICK HERE TO READ RUCKMAN'S LETTER TO MY DAD WHERE HE USES THE TERM "CASH IN"
So here are the facts, and the reason why we left our old home church. We certainly felt we did the right thing, but we are baffled by what happened in Mr. Donovan's office. Our position, that salvation is by believing, and not by speaking alone, has even been labeled, "a straw dummy" by Brian Donovan, and we were told by him, that we would be wasting our time to even mention it to others. But what if there are others out there like my wife who have been tricked into thinking they are saved when they really aren't? Don't they need to hear the truth and get saved? I believe they do!
The only reasons we wrote this article is to open your eyes to the issue at hand and to defend ourselves, as we have been misrepresented time and again. We've been accused of, among other things, the following:
Trying to get people saved over again (i.e. "retreading" Christians)
Starting a cult and a new plan of salvation
Preaching against Prayer in any shape or form
Perverting the simplicity of the Gospel
Trying to take Romans 10:13 out of the Bible
As you can see, all of these are ridiculous. And you can click on Ruckman's writings given above and see we are doing nothing more than preaching what the Bible says and what Dr. Ruckman taught us in Bible class. We have not changed our position, nor will we, no matter what the cost. You are either saved by trusting the blood of Jesus Christ, or you are lost! CLICK HERE FOR DR. RUCKMAN'S QUOTE IN HIS BOOK, THE SIMPLICITY OF SALVATION
Losing much support, we've also lost many friends. But we've found when we explain exactly what happened, people understand where we are coming from and agree with us. We've even regained some old friendships over the years as we tell others what we've been through. We hope this informative article will not be seen as attacking, but rather presenting the facts plainly, decently, and in order. Souls hang in the balance, and you can never go wrong preaching the blood of Jesus Christ for salvation!
We do not desire to attack Dr. Ruckman's or Mr. Donovan's ministries. They have done much good over the years. We pray for them often, and pray God will open their eyes, and get them back to preaching what they used to (i.e. Salvation is by faith alone in the blood atonement of Christ). If not, that's between them and the Lord. Our ministry is not to correct anyone. Our ministry is to tell lost sinners about the saving grace of God, and point them to the bleeding sacrifice of Christ on the cross. We desire only to present the Gospel plainly so no sinner will misunderstand and end up being confused with a "Bloodless Gospel," trusting in a prayer instead of trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ!
Our desire is to serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ without contention. We who are Christians, are in the Lord's army and we should be fighting together. However, it often feels like modern Christianity is not fighting the enemy, but often engaged in fighting amongst ourselves. This ought not so to be.
Our weapon is the King James Bible, our bullets are the blood of Christ, and our banner is the Gospel of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Let us then press forward, and as 2 Thess. 2:15 says, "...stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
Or as Phillipians 1:27 states, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel."
Any questions you have, we'll be more than happy to answer. Just email us at:
Robertbreaker3@hotmail.com
We pray you'll find this article written in the spirit of meekness, presenting all the facts. I've tried to "Lay all the cards on the table face up!" (One of Dr. Ruckman's favorite sayings). We strongly encourage you to contact both Ruckman and Donovan if you believe we have lied, misrepresented the facts, or said anything we should not have. The more you ask them about it, the more they'll be faced with the issue again, and the more they'll have to deal with what happened. The more we will then be exonerated, for we've done nothing wrong. We are not "heretics," nor are we trying to "retread" anyone. We simply wish to point sinners to the bleeding Christ!
I'll close with the words of Peter in 1 Peter 3:14-17:
"But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."