“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Acts 20:27
Ricky Tsang was an Asian man from Canada with a debilitating disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy that confined him to a wheelchair. He listened to my sermons for the past many years and sent me a lot of encouraging e-mails. He had originally contacted me about 6 years ago to tell me that he had gotten saved as a result of listening to the preaching from Faithful Word Baptist Church. After staying alive much longer than expected, Ricky went home to be with the Lord recently at age 35. Ricky had an inspirational attitude about his disease and was a blessing to all those around him. He has been an encouragement to me personally, and I am thankful that he is "walking, and leaping, and praising God" in heaven.
I’ve seen where Ricky told this story publicly before, so I think he would want me to tell it. Like many disabled people, Ricky had been abused by a Sodomite. He would not get saved because he was bitter toward the Lord about what had happened. He struggled with statements he had heard from Christians such as, “Even Jeffrey Dahmer is in Heaven.” After hearing the sermon “Sodomite Reprobates” Ricky realized that God is a righteous God. He finally believed and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his saviour because of hearing that sermon.
People will say that the reprobate doctrine turns people away from the gospel, but for every one that the reprobate doctrine “turns away,” it brings in a guy like Ricky who needed to hear it. I praise God for Ricky’s friendship and this important lesson he has taught us about the results of hard preaching.
Ricky is not the only one that has been hindered by the watered-down doctrine that God loves everyone. There are people that you will meet at the door out soul-winning who will scoff and say that we teach that “child molesters will be in Heaven.” I’ve had to go through Romans 1 with people and explain to them that child molesters/Sodomites are reprobates who have been given over to vile affections because they have rejected God. There are people on this earth who have gone too far and can no longer get saved, and being a pervert is a symptom of being a reprobate. Jeffrey Dahmer, and others like him are burning in Hell! This is not to say that we should regularly bring up Romans One when soul-winning, but if a person brings up that issue, sometimes expounding the reprobate doctrine to them can remove an obstacle, so that they will get saved.
As a pastor, it is not my job to worry about which scripture passages might turn people away. Preachers need to preach the whole counsel of God. As soul-winners, we need to be ready to tackle the hard questions out soul-winning. When I preached a sermon against the Sodomites, I had no idea that someone would get saved as a result of that sermon, but I am thankful that Ricky did.
Here is the sermon on Sodomite Reprobates.
Praise The Lord!!
ReplyDeleteThat last full paragraph should be yelled from the mountaintops, often. Bravo to you, and God bless the memory of your friend.
ReplyDeleteAmen pastor. This is true.
ReplyDeleteSame thing with my mom, she couldn't take salvation as a free gift because she couldn't reconcile that just a prayer at the end of a child molesters life would bring them to heaven. I explained that they would not be saved because they hate God.
ReplyDeleteA woman named Leigh was saved after understanding the reprobate doctrine here in Portland. It was the most powerful soulwinning salvation I've experienced so far, thank you for teaching truth.
ReplyDeleteWell said, and thank God for Ricky. What a great example and testimony. Next time someone says to me: "God loves everyone" (while referring to homos) I will respond with: "you're telling me that God loves sodomite homo paedophiles, who prey on children?" And follow up with what the Word says. This watered down preaching that homosexuality is a sin is everywhere, even in Baptist churches and it's sickening to listen to every Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThat was awesome. It was good that Pastor Anderson wrote about this; not just victims of molesters, but MANY non-believers ask the same question - "so someone can be a mass murderer, serial rapist, child molester, then just say a prayer and all is forgiven?". And though Jesus can forgive us for all manner of sins, there are people who are quite clearly pure evil and so it does seem rather odd, even offensive, that He could forgive a child rapist or a bloodthirsty tyrant. So from that perspective if makes sense, and also that it would comfort their victims that it is too late for some, and they were given over to a reprobate mind and that's why they are capable of unnatural evil acts; and they are doomed while they are yet alive.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I remember I wrote about something similar 2 years ago :-) about how knowing that the really evil people shall go to Hell, receiving ultimate justice even when the world's justice escapes them.
http://deanministries.page.tl/The-Comfort-Of-Hell.htm - "The Comfort Of Hell, Starring Robert Mugabe!"
Amen! Although I struggled with this doctrine for some time I do now believe it to be 100% biblical. Having said that we never know who is reprobate for sure and it is simply our task to preach the gospel to every creature, some will hear it, some will reject it and some have been rejected and will never be able to hear and understand it.
ReplyDeleteAmen, I really appreciate you Pastor Anderson. Thank you for never giving up, You have helped me grow as a soul winning Christian. I remember back in 2012 I prayed to God to lead me to a good Pastor, bcuz I was a backsliding Christian and wanted to get right with God, but didn't know how. My church is IFB but water down. I typed my sin fornication and love on you tube and you popped up, I never went back. You have and still are a blessing. Praise the Lord in Jesus name.
ReplyDeleteWell said Pastor.
ReplyDeleteI taught Romans 1 to my children and we have watched all your sermons on the subject.
The reprobate doctrine is so straightforward that even children can understand it the first time around.
Goodbye Ricky.
ReplyDeleteSimilar experience myself. I could never understand why a child rapist would be forgiven. Thanks for all you do Pastor.