The Power of the Free Sample

13 years ago, when I was working in the fire alarm business, I was walking through a mall after finishing a job in a department store, when I was approached by a Chinese girl holding something on a toothpick. “You like free sample?” I accepted that morsel of orange chicken, and it was the best Chinese food I had ever tasted in my life. That was my first time ever trying food from Panda Express, and I’ve been eating there ever since.

I later became the pastor of a church and held soul-winning events all over America. At these events, we all met for lunch at Panda Express. Little did that young lady know, she was making thousands of dollars for her company with that one free sample.

Sometimes people will look at how many CDs, DVDs, and flash drives our church gives out and question whether we are spending too much money on those items. They are underestimating the power of the free sample. Businesses give out free samples all the time with great results. We aren’t trying to make a profit, but we ARE trying to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

People often get interested in Bible preaching after first hearing it at home. Many of them start coming to church as a result. In the early days of our church when only a handful of people were meeting in my living room, I made some preaching CD’s, which I displayed on a rack. I wasn’t sure that anyone would want them, and they sat there untouched for a while, even though I announced that they were free. One day, a church member named Amanda took a bunch of the CD’s home to give to her mom. The next Sunday, Amanda’s mom was in church with her.

One flash drive loaded with 25 or 26 hours of preaching could result in a chain of events that could change someone’s life. Wouldn’t you say that toothpick with the orange chicken was a pretty good investment? It may have taken me years to try Panda Express on my own, but instead they came to me.

There is definitely a spiritual application with the Panda Express story. We aren’t trying to make money, but we ARE trying to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. We don’t just wait for people to come to us—we go to them. We give people the gospel at their door, and we also give out free samples.

When someone gets saved at one of our door-to-door soul winning marathons or if we come across someone who is already saved, we give them a sermon flash drive. Once people start listening to biblical preaching, they often get under conviction about the fact that they are not attending a local church, or perhaps they realize that they need to change churches. Also, we hope that people will pass our materials on to their unsaved friends and family members who might receive Christ after hearing the salvation messages.

I know of many people who have gotten saved after someone gave them one of our documentaries. Countless people are now attending independent fundamental Baptist churches across the country as a result of hearing my preaching on church attendance. Many of these people are now soul winning themselves every single week. Handing out preaching samples works and will continue to be one of the most important financial investments we make.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8

Here is the sermon on “The Financial Philosophy of FWBC.”

The Bhagavad Gita Exposed as Satanic

I preached a sermon recently, exposing the false doctrines and weird teachings of the Hindu holy book, “the Bhagavad Gita.” Like other false religions, Hinduism is Satanic.

6 False Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita

1) The Lord of the Bhagavad Gita is the Devil himself.
2) Death doesn't matter, so killing isn't a big deal. (It’s just like changing clothes.)
3) We should not care about the fruits of our labor, which is a socialist philosophy.
4) Your personal, mystical experiences are more important than the scriptures.
5) You should worship your inner being or “self” as God.
6) It gives you the false hope that if you do good deeds, you will not be damned.

Excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita

The so-called "Lord" of this book calls himself “the king of snakes.” Here is another quote from the Bhagavad Gita where he talks about himself:

“I am the cow that fulfills all desires... I am the cosmic serpent... I am the god of death... I am born among the demons.” (Chapter 10)

Here is another quote from the book where the so-called lord is being addressed:

“Oh Lord, I see within your body all the gods and every kind of living creature. I see the creator seated on a lotus. I see the ancient sages and the celestial serpents.”(Chapter 11)

According to the Bible, the great serpent is Satan. Hindus are not worshiping the God we worship. The lord of the Bhagavad Gita is the Devil himself!

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9

How do you witness to a Hindu? You do it the same way you witness to everyone else. We don’t need a customized soul-winning plan for every religion because the Romans road is a one size fits all. The same plan of salvation that I present to a Catholic, a Jew, or a Jehovah’s witness is the same one I give to a Hindu. It’s the same Gospel that everyone needs to hear. I always recommend going through the same basic plan of salvation with everyone, and then tagging on at the end any issues that you need to deal with regarding their specific religion. For example, after I go through the basic plan of salvation with a Jehovah's Witness, I then spend a little extra time emphasizing the deity of Christ. At the end of preaching the Gospel to a Hindu, I emphasize the fact that they must trust Christ ALONE and must reject the Hindu gods.

Hindus are tough to reach, but it is possible. I ran into several people down in Guyana, including Pastor Ram Angad, who were raised Hindu but ended up getting saved. Hindus need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They need to be told that it’s Heaven or Hell, not reincarnation. They need to realize that Jesus Christ is the one true God and put their faith in him alone for salvation.

Here is the sermon where I discuss Hinduism and its influence on “New Age” philosophies.

Here is a link to the plan of salvation in the Hindi language.

Preaching & Soul-Winning Event in Trinidad

Preaching Service

I will be preaching on Friday, March 3, 2017, in Trinidad and Tobago. On that Friday night at 7:00 p.m., I’m going to be preaching in the "Blanchisseuse room" at the Courtyard Marriott hotel on Audrey Jeffers Highway, Invaders Bay, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

If you live anywhere in Trinidad or even elsewhere in the Caribbean, I’d love for you to join us at that preaching service if at all possible. I appreciate the sacrifices people make to attend these events, and it’s great to meet like-minded believers from other parts of the world.

Soul-Winning Event

Also, the next morning on Saturday, March 4th, we’ll be meeting in the hotel lobby at 9:30 a.m. to go out soul-winning. If you’ve never been soul-winning, this is a great opportunity to get out there and try it. We will have a few people with us that know how to do the talking, so if you want to be a silent partner, just show up at that hotel on Saturday morning, and I’ll send you out with someone else who is a more experienced soul winner.

“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” Luke 10:1

This will be my second time visiting Trinidad, and I look forward to getting together with the people I met on my last visit and hopefully also seeing some new faces at the events. These type of events are not only a great way to spread the gospel and gain soul-winning experience, but they are also an opportunity to have fellowship with other Christians. For those of you who are single: sometimes sparks fly at these events--In fact, I’m told a couple recently get engaged at a soul-winning marathon held in the United States.

Again, we have a preaching service at 7:00 p.m. on that Friday night and soul winning on Saturday morning. We should have lots of preaching flash drives and preaching DVDs to give away as well as a few of our films. Everything we hand out at these events is free of charge if you show up to receive it in person. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you there!

“Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.” 2 John 12

Here is the video announcing the event

Here is the link to the event on Facebook

Upcoming Events at Faithful Word Baptist Church (2017)

“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Daniel 11:32

I recently updated the Faithful Word Baptist Church events page. We have so many exciting events planned for this year, and we want you to stay up to date with events happening near you, so that you can plan to attend.

Also, some of you are starting to plan your own soul-winning marathons, which is great, but please check the events page first to make sure none of the soul-winning events conflict. Believe it or not, there are people who attend every single soul-winning event, so we are trying not to have any of them overlap.

Here’s what we have planned so far for 2017:

January 28 – Small Town Soul-winning Marathon (Southern Arizona)
Feb 28 to Mar 2 - Pastor Anderson preaching/soul-winning in Guyana
March 3 - Pastor Anderson preaching in Trinidad and Tobago
March 23 - Pastor Anderson preaching at Verity Baptist Church (Sacramento, CA)
March 31 - Pastor Anderson preaching at Stedfast Baptist Church (Fort Worth, TX)
April 7 - Pastor Anderson preaching at Old Path Baptist Church (San Antonio, TX)
Apr 17 to 19 - Church Camping Trip, Group 1
Apr 20 to 22 - Church Camping Trip, Group 2
April 30 - First Services of FWBC in Lilongwe, Malawi
June 2 - Soul-winning Marathon in New Orleans, LA
June 24 - Soul-winning Marathon in Albuquerque, NM
Jul 13 to Jul 15 – Soul-winning in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
July 27 - Pastor Anderson preaching at Red Hot Preaching Conference (Sacramento, CA)
August 6 - First Services of Valiant Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL

Please note: All activities are always free of charge, including food, prizes, supplies, etc. Please feel free to invite family and friends to any church-sponsored activity!

We need silent partners at the soul-winning marathons, so don’t worry if you’re not comfortable doing the talking yet. We will pair you up with someone more experienced who can do the talking. Showing up is the first step to becoming a soul winner--we all started out as a silent partner.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30

Here is a link to the sermon "Getting Started Soul-Winning."

The Sinner's Prayer Defended

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:8-13

The Bible over and over emphasizes calling upon the name of the Lord for salvation. In fact, the doctrine of calling upon the name of the Lord has its origins back in Genesis with the first generation of people on the earth. Adam and Eve were still alive when the Bible says men began to call upon the name of the Lord:

“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:26

People will come along and try to say that the sinner’s prayer is unbiblical. They’ll say that praying a prayer and asking for eternal life is works. These vain janglers are actually saying that if you ask for something, it is no longer a gift.

What if I went down to the welfare office and asked for a welfare check or food stamps? Would anyone say that I earned that money? Asking for something is not earning it. There is no other area in life where we would believe that.

Look at Matthew 7:11:

“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him"

Jesus is talking about how our children ask for things like bread or fish, and he refers to those things they ask us for as gifts.

In John Chapter 4, Jesus told the woman at the well that she would ask for living water if she knew who he was, and he called it the gift of God. If you know the gift of God, and you know Jesus, you will ask him for the gift:

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” John 4:11

Everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is saved. Nothing could be clearer in scripture, and I’ve never said otherwise. That said, calling upon the name of the Lord is part of salvation. It’s the faith in our heart that saves us, and it is expressed out of our mouth. The prayer is a reflection of what is in our heart.

I personally believe that the attack on the sinner’s prayer is of the Devil. Giving people the Gospel using the Roman’s road and assisting them in a prayer is an effective soul winning method, so the Devil wants us to use less effective methods or perhaps become disillusioned with soul-winning altogether.

I use the tried and true Roman’s Road with a few additional verses, a strong emphasis on eternal security, and some review questions to make sure the person understands. If they say they believe, I lead them in a prayer.

Here is the sermon on The Sinner’s Prayer where I go into this subject in more detail.

Here is my soul-winning demonstration video.

Where to Get the Complete Church Piano Course

My personal PayPal account was shut down last week. You may remember hearing that PayPal shut down the church’s account about six or seven months ago, but they figured out that I’m the pastor of FWBC, and now they’ve shut down my personal PayPal account as well.

The only thing that I was using my personal account for was to sell my piano books. For a while now, Paul Wittenberger has also been selling the books on his website, Framingtheworld.com, so I’m going to just let him sell the books exclusively there instead of setting up another way to accept payment here on my blog.

I actually had to refund all of the recent orders because of the way my PayPal account was permanently suspended. I refunded all the money and just redirected all those people to Framing the World to purchase the books there.

This course is very user friendly. I’ve literally sold thousands of these books and given away hundreds, and all of the feedback I’ve received has been very positive. In fact, I’ve never had one person complain about or criticize any of the books. If someone didn’t like them, I honestly haven’t heard about it.

This course is designed to be self-guided, so you don’t have to know how to read music or hire a piano teacher. This easy, yet fast paced course will have you ready to participate in a church service after completing Book One. You will start out from day one playing real hymns in the key in which they were written.

Book One

Book One is designed for an absolute beginner. I’ve seen people with no prior experience pick up this book and start playing Nothing but the Blood on the first day. If you are an absolute beginner, Book One might take you around six months to master, but it contains everything you need to play 12 different hymns. I even made some companion videos, which I posted on YouTube, to help you through Book One in case you have any questions or just want to hear how the songs are supposed to sound.

Book Two

Book Two takes you to a higher level of skill and proficiency. It builds on the first book, and gets you playing with a fuller, more complex sound.

Book Three

Book Three takes everything you learned in Books One and Two and shows you how to apply it to other songs in the hymnal without needing any sheet music. The goal of the book is to get you playing directly from the hymnal.

If you already know how to play the piano and just want to learn how to play hymns, you still need to start with Book One. Otherwise Books Two and Three might not make any sense to you. You might blow through Book One in one day if you are a good piano player, but it is foundational for the rest of the course.

Click here to purchase Book One or the entire course on Framingtheworld.com

Malawi Government's Position on Homosexuality

Malawi on Same-Sex Marriage

I mentioned a while back that the Sodomites tried to spread a rumor that we are banned from Malawi because of my position on “gay marriage.” (Again, I don’t really talk about fag marriage, anyway—I talk about Romans 1 and Leviticus 20:13)

The following excerpt from Wikipedia discusses the fact that same-sex marriage has been banned in Malawi:

“On 17 April 2015, The Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Law came into force and banned all same-sex marriages and unions. While the law was praised for raising the minimum age of heterosexual marriages from 16 to 18, it was at the same time condemned for the exclusion of homosexual couples and for its language stating that one's gender is assigned at birth. The new law does not allow people who have undergone gender reassignment surgery to marry someone of that person's prior gender and also draws comparisons of gay sex to rape and sexual harassment.”

Malawi on Immigration

The Malawi government also prohibits homosexuals from immigrating, putting them in the same category with prostitutes. The following is an excerpt from the Malawi government website regarding their immigration policy:

Part I - IMMIGRATION GENERALLY

4. Prohibited immigrants

(1)Subject to this Act, the following persons shall be prohibited immigrants and their entry into or presence within Malawi shall be unlawful

(g)any prostitute or homosexual, or any person, male or female, who lives or has lived on or knowingly receives or has received any part of the earnings of prostitution or homosexuality, or has procured men or women for immoral purposes;

36. Aiding and abetting unlawful entry

(2)Any person who commits any fraudulent act or makes any false representation by conduct, statement or otherwise for the purpose of facilitating or assisting the entry of himself or any other person into Malawi, contrary to this Act, shall be liable to the penalties prescribed in subsection (1).

Deportable Offenses in Malawi

Interestingly, sodomy is listed under deportable offenses:

12. Incest, sodomy, bestiality, indecent assault or any unnatural offence

Although the Malawi government no longer arrests their own people for committing homosexual acts, they aren’t exactly Sodomite friendly either. They consider sodomy an “unnatural offense,” they don’t let homos get married, and they certainly don’t want any more of them moving into their country. In light of these facts, I doubt the Malawi government will be surprised that, as a Christian pastor, I am also against sodomy.

Here is a sermon on the Sodomite Agenda vs. Reality

After the Tribulation Remix Contest

Calling all Techies and End Times Prophecy Buffs:

Framing the World Productions is putting on an exciting contest called the After the Tribulation Remix contest. What we want you to do is take the bonus footage from the original After the Tribulation documentary and make your own new documentary. We want you to re-edit it, revamp it, and create your own unique documentary.

Here are the official rules for the contest:

1. Start by purchasing the new edition of After the Tribulation, which includes both the DVD of the film and the companion flash drive with the bonus material. You can purchase one of these sets on Framing the Word for 39.99.

2. Edit your own film using the material from the USB flash drive. The flash drive contains extended interviews, sermons, etc. Your new film will be entitled “After the Tribulation Revisited.”

3. Your entry must be 45 minutes or longer including the credits, etc.

4. We want you to use footage that we did not already use in After the Tribulation. No more than 10 percent of what you use can be footage that has already been used. We want you to take advantage of the bonus material, so that your movie will feel like a totally different movie.

5. You can add whatever material you like from your own sources. You can make your own graphics and include your own news clips and archival footage. You can also use footage from the Book of Revelation series. You can also add your own background music. Don’t use rock music or Christian contemporary music (CCM). Use classy music if you want to win.

6. Don’t upload huge sections of the uncut USB footage to YouTube. Edit the material into your movie, and then upload your entry.

7. When you upload your entry to YouTube, be sure to upload it as: “After the Tribulation Contest Entry-Your Name.”

8. The deadline for contest entry is March 15, 2017. If there is no acceptable entry by March 15th, we’ll extend the deadline to April 15th.

9. The contest will be judged by Paul Wittenburger and me. We will determine which video we like best--It’s totally based on our whim.

10. The winning entry is going to be released on DVD and we’ll print at least 1000 copies of that DVD. Not only will you get the honor of having your DVD distributed, but you’ll get 100 of those copies plus a flight to Phoenix, Arizona to visit Faithful Word Baptist Church. That’s right, we will fly you out to congratulate you in person.

If it’s a domestic flight, meaning you live in the United States, we’ll give you two tickets, so that you and one other person can visit. If you live overseas, we will pay for just the one ticket to fly you out. If someone from Phoenix wins, we can fly you to another city to visit another awesome church.

11. There is also going to be another “viewer’s choice award.” Whichever entry gets the most thumbs ups on YouTube will receive an honorable mention and 100 dollars.

12. Many will enter. Few will win. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

I know there’s a lot of talent out there, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Even if you don’t win, you are putting a version of the documentary out there and helping to spread the truth of God’s Word.

Here’s the video where I discuss the rules of contest in a little more detail.

Truthful Prosperity Preaching

The health and wealth prosperity gospel is a lie. Prosperity preachers teach that if you serve the Lord, everything is always going to go well for you. A lot of times because we are reacting to that lie, we lose sight of the fact that God will bless our obedience. With every false doctrine, there’s usually some truth mixed in. The truth of the matter is that God will reward and prosper us in the end, but we have also been called to a life of suffering and affliction.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19

Jeremiah’s life is a perfect example of this. In Jeremiah 40 we see the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem. They besieged Jerusalem for a long time. They killed all the princes. They put out Zedekiah’s eyes. The city is destroyed, the houses have been burned, and the Chaldeans have taken over.

After the battle is over, they took captives of all the important people in Jerusalem. Jeremiah was among those captives, but Nebuzaradan, the captain of the host, actually lets Jeremiah go. Look what it says in verse 4:

“And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.”

Nebuzaradan basically told Jeremiah if you want to come to Babylon, I’ll personally take care of you and make sure you have what you need. Or if you don’t think it’s a good idea to go to Babylon, stay here. God miraculously worked in the hearts of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, and others in order to bless Jeremiah.

“When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7

Jeremiah had been through a lot of hard times up until this point. He spent a lot of time in prison. One of the times he was in a pit of mire that was literally like the hole of an outhouse with no food to eat. In Jeremiah 40, Jeremiah is at that point in his life where he’s paid his dues and things are finally turning around for him. He has money and freedom and gets to live wherever he wants.

God will prosper us for doing right, but what the health and wealth preachers leave out is all the trials and heartache along the way. We need to understand that there’s a timeline: First there is suffering; then we are blessed.

Job is another great example of someone who was afflicted for awhile but was blessed in the long run:

“So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: “Job 42:21a

“Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” Psalm 37:37

When you live for the Lord, you’re going to be blessed in the end. Eventually, you’re going to prosper. It may not seem like it right now, but someday when you look back at your life, you’re going to be able to say, "Jesus led me all the way."

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Here is the sermon on Jeremiah 40 that covers this subject

Praying Unselfishly

“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:2-3

The Bible teaches that we should be unselfish in our prayers. When we pray for others and pray according to God’s will, God is going to give us what we need in addition to answering our prayers. Job and Solomon are two examples of people in the Bible who prayed unselfishly and were greatly blessed for it.

“And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10

In the above verse, we see God turning things around for Job and greatly blessing him as a direct result of him praying for his friends.

We also have a great example of an unselfish prayer in 2 Chronicles 1:

“In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.” 2 Chronicles 1:7-12

Instead of asking for something for himself, Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, so that he could do right by others. This pleased God so much that he also gave Solomon riches and honor. Sometimes when we pray, God will give us things that we didn’t even ask for because the Holy Spirit steps in and intercedes for us.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26

When we pray for someone else, God is more likely to answer that prayer than when we pray for ourselves. When we do pray for ourselves, we should ask for wisdom, so that we can help others. If we are unselfish in our prayers, God just might bless us more than we could ever imagine.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Here is a sermon on prayer.

CULT - World Mission Society Church of God

My sister and brother-in-law were recently approached in Walmart by a man carrying an NIV who asked them if they were familiar with the “Church of God.” After they responded that they were Baptists, he proceeded to announce that God is also female and that the Bible talks about a “Heavenly mother.” At first, they thought the female he might be referring to was Mary or maybe even “Shekinah,” but it was something even weirder.

They rebuked his strange doctrine with scripture and schooled him on some other things including the Bible version issue. They tried to give him the gospel throughout the discussion, but he kept going to back to the female God thing. They challenged him to show them that from the Bible, and he took them to Galatians 4:26.

"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." - Galatians 4:26

This seemingly intelligent, well-spoken young man actually believed that "Jerusalem" in that verse is God and felt that he had successfully proven that God has a female persona. The guy’s beliefs defied logic, and my brother-in-law even got him to admit that he believed only people who go to his church will go to Heaven—a textbook sign of a cult. The cult member also admitted to believing that Old Testament saints like King David burned in Hell until Jesus visited them after the crucifixion and told them how to get out.

He denied the simple truth of John 3:16, stating that you also have to also keep the Passover and Sabbath to be saved. Admittedly, that part of the discussion was kind of a moot point since the guy believed in a female God, but at least they hit him with several verses in an attempt to get through to him.

Apparently, a couple of verses in Galatians that mention "Jerusalem" are the basis of a cult called World Mission Society Church of God, which was founded by a man in Korea who they believe was the second coming of Jesus Christ! If you’ve ever wondered how Jim-Jones style cults recruit people, apparently, they might approach you while you’re out shopping.

Poor people in third world countries often fall prey to bizarre cult leaders and antichrists, but it’s surprising that a seemingly educated American was worshiping a woman in Korea as God! He said that Jerusalem IS a woman and that she lives in Korea. At one point, he even had the audacity to say that she is God's wife! This already brainwashed person was not interested in hearing the Roman’s Road.

We aren’t the only ones out there proselytizing, so we need to try to reach people before someone else does. Unfortunately, there are gullible people all over the world who might be just as receptive to joining a cult as they would be to getting saved.

“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.” Proverbs 14:15

Here is a video to go along with this story

Staying Married to Your Current Spouse

“But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matthew 5:32

The Bible clearly teaches that if you divorce your spouse and marry someone else, then you are committing adultery. People will sometimes misunderstand this concept and assume that they are living in a perpetual state of adultery if they’ve been divorced and remarried.

They’ll wonder if they are still married to the first person in God’s eyes, but that is not the case. The Bible teaches that once you remarry, it would be an abomination for you to go back to your former spouse—even after your current spouse dies. The only couples who are supposed to be reconciled are people who have gotten divorced but have both remained unmarried.

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” Deuteronomy 24:1-4

“And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.” 1 Corinthians 7:10-11

As a pastor, it is my job to preach against the wicked sin of divorce. I want to try to prevent people who have not already made that mistake from ever going down that road. Not only that, but if you are on your second or third marriage, I’m not trying to tear you down for your past sins. I’m warning you not to divorce your current spouse. Stay with the person you are married to right now because whoever you are currently married to is now God’s will for your life.

People have accused me of being a fraud because my parents are divorced and have both remarried. Since when is it the child’s fault when his parents get divorced? The only reason these people even know that about my parents is because I have mentioned it from the pulpit. Obviously, I am not trying to keep it a secret.

I’ve forgiven my parents, and I’m not mad at half of our society that gets divorced, but I’m not going to downplay divorce or stop preaching against it. God hates it, and it destroys families. If you have committed that sin in the past, you ought not be offended when you hear preaching on the subject. Don’t you want the younger generation to avoid the heartache and punishment you have experienced? Even if you don’t have children with you in church, I would think that you would want your current spouse to hear preaching that will give him or her a reason to stick with you through the bad times.

Here is a sermon to go with this article

Flee Fornication

“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18

 Fornication is defined as a man and a woman sleeping together before marriage. This sin is condemned throughout the Bible, especially in the New Testament. We are all sinners, but not all sin is equal. The Bible teaches that fornication is so serious that it can get you thrown out of the church.

“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:11

“…Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” 1 Corinthians 5:13b

If you are saved and sleeping with someone you aren’t married to, you need to repent of that sin. If you are living together, and you’re not married, then you are living in sin. If you plan to keep coming to church, your options are to get married or stop living together.

The Bible teaches that we should only have physical relations within marriage, so if you aren’t married yet, you need to deny that ungodly lust and wait until you get married to enjoy the benefits of marriage. If you aren’t ready to marry the person you are dating, then you shouldn’t be sleeping together. Have some self-control and respect for your body!

“For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

People who commit fornication for the first time often do not end up marrying that person but go on to be with person after person. Our bodies were not designed to exchange bacteria with hundreds of different people. In fact, there are infections people can get that are not considered STDs per say but are virtually unheard of in people who got married as virgins and have had only one partner. I realize that people die and their spouse can remarry, but sleeping with more than a few people in your lifetime is very unhealthy. In fact, the Bible calls it filthy.

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:” Revelation 17:4

Even if you are in a monogamous relationship, fornication is still wrong. Remember the story of Dinah in Genesis chapter 34?

“And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.”

“And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”

So many women today are in relationships where they would like to get married, but the guy won’t marry them. These jerks need to do the right thing, but the women are also to blame. Unfortunately, the old adage still holds true: Why buy the cow if you can get the milk free?

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Why "Faith Promise" Missions Can be Dangerous

In churches that have “faith promise missions,” they hand out cards, and people pledge to give a certain amount weekly, throughout the year. I’m not against churches that do this, but I don’t personally believe in it because I wouldn’t want someone to invoke the wrath of God when they fail to keep their promise.

People have a tendency to break financial vows even when they make them in church. This used to bother me when I went to a church that had a faith promise missions program. I remember there would be two figures in the bulletin. There was the total promised and the total collected, and those two figures were always different. The promise was always a little higher than what was actually coming in. They would make it sound like getting 75 percent of what was promised was good, but I remember being nervous about it. It always made me think of Ananias and Sapphira.

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.” Acts 5:1-11

When I decided to relocate to another state mid-year, I didn’t forget about my faith promise. I added up how many weeks were left in the year and paid off what I still owed. God didn’t tell me I had to make that promise to begin with, but since I had, I needed to keep it. I could have mailed the offering in each week, but I didn’t know how my job was going to go at my new location, so I just paid it off in advance to be on the safe side. I was poor in those days, but I scraped up the money by selling some stuff before I left.

That’s great if you can give sacrificially to legitimate missionaries on a regular basis, but don’t be too quick to make a vow to God. Whatever promises you make to God, you had better keep. Better yet, don’t make a financial vow at all.

“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

My Apology to Pastor Chris Corrigan

A couple of years ago I preached a sermon called "AIDS: the Judgment of God" that brought the wrath of the Sodomite community down on our church. They went on a campaign to attack our church in many different ways, and one of the things they did was call down the list of the churches that we recommended in our church directory and complain about our church being so harsh to the "LGBT community." This prompted several pastors to write to me and tell me that they wanted to be removed from the directory because they did not want to be associated with that type of preaching.

The same week I received an email from Pastor Chris Corrigan of Sligo Baptist Church asking to be removed from the directory without stating a reason. I wrongfully assumed that he was one of the pastors who had a problem with my preaching against the Sodomites, and included him in a blog post listing pastors who had discouraged me during that time of persecution. It turns out that he was asking to be removed because of an unrelated incident that had happened in his church where someone who listened to my sermons online had been causing problems. The timing was coincidental, and I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and lumped him in with the others who stated why they wanted to be removed. I apologized to Pastor Corrigan for my mistake.

Another moral of this story for those who listen to my sermons is that you should try to be a blessing in your local church and not go in there expecting it to be identical to Faithful Word Baptist Church. If you want to go to FWBC, then move to Phoenix and go to FWBC. If you attend a different independent fundamental Baptist church, then you should respect that pastor's authority and get on board with the program of that local church. Don't just march in and start handing out copies of "After the Tribulation." Focus on what you like about the church and the things you do agree with, and let that church be a place for you and your family to grow, and thrive, and serve the Lord. Over time, you can be a positive influence in that church, but make sure you have the right attitude and are not filled with pride. Also keep in mind that you are not the pastor of the church.

Here is a blog post on 3 Ways to be a Bad Church Member. 

Here is an old sermon from many years ago that I preached called "Too Puffed Up for Church."

Peer Pressure to Preach Pre-Trib

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3

I’ve been talking a lot about how Pastor Ram Angad lost support for associating with me, but this isn’t just about one missionary. It’s a clash of two different ideologies. Anyone who starts preaching that the rapture will be after the tribulation gets ostracized because there are people out there who have an agenda to keep the truth hidden on this issue.

“Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:104

I want to watch the false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture fall in my lifetime. Of course there will always be people that preach every false doctrine, but my goal is that it will fall among the people that matter. We need to take the battering ram of Matthew 24, the battering ram of 2 Thessalonians 2, and the battering ram of Mark 13, and defeat this doctrine.

I find that when I explain the post-tribulation rapture to the people in the pew, they have no problem embracing this doctrine. It’s the people in the pulpit who have a hard time facing it. The reason is that the pre-tribulation rapture is the more popular doctrine.

I’ve talked to pastors who agree with me that the rapture will take place after the tribulation, yet they are nervous about officially switching over to the post-trib position. They don’t want to eat crow because they’ve been preaching pre trib all these years. Not only that, but if word gets out that they are no longer pre trib, they’ll be kicked out of the pastors' club. They will no longer get the preaching engagements, and if they are missionaries, they will lose their support. These preachers need to ask themselves whether pleasing men is more important to them than pleasing God.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

You also have a choice to make. You can go along to get along, or you can take a stand for what you believe. Sticking to the pre-trib rapture is a classic example of just going with tradition and not making the Bible your final authority.

Here is a sermon on Bible Prophecy Foundations.

Click here to watch “After the Tribulation.”

Lazy Bums Wanting Money from Our Church

When people come to the church office asking for money, I ask them where they went to church on Sunday. If they name another church, I tell them to go ask that church for money. If you have an account at Bank of America, you don’t walk into Wells Fargo asking to make a withdrawal. The truth is, most of these people don’t go to church anywhere, and there are certain criteria in the Bible about who we are supposed to help.

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Our first priority should be members of our church who have a genuine need, especially the widows and the fatherless. Even the widows have to meet certain criteria as outlined in 1 Timothy Chapter 5.

The Bible does not teach that we should give away free money to every drug addict and whore that shows up on a Tuesday asking for money. These people have despised God’s commandments, despised chastity, and despised the institution of marriage. They are wasting what little money they have on lottery tickets, cigarettes, and worse. They go from church to church asking for money yet lack the character it takes to show up and even sit through one church service.

Recently, I had someone contact me a few hours before a church service asking for financial help. I told her what time church started and that I would talk to her afterward if she attended the service. She showed up for the service, and as soon as I started preaching on sin, she got up and walked out.

These lazy bums don’t want to hear what the Bible says, but they want God’s money. They want to use our church as an ATM machine when they don’t even have an account here. If you can’t stand the Bible and can’t stand preaching, then you should go somewhere else looking for money instead of a church.

With all of the government programs and charities available, people in the United States are not financially destitute. If they were really that hungry, they would be willing to sit through the service. These people need spiritual help more than financial help, but unfortunately, most of them are not interested in hearing the Word of God.

You can take your personal money and help whoever you want, but when I put my money in the offering plate, I don’t want it to go toward buying more drugs for a drug addict. Our church helps people all the time, but the Bible says we are supposed to “consider the cause of the poor,” not just indiscriminately hand out money.

“The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.” Proverbs 29:7

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Church Should be Geared Toward the Saved

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11-12

The church is intended to be a place of teaching, fellowship, and worship for born-again, baptized believers. Many churches have instead become geared toward unbelievers. Some pastors will preach the plan of salvation every Sunday morning rather than getting into the deeper truths that saved Christians need to learn in order to grow. The purpose of church is to perfect the saints and edify the body of Christ. As a pastor and teacher, I’m supposed to teach and build up people who are already saved.

Years ago, I had a guy write a complaint about me on a visitor card and then bolt away after the service. He wrote about how he couldn’t believe that I didn’t even give the plan of salvation during my sermon and questioned whether I was even saved. This guy literally thought I should be giving the Gospel in every service, but what about feeding the flock?

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

You’ll hear people say that they’re leaving a church because they’re not being fed. They are right to come to church expecting to be fed spiritually because the Bible teaches that a pastor is supposed to feed the church.

I’m not going to gear my sermon toward a visitor that walks in who may or may not be saved. Instead, I’m going to finish my sermon and try to catch that guy afterward and give him the gospel. If I don’t do it, I’ll have someone else from our church talk to him.

As a pastor, I’m also supposed to “do the work of an evangelist,” which is what I’m doing when I knock on doors or preach a salvation message in a school. I go where the unsaved people are and try to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I’m preaching in church, though, my role is that of pastor and teacher.

When I prepare a sermon, I’m not thinking about the unsaved visitors who might show up that day. I’m thinking about feeding the saved church members that make up most of the congregation. I’m thinking about the saints who come to church to be edified and perfected.

More souls will be saved in the long run when the flock is being properly fed. As people grow spiritually, they will do more soul winning in the highways and hedges. Not only that, but when they are properly trained, they will approach unsaved visitors at church and give them the gospel one-on-one, which is how we reach unsaved people who visit our church.

Here is a sermon on "Contemporary Churches" to go along with this article

Born that Way Ministries Exposed

Johnny Nixon - pervert false teacher from "Born That Way Ministries"

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Ephesians 4:14

It has recently come to my attention that even some of the big-name independent fundamental Baptist preachers are now supporting an organization called "Born that Way Ministries." The so-called Christian version of the homos-are-born-that-way philosophy teaches that homosexuals are really just spiritual eunuchs who have been destined to a life of celibacy. Churches who subscribe to this doctrine invite Sodomite reprobates into their churches and try to reform them, endangering children in the process.

In biblical times and at other stages of human history, some males were castrated, and these men were called eunuchs. If someone has no desire to get married or have a sexual relationship with anyone due to an anatomical defect or other medical condition--or even just out of zeal for the Lord, that person may classify as a type of biblical eunuch. Few people are born with those type of conditions or choose a life of celibacy on purpose, but the occasional person remaining celibate for their entire life is a legitimate and natural option.

Homosexuality, on the other hand, is an abomination and unnatural. If someone is born with no sex drive, they don't just accidentally start going after "strange flesh." According to the thesis of the book these people are pushing, we are supposed to believe that a man who committed Sodomy with a multitude of men was actually just "asexual" and attracted to neither men nor women. It's hard to believe that anyone is actually stupid enough to believe that. The true story is that many fundamental Baptists don't have the guts to preach what the Bible actually says in 2017 America, so they conveniently latch onto these type of cute, new doctrines.

I always try to overlook some of the differences I have with mainstream independent fundamental Baptists and have repeatedly steered people in the direction of “the best church in your area,” but it is becoming more and more difficult for me to endorse the current leaders of the old IFB movement. I realize that there are many independent churches who are not on board with the born that way movement, however it appears to be spreading in fundamental Baptist circles.

Men like Dr. Jack Hyles and Dr. John R. Rice knew that Sodomites were not born that way and would probably roll over in their graves if they saw the liberal direction many of the Bible-college driven independent Baptist circles are going today. As Baptists we need to make the Bible our authority instead of being carried about with every wind of doctrine. Like Josiah in 2 Kings chapter 23, we need to keep the Sodomites away from the house of God.

The following list of churches that support Born that Way Ministries should be avoided at all costs since inviting Sodomites into church is dangerous to children:

Paul Gentry, 360-428-7012
Harvest Baptist Church
16946 Memorial Hwy
Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Dr. Bob Gray
Solve Church Problems

Dr. Rick Carter, 405-691-6990
Bethaven Baptist Church
12400 South Western Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73170

Dr. Jeff Owens, 252-633-4220
Twin Rivers Baptist Church
804 US Hwy 70 East
New Bern, NC 28560

Dr. J. Michael Callaghan, 510-233-2556
Arlington Baptist Church
6382 Arlington Blvd
Richmond, CA 94805

Pastor Dominic Pennachietti, 215-467-9259
New Greenwich Light Baptist Church
121 West Oregon Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19148

Pastor Christian Pennachietti, 215-389-2626
Third Baptist Church
2400 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145

Pastor Jeremiah Andrews, 318-343-1830
Bayou Baptist Church
866 Hwy 139
Monroe, LA 71203

Pastor Chris McPherson, 229-890-1170
Crossview Baptist Church
197 Hopewell Church RD.
Moultrie, GA 31788

Pastor Dave Koehler, 419-994-1611
Loudonville Baptist Temple
15528 State Rt 3 North
Loudonville, OH 44842

Pastor Rob Green, 207-882-6941
Bible Baptist Church
143 Beechnut Hill Rd.
Wiscasset, ME 04578

Daniel Southern, 214-810-0418

Pastor Josh Carter, 360-671-8697
Bellingham Baptist Church

2501 Orleans Street
Bellingham, WA 98226

Pastor D. Pennachietti, 215-426-1909
Bethel Baptist Church
2210 East Susquehanna Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125

Pastor Aaron Rodgerson, 660-665-0050
Southside Baptist Church
1010 West Burton Street
Kirksville, MO 63501

Pastor Paul Caldwell, 479-295-9048
Lighthouse Baptist Church
778 South Happy Hollow Rd.
Fayetteville, AR 72701

Pastor Don Thoms, 315-323-1384
Grace Baptist Church
1817 Green Street
Ogdensburg, NY 13669

Pastor Chet Cooper, 478-825-7495
Victory Baptist Church
243 Marshall Mill Rd.
Fort Valley, GA 31030

Pastor Paul Dziadul, 478-474-4842
Lake Wildwood Baptist Church
701 Greentree Pkwy
Macon, GA 31220

Pastor Clemon Chapell Jr., 219-845-8059
SonRise Baptist Church
2301 Fairbanks Street
Gary Indiana 46406

Pastor Mark Agan, 919-742-3968
Community Baptist Church
2575 Hamp Stone Rd.
Siler City, NC 27344

Dr. S.M. Davis, 1-800-500-8853
Solve Family Problems

Pastor Vince Williams, 607-373-5648
Temple Baptist Church
121 Grotsinger Rd.
Norwich, NY 13815

Dr. James Wilkins, 817-909-8010
New Testament Ministries

Pastor Steven White, 604-502-7546
Grace Baptist Church
13570 78th Ave.
Surrey, BC V3W 8V3

Preacher Mike Kellet, 318-396-6000
Whites Ferry Rd. Church
3201 North 7th Street
West Monroe, LA 71291

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

How to Receive Maximum Forgiveness from God

If you were convicted of a crime in our court system, there would be a range of penalties for that crime. Perhaps your crime would carry a sentence of 6 months to 5 years. The judge or jury might choose to give you a lighter sentence for whatever reason. When we sin against God, one of the factors he looks at when deciding how much grace to give us is how forgiving we have been with others.

When my children have been doing things wrong all day, I might get into a mode where I’m ready to crack down on them for the smallest infraction. At other times when they are in good standing with me, I’m more likely to show leniency and overlook some small stuff. If God were up in heaven just waiting for us to make a mistake, we would all be constantly getting punished. We can improve our standing with God and increase the mercy that he shows us by forgiving others.

When you’re driving in a 45 mile an hour zone, you might go four or five miles over the speed limit because you know that leniency is there. What if they installed a device in your car where every time you went one mile over the speed limit you automatically got a ticket? If the speed limit was enforced that strictly, we’d all be getting tickets every day.

Do you want God, who knows your every thought, to cloud up and rain over the smallest infraction? We should forgive others to the degree that we want God to forgive us. The Lord Jesus Christ, our example, taught us forgiveness when he was on the cross and said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” We are commanded to forgive one another because God forgives us.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Stephen followed Christ’s example of forgiveness when they were stoning him to death and his last words were, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” The Bible commands us to forgive each other, and there is definitely something in it for us when we do so.

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

 Here is a sermon to go with this article

Fights in Marriage

At the end of the book of Job when God blesses Job and his wife with ten more children, I’m assuming this is the same wife that told Job to curse God and die. There is no mention of the first wife dying or Job getting a new wife. Some people find this hard to believe, but it really doesn’t surprise me. People have a tendency to assume that if they have a big fight then the marriage is over.

Job’s wife had just lost all of her children and was going through a terrible time when she said that to him. Most people haven’t gone through anything like what they went through, but if you’ve been married for any length of time, you have likely had at least one major fight.

People who are dating or engaged can’t always picture themselves going through marital strife in the future, but it’s important to warn people that there will be some conflict. I remember when I was looking for an apartment when my wife and I first got married, and my sister advised me to get a one bedroom apartment as opposed to a studio. “When you get in a fight, you’re going to need that door.” I couldn’t imagine that at the time, but I got the one bedroom, and my sister was right. There will be disagreements, and sometimes, you need to go to another room for a little while to cool off.

Pastors who act like they have a perfect marriage are doing the congregation a disservice. Hollywood and the music industry are already perpetuating an unrealistic view of romance, so someone needs to give people a reality check. When problems arise, and they will, people will assume it’s just them or their spouse. They’ll think that they must have married the wrong person.

It’s kind of like when pastors teach a pre-tribulation rapture, and people aren’t prepared to go through persecution. A pre-trib style marriage philosophy doesn’t provide a realistic expectation about marriage. They go into marriage assuming everything will be great, and then they are shaken when they don’t get along as well as they expected.

I can honestly say that my marriage is better now than when I was a newlywed, but I’d be lying if I said it has always been wonderful. We’ve had our ups and downs just like everyone else. Hopefully, you have gotten off to a good start in your relationship, but don’t be surprised when things get ugly.

I recently heard about a conversation between two co-workers:

“Man, I don’t know if I can forgive my wife.”

“She cheated on you!?”

“No, she didn’t cheat.”

“Well, what did she do??”

“She called me stupid.”

This is a perfect example of having unrealistic expectations about marriage. That guy’s wife failed to reverence him when she called him stupid, but we are all sinners. No marriage is perfect all the time. People who have forgiven each other for much greater offenses would laugh that off as a minor infraction.

Those couples who bail after a few months or even several years never find out that marriage does get better. You learn which buttons to avoid pushing and how to resolve conflicts with your particular spouse. Marriage is a series of ups and downs, but if you ride out the low times, the fights will become few and far between. You’ll fall in love with each other again and again, and over time, you’ll reach a higher level of satisfaction in your relationship.

Here is a sermon to go with this article

Forgive and Forget (literally!)

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12

God not only forgives, but he also forgets. We need to strive in our lives to be more like him and forgive AND forget. You are not always going to be able to literally forget, but it may actually be possible…

Have you ever noticed how some people remember a lot about their childhood while others don’t? I have a theory about why some people seem to have more memories than others. It’s because some people are story tellers. Those of us who are nostalgic and keep telling our stories remember the events of our childhood more than people who don’t like to talk about the past.

It is virtually impossible to remember things from 10 or 20 years ago unless you think about them at some point in between. When you remember something from that many years ago, you are probably just remembering a memory of a memory. You remember the story because you keep retelling it. I like to preserve certain stories of my life, so I keep retelling them. On the other hand, I choose not to dwell on the bad things that have happened to me.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Forgetting is an important part of forgiving. When someone wrongs you, you shouldn’t keep rehashing it by thinking about it--or even worse--talking about it. If something has already been dealt with, then quit talking about it! We ought to let ourselves forget those unpleasant details that result in grudges against others.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Not only should we forgive others, but we also need to forgive ourselves. Stop talking about your past sins and the sins of others, and it will be easier to forget.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

Here is a sermon on Forgiveness to go with this article

Why I Don't Do Marriage Counseling

I’m not one that does a lot of marriage counseling. If somebody asks me for advice or has a question about marriage, I’ll give them an answer, or if they ask for prayer, I’ll pray for them. That said, I don’t really do marriage counseling in the traditional sense. It’s really a no-win situation for a pastor to get involved in the intricacies of someone else’s marriage.

Most marriage problems can be solved by applying simple, biblical principles, but people aren’t always seeking real solutions. Oftentimes people just want to vent and air their dirty laundry, but I don’t need to know all the sordid details about what people are doing wrong to tell them how to do things right. When someone tells me they are having marital problems, I try to just cut to the chase and offer them biblical advice. I tell them to do X, Y, and Z, and don't come back and talk to me about it again until they have done those things.

When a couple meets with their pastor and takes turns trying to make each other look bad, it can result in a lot of embarrassment and make things worse. A good counselor will avoid taking sides and give advice to both parties, but each spouse is still probably keeping score, trying to determine whose side the counselor is taking.

Each person will try to prove his or her case, and let’s face it, usually both parties are at least partly to blame. When the pastor seems to come down harder on one spouse, that person might be tempted to exaggerate the other person’s faults to try to save face. After all that mud-slinging, both spouses might walk away feeling more animosity toward each other. Not only that, but someone might become angry with the pastor and leave the church. Bad-mouthing your spouse to the pastor just isn’t edifying to anyone.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29

I don’t need to know every mistake that has been made in your marriage in order to help you. I would rather cut the counseling session short and just tell you how to do things right. In fact, I’d rather skip the counseling session completely and just give the advice to the entire church at one time.

I have preached many sermons on marriage, and I encourage you to listen to all of them if you are struggling in your relationship. Instead of listening to a sermon with your spouse’s faults in mind, focus more on what you can change about yourself.

Here is a sermon on “Marriage Advice.”

Was Adam an Ape?

The best way to read the Bible is just to assume that everything is literal unless it is obvious that something is figurative. A lot of people will do the opposite and say that most of the Bible is figurative, and almost nothing is literal. This is just people wanting to believe in the lie of evolution who think that they can somehow reconcile it with the Bible.

Evolution is shot down in the first chapter of the Bible, which teaches that the days of Creation were literal, 24-hour days and that everything brings forth after its own kind, yet people still fall for the false doctrine of theistic evolution. Phony preachers like Billy Graham will try to compromise and say that perhaps God breathed into a certain ape-man and called him Adam. Many will go a step further and say that the entire story of Adam and Eve is symbolic.

All of the Jewish Rabbis that we spoke to when making the film, Marching to Zion, basically said that Adam and Eve are symbolic because modern-day Jews believe in evolution. Unfortunately, it’s not just the Jews that teach this. Even churches within so-called Christian denominations will teach that the story of Adam and Eve and other major events in the Bible never took place.

How could Adam be a figurative guy if he had children whose names are listed in genealogies leading up to other important events? We know that the Old Testament characters are real since they are listed in detailed genealogies that explain where various nations came from and lay out the very lineage of Christ going all the way back to Adam.The Bible calls Jesus the second Adam, and if you don’t believe that Jesus is a real person, then you aren’t saved. You can’t have it both ways. Obviously, both Adams were literal. Many of the stories in the Old Testament contain symbolism that foreshadowed the coming Messiah, but they are still true stories.

The other problem with saying Adam was some kind of ape is that the Bible teaches that sin entered the world through Adam. If you tried to fit evolution in with the Bible, you’d have all kinds of sin and death happening before Adam ever came on the scene.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12

Here is the sermon Literal vs. Figurative, where I also discuss some things that actually are figurative.

Behemoth and Dinosaurs

“Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.” Job 40:15-24

No known living animal fits that description. Commentaries will often say that behemoth was an elephant or hippopotamus. The problem with those theories is that an elephant or hippo’s tail is nothing like a cedar. Behemoth was obviously larger and had a more substantial tail, which is consistent with something more like a brontosaurus. Stay away from commentaries, by the way, since they will often steer you wrong.

People will often use dinosaurs to try to discredit the Bible, but the existence of dinosaurs actually proves the Bible correct. Dinosaur remains weren’t discovered until the 1800s, but we had already been told about behemoth and leviathan in the book of Job, which is one of the oldest books of the Bible.

“Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?” Job 41:1

I don’t necessarily believe in every species of dinosaur or that they looked exactly how scientists say they looked. Obviously, they have found some large bones, and the Bible confirms the existence of enormous creatures, but I believe that a lot of the dinosaur species they tell us about today are fabricated to look more like missing links.

Some of those huge skeletons you see in museums have only one real bone. That said, there are certain things that they have actually found. I have no problem believing in the Woolly Mammoth and the Saber-Toothed Tiger, and I also believe that there were dinosaurs similar to what is now known as a Brontosaurus. Dragon legends and artwork seen in multiple cultures also support the existence of enormous land and sea animals living along side of humans.

What I have a problem with is how evolutionists depict certain dinosaurs in such a way to fit their agenda. I mean there probably was a huge dinosaur like Tyrannosaurus Rex, but they expect us to believe that it was so big and powerful yet had those scrawny, short arms. Not only that, but how stupid was T-Rex if it took millions of years for him to evolve into a pea-brained chicken?

Nobody can really know exactly what dinosaurs were like based on a few random bones, but everything I need to know about dinosaurs, I get from Job 40 and 41.

“Behold now Behemoth which I made with thee...”

That proves right there that man and dinosaurs existed together. God puts things like that in the Bible for a reason. He knew people would later say that dinosaurs were prehistoric, so he made sure to mention that they were created on the same day as humans.

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

The Pre-Trib Mafia

Pastor Dewey Williams: Pre-Trib Rapture Enforcer

All my life I wanted to be a foreign missionary, but instead, I decided to start a church here in the United States. The reason I changed my mind is that I realized how the current missions system works. To raise enough support, I would need to go around getting support from various churches and somehow please them all. I knew that I was not going to be able to do that because my preaching would not be popular among a lot of independent fundamental Baptists.

One of the issues that I knew would be a deal breaker is that I do not believe in the pre-trib rapture. I believe the Bible when it says the rapture will take place immediately after the tribulation. I’ve talked to tons of people who have come to the same conclusion--including other IFB pastors and missionaries. Many of them are in the closet about this since they know that making their true position known would result in losing friends or financial support.

Case in point: Pastor Ram Angad down in Guyana recently lost virtually all his support just for associating with me, because I’m not pre-trib. They wanted him to publicly denounce me as a false teacher and say he believes in the pre-trib rapture, which he refused to do. Unfortunately, Pastor Ram did eventually switch back to his pre-trib position, but it was too late. His mission board won't take him back. Here is a pdf of the disgusting exchange between Ram Angad and his mission board director Chip Stowe, which is like an exchange between 2 devils (Chip's words are highlighted with yellow; the rest is missionary Ram Angad).

I personally would not separate with someone over the issue of the rapture just because they happen to be pre-trib. I would even attend a pre-trib church if it was the best church in the area, but many pre-trib Baptists will separate from post tribbers as if the timing of the rapture was a salvation issue or something.

The reason certain people are so vicious about this issue is because they don’t want anyone to discuss it openly. They want to use fear and intimidation to keep people from bringing up this issue because they cannot prove their position with the Bible. The tactics they resort to remind me of the mafia.

When I started my church, I was advised to wait a while before preaching that the rapture will take place after the tribulation. I decided that I would instead go on the offensive. I went ahead and preached on that subject within the first few months of our church’s existence because as an independent Baptist, I only answer to God.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the pre-trib rapture is not found in scripture, so there are a lot of us out there who are post trib. Unfortunately, most pastors and missionaries are afraid to speak up if they aren’t pre-trib, which causes the post-trib doctrine to seem uncommon among mainstream IFBs. Maybe if more of us spoke up, it wouldn’t be such a taboo subject in independent fundamental Baptist circles.

That having been said, if you go to a church where the pastor is pre-trib, you shouldn’t be rude about it. The Bible teaches that we should treat pastors with respect. Discuss it in a kind and humble way with your Bible in hand or perhaps encourage him to watch After the Tribulation and see what he thinks. If he still wants to be pre-trib after hearing those 91 verses we used in the documentary, then just agree to disagree.

If you are a pastor or missionary who is post trib, you need to come out of the closet and preach a sermon or perhaps an entire series on end times prophecy. This isn’t something to break fellowship over, but we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it either. Let’s get a dialogue going and show these pre-tribbers that their arguments won’t hold up in an open discussion.

Click here to watch the documentary “After the Tribulation,” which has the pre-trib mafia running scared.