Wanted: Laborers in Malawi

The official grand opening of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Lilongwe, Malawi, is scheduled for April 30, 2017.

We need people to come help us the week before and the week after April 30th for a soul-winning marathon. We had a large group from the U.S. and Canada with us on the Botswana trip, and we are praying we can get an even larger group together to go to Malawi. We plan to continuously send groups of soul winners down there, but this trip will be the big push for the official opening of the church. Many have already purchased their tickets for this exciting missions trip.

A while back, the Sodomites started a false rumor that I have been banned from Malawi for "condemning same sex marriage." This rumor was started by Gay SA Radio, and since then, several news agencies have published articles perpetuating this rumor. Well, I just got my Visa back in the mail, so I am obviously approved. The Malawi government has issued me a multiple-entry 12-month visa. Not only that, but a lot of soul-winning has already been done in Malawi on a recent survey trip by members of our church.

Read 'em and weep, Sodomites!

Same sex marriage is illegal in Malawi, so saying I have been banned for my views on that issue just doesn’t make sense. If even the government is against same-sex marriage, it would be ludicrous for them to expect a Christian pastor to condone it. Not to mention the fact that I never even talk about "same sex marriage." I talk about Leviticus 20:13 and Romans 1!

When I applied for the visa, I told them what I was going to be doing, what church I was with, and the other churches I would be in contact with while there. The media needs to stop printing lies and do some fact checking.

If you are able to get away for a couple of weeks, this is your chance to go on a unique missions trip to Africa that is actually about getting people saved. The soul winning is different in places like Botswana and Malawi because almost everybody you meet is willing to listen. Malawi is highly receptive to the Gospel, and there is something special about being at a church for the very first service. Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

You do need a visa to go to Malawi, but it’s easy to get one. Get in touch with us at the following e-mail address: faithfulword1@gmail.com if you are interested in going to Malawi, so we can coordinate with you and walk you through the process of getting the visa. If you can afford the plane ticket, a hundred dollars for the visa, and a little extra money to spend while you are there, you can join us for the big soul-winning push and historical opening day of the church.

“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

Here is the video where I talk about the specific media lies.

Day #5 - New Jersey

About two weeks before the Guyana trip, I was looking over my itinerary and noticed that I had a long layover of about 13 hours in New Jersey. I spent a few days after that trying to find a hotel conference room in the area where I could throw together a last-minute preaching event. Since I wasn’t sure what kind of turnout there would be on such short notice, I only booked for 100 people.

I arrived in New Jersey early that Saturday morning and met up with Pastor Mike Dinges of People’s Baptist Church in Clifton, New Jersey. I went to breakfast with him and several other church members, and we had a great time of food and fellowship. After breakfast, I had the privilege of going soul winning in the Bronx with Pastor Dinges. It was a Saturday morning, so it was their usual soul-winning time. The cold, snowy weather seemed especially frigid after having spent the last few days in Guyana and Trinidad where it was hot, so I was thankful that the soul winning took place indoors, inside a high rise apartment complex. Pastor Dinges and I had three people saved, so it was a fruitful morning.

About 150 people showed up at the hotel for the preaching service, and the hotel staff was gracious about allowing the extra people. I preached a sermon entitled "God, the Investor." I talked about how God gives us resources and abilities based on how much we do with what he has already given us.

Every household in attendance received three flash drives loaded with sermons from our Wednesday night Bible studies at Faithful Word Baptist Church. The chapter study flash drives I handed out included one on the book of Mark, one on the book of Zechariah, and one on Galatians and Colossians. In addition to the flash drives, everyone also received a Christmas CD.

About 15-20 people said they wanted to be baptized, but the hotel swimming pool was closed for the winter. I thought maybe we could book a suite with a jacuzzi or something to baptize in, but all the rooms in the hotel had already been booked. I encouraged people to show up the next morning at People’s Baptist Church to get baptized there, so hopefully a lot of them followed through on that.

Thanks to all who attended the event! It was good to see a lot of familiar faces as well as many new ones.

Here is the sermon on “God, the Investor.”

Day #4 - Trinidad

On my way back from Guyana, I spent the day in Trinidad on a layover. I had been planning to go soul winning while I was there, even if I had to go alone, but I was hoping to find someone to go with me. While in Guyana, I asked someone if they knew of a soul-winning pastor in Trinidad. He did know someone, and we were put in touch. When I spoke with the pastor on the phone, he agreed to meet with me: “I’ll be there, Brotha!”

I didn’t know what to expect, but he was a super friendly guy who went soul winning with me for about 3 hours. We went soul-winning in a neighborhood that was literally about 99% Hindu, so it wasn't very receptive, but, praise God, 2 people did get saved. Even the Hindus who weren't receptive would still usually listen to the plan of salvation, so I was able to give the Gospel to about 9 Hindus who did not get saved.  The pastor was very hospitable and took me out to eat both before and after the soul winning. A few other people from his church joined us at dinner.

The pastor had mentioned the Jews a few times during the day, but I wasn’t sure where he was going with it and had kind of blown it off. Then, over dinner, he brought up the Jews again. I was hoping to avoid the subject since we were having a great time, and I assumed his viewpoints would be the usual pro-Israel rhetoric. I was forced to address the issue when one of the other guys at the table turned to me and said, “But the Jews are God’s chosen people, right?” I told him no, and I talked about how they reject Jesus Christ.

At that point the pastor piped up with, “Brotha, the Jews don’t reject Jesus Christ.” I was surprised and confused at his response until he added, “They HATE Jesus Christ!” He was saying that they don’t just reject him, they hate him!

As it turned out, we had very similar views on the subject. He said, “If I told this to any other independent Baptist pastor, they’d say I’m a heretic.” I told him about the documentary, Marching to Zion, and we headed over to his son’s house where we were able to plug in my lap top and show it on a large TV. Everyone loved the film, and it was a great time of fellowship.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that I was directed toward this pastor who was a kindred spirit. In a country of over a million people, God blessed me with the opportunity to meet someone like-minded. I appreciated his hospitality, and I hope to keep in touch.

Proverbs 27:17 - Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Here is a sermon clip where I talk more about my day in Trinidad.

3 Common Sense Tips for Missionaries

The missions program in most churches across America is fundamentally flawed. I’m talking about in independent fundamental Baptist churches that preach the truth and have soul winning. Most of the IFB pastors I talk to agree that the current system is broken, but they can’t always put their finger on a solution.

1. A Missionary Needs to Know the Language

“Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.” 1 Corinthians 14:19

Missionaries need to speak the language of the place where they are planning to be a missionary. These guys that don’t speak any foreign language will say that God is calling them to a country where people don’t speak English. They’ll spend years on deputation raising support, and when they get to the mission field, they’ll sit around in language school on the Lord’s dime. Churches are paying people for years before they ever do any real work. Supporting a full time missionary who isn’t preaching the gospel is neither practical nor biblical.

“Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” 1 Corinthians 9:14

If you don’t already speak another language, then why not go to an English-speaking country? How about an island in the Caribbean or one of the many African countries where they speak English?

2. He Needs to go Somewhere that is Receptive

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” Matthew 10:14

A missionary in Germany quickly realized after he got there that the German people aren’t very receptive, so he started targeting refugees and foreigners who spoke English. This guy’s ministry was extremely successful as evidenced by the fact that he was baptizing several hundred converts per year! Other missionaries criticized him by saying things like, “Well, I’m here to reach Germans.” A soul is a soul, folks! I guarantee you that, when that church started thriving, a few actual Germans took notice. Focus on the most receptive communities wherever you are, and you’ll always reach others in the process.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

3. He Needs to Bring Forth Fruit

“And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” Luke 13:8-9

Somebody needs to dung these lazy missionaries. Being a missionary should be no different than any other job where you get told off or fired when you aren’t being productive enough. The next time a supporting church receives a lame missionary letter, the pastor ought to call up that missionary and give him some dung!

The reason there’s no accountability with missionaries today is because each church sends very little money to each missionary. If I’m supporting a missionary for 50 dollars a month, I’m not going to care as much about what he’s doing as I would if I were sending 2000. Instead of supporting so many missionaries, why doesn’t one church commit to fully supporting one missionary? Either that, or perhaps a few churches could each send the guy a thousand bucks a month. That way, the supporting churches will be more concerned about seeing actual results.

Churches need to make sure they are supporting legitimate soul winners and not “moochinaries.” We don’t have a high-pressure missions program, but when you put extra money in the offering plate, I want you to get the maximum bang for your buck. I don’t want to invest in 30 losers for a few dollars each. Instead, I would rather invest in just a few winners, SOUL WINNERS.

Here is the sermon, Common Sense Missions.

Day #3 Guyana

 
“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

On the morning of Day 3, we preached the Gospel in a public school in Guyana called Friendship Secondary school. There were over 500 students there--maybe closer to 600 based on the amount of materials we handed out after the assembly. They basically shut down the whole school and packed all the students into an area so tight it was standing room only.

First, Shane, Rob, and I walked through the crowd and kind of looked for students that seemed receptive and talked to them one-on-one. We had 14 saved that way. Then I got up to preach. The teachers wanted me to preach on learning and taking education seriously, so I started out talking about gaining knowledge and understanding and just brought it to the Gospel.

I tried to be interactive during the presentation, and after I went through the whole plan of salvation, I asked for a show of hands of people who understood and believed it. I then led those students in a mass prayer, and hundreds prayed to receive Christ as Saviour. We didn’t count these in our official salvation totals since there wasn’t time to deal with them all one-on-one, but hopefully many of them got saved.

We brought around 475 Bibles, 150 audio CDs, 50 DVDs, and 400 flash drives. As students walked out the door we handed out these materials. Most students got a Bible and a flash drive with 30 sermons on it, but we just made sure that everyone got something.

The teachers were helping us hand it all out, and one teacher was strongly admonishing students to read the Bible and listen to the flash drives. Can you imagine this kind of cooperation from a public school in the United States?

Each teacher got a nice leather Bible, and when I was giving those out, four different teachers specified that they wanted a King James Version. (Of course, that’s all we ever use, but they didn’t know that.) It was great that, unlike a lot of people here in the United States, most Guyanese people seem to know which Bible is the right one.

After we left the school, we went over to a pastor’s house and enjoyed sampling more of the local food. Then we drove to Brother Boodram’s house (a deacon at Foundation Baptist Church) and had yet another lunch with him. We had some great conversation with him about what we all wanted to accomplish for the Lord, the spiritual condition of our countries, etc.

We got along very well with everyone from both Foundation Baptist and New Testament Baptist, and I was really impressed by their zeal. These guys are fired up for the Lord and have a great vision for the future. They love hard preaching down there, and they don’t want to compromise.

We left and drove into downtown Georgetown and did some sightseeing along the Atlantic Ocean. After that, we headed to a different church where I preached an evening service. The building was an open-air tabernacle, which was great because I felt like people walking by could hear me preach. I preached on alcohol since I noticed that drinking is a big problem in Guyana.

After church, we took a taxi cab to the dirt road where Brother Wayne picked us up and took us back to our remote jungle habitation. Brother Shane and Brother Rob would be staying a little longer, but this was my last day in Guyana. The next morning I was heading to Trinidad and was looking forward to meeting with a pastor there.

Here is the video of preaching at the school

Day #2 Guyana

Preaching at Foundation Baptist Church in Diamond, Guyana.

On the second day in Guyana, we went to an Amerindian reservation, which had a population of around 1300. The church there had planned a special church service that morning since we were in town. I preached on working hard and how God judges and rewards us based on our works, which the pastor had recommended as a good topic for the church there. We also got to spend some time with him afterward having lunch and helping him with some computer stuff pertaining to his online donations.

We drove around the town and checked out the river and more black water. The lunch was the local Guyanese “cook-up” and some fish. While we were picking up the food, Brother Rob did some soul winning and won a couple of people in the restaurant to the Lord. We also stopped by a school and talked to the head mistress. We were able to set up an appointment to come back the following morning to preach to about 600 students!

Later that day, we met up with another pastor, Zakir Ibrahim, who pastors Foundation Baptist Church in Diamond. We had dinner with him and a couple of his key church members, a deacon and the song leader. It was interesting that Pastor Ibrahim was born and raised Muslim and the deacon had been raised Hindu. Both had eventually gotten saved and so had their families. The song leader had come from more of a mixed religious background of all different kinds of churches.

When the song leader said he had seen my videos on YouTube, I assumed he meant he had watched some of my preaching but was surprised to hear that he hadn’t. He was watching my channel solely for the music! I told him that was the first time anyone has told me that they know me for the music.

That night at church, Brother Shane and Brother Rob each got up and gave a testimony. Then I was asked to lead a song. I asked the pianist what her favorite Christmas carol was, and she said it was “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,” so we sang that song. I preached on being built on the rock of God’s Word, and we gave each person a couple of DVDs and a flash drive.

Several of the teenagers had already heard me preach on YouTube, so I was impressed that the young people were interested in spiritual things. The church had a great spirit, and we enjoyed our visit there. It had been another exciting day, and we were looking forward to preaching in the school the next morning and handing out our materials to the students.

Here is the sermon Founded Upon a Rock

Day #1 Guyana

I recently returned from an exciting soul winning trip which included places in South America and the Eastern United States. The first stop was Guyana, which is the only country in South America where English is the main language. I was invited to preach in 3 different independent Baptist churches there, and it sounded like a great place to do some soul winning since virtually everyone speaks English, and the demographic is similar to that in Botswana.

I was picked up at the airport by two friends of mine, Rob and Shane, who are both from Toronto, Canada, and have been to several of our soul-winning marathons. The first thing we did after we left the airport was head to Shane’s cousin’s house, which was where we would be staying.

Shane’s cousin, Wayne, is a cool guy who lives totally off the grid out in the middle of the jungle. He has a generator and solar panels and collects rain water. He also raises waterfowl and chickens and is surrounded by the various crops he is growing.

When we got there, I took a shower and got settled in. Since the rain water is limited and used mainly for drinking and cooking, Wayne showers in water from the creek called “black water.” In the shower was a bucket of dark brown water, which I dumped over myself with a little cottage cheese tub. Although the water is brown, it doesn’t make you dirty. Believe it or not, the dark-coloration is due to some kind of herb in the water, so it was like showering in herbal tea.

Once everyone had gotten cleaned up, we headed to Georgetown, the nation's capital, to do some soul winning. Our team consisted of Rob, Shane, and me, and we did about three and a half hours of soul-winning. Next we got together with a local pastor for lunch. We had a great time of food and fellowship with him and continued soul winning with him until it got dark, so in about six hours total, we had 20 people saved.

In the evening, when we were waiting to get picked up by Wayne, who was both our host and driver, the power went out in the pastor’s neighborhood. We had to use our cell phones to illuminate the room during the hour we hung out there. We then went to a restaurant for some fried chicken, and we headed back to Wayne’s. I went to bed looking forward to preaching on an Amerindian reservation the next day.

Guyana is a beautiful country, and people are very receptive to the Gospel. Day One was very productive, and we were having a great time.

Here is a sermon on "Common Sense Missions."

Soul-winning is like Baseball - Part 2

Like I mentioned in my previous post, soul winning is a lot like baseball. I likened getting saved to first base, baptism to second, regular church attendance to third, and home plate to becoming a soul winner. At times, we find someone who has spent some time on first, second, or even third base, and we have the opportunity to help bring them home.

When a lady named Amanda found an invitation on her door almost eleven years ago and showed up on the second Sunday of our church’s existence, she had already been saved and baptized. Someone else had gotten her to first and second base, but she did not know much about the Bible. She kept coming to church even though we were holding services in our house and very few people were showing up. In fact, at times it was just our family and Amanda there for an evening service, so we were extremely thankful for her faithfulness in those early days. Amanda grew spiritually and became a great soul winner. She has always been a faithful member of our church and a blessing to our family. I am so thankful that Amanda got saved and that God later led her to this church.

Eight months later, a guy named Dave showed up. He had been saved 9 years earlier, but he hadn't been baptized, so he was standing around on first base. I baptized him, and right away, he started asking questions and spending a lot of time in the Word of God. “Brother Dave” also stuck with us through the house years, did a ton of soul winning, and several years later, I am happy to say that my good friend, Pastor David Berzins, is now the pastor of Word of Truth Baptist Church in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

I read the testimony of a man who was led to the Lord at the age of nine years old by a Baptist pastor. The boy's parents didn't go to church, but when this young man was 21 years old and at a low point in his life, he came across a Bible that his grandma had given him twelve years earlier (the same year he had gotten saved.) He started reading that Bible, and soon he was attending church. He grew spiritually, became a soul-winner himself, and has now been pastoring an independent, fundamental Baptist church for many years. That little boy was Pastor David Grice of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. The old preacher who got Brother Grice saved back in 1980 most likely died without knowing what that little boy would later accomplish for the Lord.

Remember that when someone gets saved, they have the Holy Spirit to guide them, and often God will send people or circumstances into their life to get them to take that next step. We can fulfill all three steps of the Great Commission--just not always on the same person. Sometimes we get someone saved and they stay on first or second base for several years before they start to grow. Keep getting people to first, second, third, and home base, and those spiritual RBI’s will add up over time. That person you won to the Lord but lost touch with might just be the next “Second Sunday Amanda,” Pastor Berzins, or Pastor Grice. You may not hear about it this side of eternity, but you will have a part in the souls they win and the people they influence.

Here is the sermon about soul-winning being like Baseball

Soul-winning is like Baseball - Part 1

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

An apple tree brings forth lots of apples, but most of the apples will not end up producing other trees. When one of the apples falls to the ground and a seed ends up sprouting into another apple tree, the cycle is complete. The ultimate goal in soul winning is for you to win someone to the Lord who will bring forth his or her own fruit by becoming a soul winner, but not all of your fruit will complete the cycle. Think of soul-winning as a game of baseball and getting someone saved as getting to first base.

First base: The person gets saved
Second base: They get baptized
Third base: They start going to church regularly
Home plate: They become a soul winner

Sometimes when giving the Gospel to people you will strike out, but if you keep playing the game, eventually someone will get saved. In a baseball game if someone makes it to first base that’s a good thing. Some people will mistakenly think that we shouldn’t even try to get someone saved unless we know for sure that they will start coming to church and be fed spiritually, but that’s a terrible attitude to have.

Getting to first base could still result in an eventual run. Sometimes you stand around on first for a couple of plays before you move on to second base, and it might take the efforts of another player to get you to that next base and beyond. Don’t be a spiritual poor sport that refuses to play the game just because you can’t hit a home run every time.

Obviously, it’s better to make it to second or third base than just to first, but sometimes all you can do is get to first. Ideally, people should get baptized and start attending church right after salvation, but they don’t always show up for that since it takes some effort on their part.

When you are up to bat and the bases are loaded, that’s even better. As soul winners we come across people who are already saved or have already been saved and baptized. Someone else got them to first or second base, but it takes another batter to get them to third, which is regular church attendance. You might get an RBI by inviting someone who is already attending church to be your silent partner out soul winning. Next thing you know, they’ll be ready to do the talking, and they’ll start bringing forth fruit.

The game ends when a person dies or the Lord returns. Some people will die at first base, but at least they are saved and will go to heaven. It’s always exciting when you hit a home run, but just realize that at times the progress around the bases is more gradual. Each time a base runner advances is something to rejoice about. Got it? Good, because you’re up to bat…

Here is a sermon to go with this article

The 3 Steps of the Great Commission

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

People will try to find fault with our soul-winning, especially the small-town soul-winning marathons, by saying that we are failing to follow up with those people. They’ll say the people we led to the Lord are now sheep without a shepherd and that we are not fulfilling all the steps of the Great Commission, but I submit to you that we are completing all three steps.

Step 1: We preach the gospel to as many people as we can.
Step 2: We baptize converts on a regular basis.
Step 3: We teach the entire Bible in our church services.

Scoffers will accuse us of being like a mother who abandons her baby in a dumpster, but when we win people to the Lord, we leave them with a Bible, an invitation to visit our church, and often a sermon CD or flash drive. The ball is in their court at that point, and the truth is, Jesus and his disciples would often get people saved and then leave town. Read the New Testament, and you will find several examples of a passing-through style evangelism.

"But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." - Acts 8:40 

In Acts Chapter 8 when Philip preached to the Ethiopian Eunuch, he accomplished step one of the Great Commission. Once the guy believed, he completed step two by baptizing him. If it is wrong to win someone to the Lord without teaching them to observe all things, then why did God remove Philip before he could complete that final step?

These naysayers who are sitting at home critiquing our soul winning are lazy and don’t have a leg to stand on. It is neither practical nor biblical to coddle every person we win to the Lord with an in-home discipleship program. Why preach to one person when I can preach to the 300 who had enough character to show up to church? Step one is easiest since we go to them, but step two and three involve a little more time and effort on their part, which is why not everyone will come full circle.

If we get 2000 saved, baptize 200, and teach 50 people to observe all things, then we are following the Great Commission. (These are just made up numbers to illustrate the fact that only a small percentage of people show up and get baptized, and even fewer show up week after week for the follow-up training.)

The average independent Baptist church is teaching the Bible to a group of people who are already saved, but they aren’t knocking doors, and the baptistry is filled with cobwebs and Christmas decorations. These churches may be doing step 3, but they are failing at steps 1 and 2.

Other churches are doing a great job of getting people saved and baptized, yet the preaching is shallow and geared more toward unsaved visitors. This type of church is failing at step 3 because no one is being taught to observe all things.

Unfortunately not many churches are preaching the gospel to many villages like Jesus and the disciples did. Churches that don’t support missions or small-town soul-winning have room for improvement when it comes to step 1. These churches need to get a vision for getting the gospel to everybody—not just those who live near their church. Let’s try to start churches in every town, but meanwhile, people in remote areas are dying and going to Hell.

Yes, there are those textbook cases where someone gets saved, gets baptized immediately, and remains in church for decades, but it doesn’t always happen exactly that way. Steps 2 and 3 can take place years later and involve the efforts of more than one church. Even if the souls we win on some remote Indian reservation never show up to any church, we are thankful that they will be in Heaven one day.

Here is the sermon on the Great Commission.

We are already in Malawi

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Members of our church spent almost two weeks in Malawi last month, and things went really well. They’ve already put together a highly-motivated soul-winning team of six people, and in the short time that they were there, they saw a total of 162 souls saved!

Two local pastors, who are breaking away from local denominations are excited about helping with Faithful Word Baptist Church Malawi.

There’s always the possibility of being banned, but Lord willing, we will start the church there in April 2017.

Not only were the people of Malawi extremely receptive to the Gospel, but they really want to go to church and are looking forward to the launch of FWBC Malawi in April. One young man who had just gotten saved was asked what he would tell homosexuals that don’t want the church to be started there, and he replied that he would tell them to “go to Hell.”

Enough people in Malawi are fluent in English for us to conduct church services in English, but it is a blessing to already have some locals on our team who can also speak the native language of Chichewa. We plan to kick things off with another soul-winning marathon in April, which is a great opportunity for soul winners who are interested in going on another missions trip.

As always, the haters of God are trying to make this about our stand against homosexuality, but that’s not the focus of our church or this mission. When we have these mission trips, we are there to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and to train locals to do the same.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2

Here is a sermon on Common Sense Missions

Being a Self-Motivated Worker

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8

A common theme in the Bible is the importance of being a self-motivated worker. You will be more successful at your job if you do not require constant supervision. Not only does the ant work hard, but it gets things done on time instead of procrastinating or making excuses. A lot of people today, especially millennials, need to learn to be better workers.

“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;” Romans 12:11

Don’t tell me how spiritual you are if you are slothful in business because working hard is part of serving the Lord. The word slothful comes from a slow, sedentary animal called a sloth. If you are lazy at your job, then you’re unspiritual. Being a hard worker is part of your Christian testimony, and a good employee stays busy even when the boss isn’t watching. Being someone your boss can rely on will not only help you succeed in your career, but it will also please the Lord.

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:” Ephesians 6:5-7

Being in business for yourself takes even more self-discipline, but the profits are greater since someone isn’t being paid to supervise you. People who are successful at running their own businesses get up early and do what needs to be done even though they don’t have to report to a boss.

“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.” Proverbs 27:23

Working hard is as important for women as it is for men. Ladies, your husband ought to be able to trust you to manage your time wisely when he’s not there. Just as an employer expects his employee to find things to do, your husband shouldn’t have to constantly give you to-do lists to keep your household running smoothly. Proverbs chapter 31 is all about being productive as a homemaker.

“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:27

When I talk about working hard, I’m not talking about becoming rich. I’m talking about doing what it takes to effectively raise a family and serve the Lord. We need to be able to pay our bills, support our families, and make a few extra bucks to give to those in need. Don’t think of your daily work as just passing time, so that you can do something more spiritual afterward. Being a hard worker IS spiritual.

Here is the sermon on Animals in the Bible: Workers

Setting Bible Reading Goals

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11

With a new year quickly approaching, it may be time to reevaluate your Bible reading plan. Hopefully you are already opening your Bible every day, but are you keeping track of what you read? People who don’t log their Bible reading don’t end up reading as much as those who systematically check off books of the Bible as they read them.

Most Christians have never even read through the Bible one time, so if you’ve done that, you are ahead of the curve. That said, don’t become complacent after having accomplished that feat. The Bible is an infinite book, so you will glean more truths each time you read it. Not only that, but you will quickly forget a lot of what you’ve read, which is why reading through the Bible every year is so important. Don’t be slothful in your Bible reading or your knowledge will start to decay.

“By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.” Ecclesiastes 10:18

If you’re a layman in the church, and you’re reading through the Bible one time annually, that’s great, but 15 or 20 minutes a day is not going to make you an expert or prepare you to pastor a church. These guys that open their mouth and scripture just flows out have worked hard to get to that point. If you want to avoid doctrinal error and be ready to answer the hard questions, you will need to spend more time in the Word.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

If you are preparing to be ordained at Faithful Word Baptist Church, you had better take your training seriously. We need to start more churches, but I’m looking for preachers who have already read the Bible ten times cover to cover. Think of a pastor as a spiritual lawyer who interprets the law of God and a doctor who helps people get the sin sickness out of their lives. How many hours do you think people read every day when they are studying to become doctors and lawyers? Pastoring a church is a much greater responsibility because of the eternal impact preachers have on people’s lives.

“See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10

In any area of life, you reap what you sow, and Bible reading is no different. The more time you spend reading, the more knowledge you will obtain. They say it takes at least 21 days to form a habit, so now is the perfect time to establish a Bible reading routine that will prepare you to achieve your spiritual goals for 2017.

Here is the sermon on Reaping Where You’ve Sown.

TB Joshua Exposed as a False Prophet

If this man looks familiar, you may have seen him on the hell-e-vision station, “Emmanuel TV.” Hopefully you don’t watch that, but “Prophet T.B. Joshua” is the leader of Nigeria’s Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), and he recently announced that God told him the next president of the United States would be a woman. Since all the polls were saying Hillary was ahead, it’s not like T.B. was going out on a limb by predicting what people already knew…

Well, surprise, T.B. Joshua! Hillary didn’t win, so you are a proven false prophet! I’m not saying T.B. just guessed wrong about the election like a lot of other people did, but he actually said that GOD TOLD HIM a woman would win! Even after this epic fail, T.B.’s followers just can’t admit their hero is a fraud.

What about the irrelevance of his predictions? He gave advance notice of Michael Jackson’s death, but somehow he did not foresee the collapse of a SCOAN guesthouse in Lagos, which killed 115 of T.B. Joshua's followers. Regarding T.B. Joshua’s recent political prediction--Did people actually think that God felt the need to notify some guy in Nigeria of who the next U.S. president would be just 2 days before the election!? What would be the point?

It’s not like we had to hear about the failed prophecy to know T.B. Joshua was bad. From what I’ve read, the guy sounds Satanic, but he already lost me at being a popular TV preacher and by calling his church a synagogue! T. B. and others like him are wrong on all kinds of doctrine, including the Gospel, so they are false teachers anyway. There are Pentecostal/Charismatic preachers like this all over Africa, getting rich doing fake healings and making false predictions. We need more bold men of God living on the dark continent to rise up and speak out against these deceivers.

We aren’t living in the Old Testament where they only had part of the Bible and needed some additional information to know how to proceed. We can read Genesis through Revelation and then read it again, and learn something new every time. Unfortunately, the majority of people following these phony prophets haven’t even bothered to finish reading the Bible one time. The fact that people were so excited about T.B. Joshua’s big prediction just goes to show that they are more interested in what’s going on in politics than in the truths that God reveals to us in his word.

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Managing Your Time Out Soul-winning

“But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” Titus 3:9

When we go out soul winning, we are looking for people who are receptive to the gospel. Don’t let someone who is looking for an argument rob you of your time that you could be spending with another person who would be genuinely interested. On the other hand, if someone is receptive but just slow to understand, take some extra time to be even more thorough with that person to make sure they comprehend each point.

If somebody asks me a weird question, I might tell them we can get back to that, and then I’ll change the subject back to the gospel. I try not to take the bait but instead stay focused on getting through the presentation. Have I gotten into arguments out soul winning? Yes, I’m human, but most of the time I try to be patient with people since the goal is to either get them saved or to at least plant a seed.

At times our pride can get in the way and cause us to want to show off our Bible knowledge. Because of this, newer believers are sometimes better soul winners because they are less likely to get off on rabbit trails, trying to win an argument. It’s not beginners luck—it’s just that they don’t know enough Bible to debate about the more obscure subjects.

Those of us with more experience should still try to stay on topic rather than being baited into a fruitless argument. When I change the subject back to the gospel, I usually hope they forget about their original question, but depending on what the question is, I may answer it after the person gets saved. The point is to avoid foolish questions and use our time wisely. Encourage new converts to come to church where they will hear preaching on all manner of subjects, but our primary goal out soul winning is to win people to the Lord.

The type of questions we do want to answer are those pertaining to salvation. People may have been taught something different at their church and have a hang up that needs to be addressed. Answer relevant questions but maintain control of the conversation, so you don’t waste valuable time or veer too far off course.

If someone is combative about a key salvation point even after you have proven that doctrine with a couple of clear scriptures, it is time to walk away. Be polite when you leave, but don’t waste your time arguing with someone that clearly won’t be getting saved—at least not that day.

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;” Titus 3:10

Sometimes it will become evident that someone just doesn’t understand salvation. Some people will constantly change the subject throughout the presentation, showing that they are missing the point. We should try to get through to them, but there comes a time when you have to realize the person just isn’t going to get saved. Consider leaving them with additional materials and invite them to visit your church for more preaching on the subject. They may just need some time for the verses to sink in, and perhaps in the future, they will understand it better coming from someone else.

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-11

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Be Patient with People

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Whether interacting with unsaved people, children, or people who are wrong on certain doctrines, we need to have patience with them. There was also a time when we didn’t know the things we know now.

When out soul winning, expect people to give some wrong answers, and remain calm and tactful when they do. Don’t take so much pride in your biblical knowledge that you become caustic when people don’t understand or even disagree with you.

You might be thinking--but Pastor, when you get behind the pulpit, you can be pretty abrasive. Well, preaching in church is not soul winning. My sermons are geared toward believers, and often as Christians we need a good swift kick in the pants to wake us up.

That said, when I am behind the pulpit, I am preaching about subjects in general to a group of people. Unless there is a serious problem going on in the church, I try not to directly preach against anyone in the congregation. I have a personal rule that I learned from my old pastor: I do not add or subtract from my sermon because of who walks through the door.

For example, a man with long hair might walk in on the day I’m planning to preach on that sin, and I’ll still preach on it. If he instead shows up on a day that I am preaching on a different topic, I won’t throw in a dig about hair length. If my pre-planned sermon ends up applying to someone in the audience, I try to be extra friendly and nice to them after the service. That way they realize I wasn’t singling them out or trying to preach them out the door. I’m thankful for everyone who shows up, and having people in church who don’t look like life-long Baptists shows that our church is growing and reaching people.

The exception to this laid-back approach is when someone comes in trying to teach false doctrine. People with sinister motives will be kicked out of church, but most people come here because they like our church and want to be here. A lot of people are new to church or perhaps have been in the wrong kind of church for decades, and it takes them a while to learn more of what the Bible actually teaches.

When visitors don’t get saved after I present the gospel to them, I tell them I’m glad they are here and I hope to see them again. A lot of people get saved the first time they hear It, which is why door to door soul winning works, but others might need to come to church a few times or even for a few months before they fully understand the gospel. Don’t jump to conclusions and give up on visitors who have “rejected the gospel.” There are always those that need to hear it more than once.

As parents, we need to be patient with our children and remember what we were like at their age. Don’t get me wrong, we do need to be strict with them to prevent them from going into sin, but your teenager can’t be expected to have the maturity and wisdom that you have in your thirties or forties. Stick to your guns, but don't have unreasonable expectations.

A perfect example of being patient with people who are behind us spiritually is found in Acts Chapter 18. Apollos was a guy whose heart was in the right place, but he didn’t know anything about Jesus and the death, burial, and resurrection. Priscilla and Aquila wrote letters telling people to receive him. They realized he just needed time to learn.

We need to follow the example of Priscilla and Aquila and have patience with those who are at an earlier stage than us in their learning. Remember that you catch more flies with honey. If someone ends up being pushed away, let it be because of our position, not because of our disposition.

Here is the sermon on Patience When Teaching.

Jesus Spent 3 Days and 3 Nights in Hell

The Bible teaches that Jesus spent three days and three nights in hell between his physical death on the cross and the resurrection, but for some reason, this doctrine has become unpopular. Some have tried to use this teaching against me for shock value because most people nowadays have never even heard of it. I don’t care if the whole world stops believing that Jesus’ soul went to hell, I will continue to preach on it since it is so clear in scripture. David prophesied about it in Psalm 16, and the passage is interpreted in the New Testament in Acts Chapter Two:

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Psalm 16:10

“He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” Acts 2:31

Jonah also foretold of the three days and three nights Christ would spend in Hell:

"And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice." - Jonah 2:2

“The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.” Jonah 2:5-6

Notice how some of the above passage is referring to Jonah’s actual experience in the whale’s belly, while other statements are clearly symbolic. In case there was any doubt that Jonah was prophesying about Jesus’ experience in hell, the association between the two events is confirmed in Matthew 12:40:

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

The Oxford dictionary website lists the second definition for the word heart as: “the central or innermost part of something.”

I often use an artichoke heart as an example of this definition of heart. Also, when we talk about a person’s heart metaphorically, we are referring to the very core of their being. When the Bible talks about Jesus being in the heart of the earth, it is referring to hell. A sepulcher perhaps a few feet below ground level is not anywhere near the heart or center of the earth.

A common objection people will make is that they will bring up what Jesus said to the thief on the cross. Yes, he told the thief he would be with him in paradise that day because God is omnipresent, meaning he can be in more than one place at once.

“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” Psalm 139:8

Some will try to go back to the Greek and claim that hell doesn’t mean hell. They’ll try to say hell in Acts 2:31 is referring to paradise or what some wrongly refer to as “Abraham’s bosom.” (Paradise in the Bible is actually synonymous with Heaven.)

Acts 2 and Psalm 16 would not make sense if Jesus was enjoying himself since he clearly did not want to be left in that place. Hell means hell and the time Jesus spent there was a part of the sacrifice.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me on this. I am not saying that one must believe that Jesus went to hell to be saved. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection. (The reason Jehovah’s Witnesses are not saved is because they don’t believe in the bodily resurrection.)

“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.” Romans 10:9

As if Psalm 16, Acts 2, Matthew 12:40, and Jonah 2 weren’t enough, this doctrine is alluded to in literally hundreds of verses! What about all of those burnt offerings in the Old Testament? The animal sacrifices were all pointing to Jesus Christ. Why did those symbolic offerings include fire and burning if Jesus Christ did not also have to go through the fire?

Even though our understanding of this doctrine is not a salvation issue, we should not ignore the spiritual component of Jesus’ death. Realizing more of what our Lord went through gives us a greater appreciation for what he did for us. We know that the price of sin is a physical death as well as a spiritual one, and we are thankful for every aspect of the salvation plan.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Here is the sermon where I discuss this subject in more detail.

Filthy Rich False Prophets

Creflo Dollar - Net Worth $27 million

"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." - Philippians 3:18-19

If you look at the big time false prophets, they’re making a million dollars a year. Forget six figures—they’re making seven! Look up the net worth of these charlatans. People like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer aren’t just making a reasonable living—they are FILTHY RICH! Even just “Joe Megachurch” in your home town is often making millions.

They drive fancy cars. They have a mansion—or three. They have money laid up, and they’re laughing all the way to the bank. If you’re a preacher of God’s Word, and you’re laying up treasures upon this earth, you are a hypocrite.

“For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.” Titus 1:7-11

The above passage makes it clear that a pastor should not be selfish or in it for the money. A man of God doesn’t pastor a church because he thinks it will be lucrative—he does it for the Lord and to help others.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Matthew 6:19-20

If I ever come into a million dollars, I’ll get rid of it as fast as I can. Not only will I spend the money right away, but I’ll try to spend it on whatever would help further the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear that pastors should not be rich, but even if I was not in the ministry, I would avoid accumulating excessive wealth since God has repeatedly warned us of the pitfalls of earthly riches.

“Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:” Proverbs 30:8

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” 1 Timothy 6:9

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Reverend Thabo Mampane Exposed

“Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.” Luke 20:46-47

Reverend Thabo Mampane, who was interviewed with me on a radio show while I was in Botswana, bragged about his master’s degree in theology and other earthly accolades and how he seeks the approval of other religious leaders to make sure he is “relevant” in today’s society.

“For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12:43

He tried to defend the practice of sprinkling by saying we don’t have enough water to baptize people nowadays. Ironically, one of the first things I noticed as a guest in that country is that the people routinely shower twice a day! It’s not that they’re short on water—they’re short on truth.

Last time I checked, seventy percent of the earth’s surface is water. People don’t live in places where they do not have access to any water, so it’s a stupid argument anyway. If someone lived somewhere where water was scarce, we would take that person to a place that had more water, baptize them, and send them home.

“And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.” John 3:23

If you were baptized by sprinkling or pouring, that is not baptism. Baptism is being dunked under water because it symbolizes the burial and resurrection.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” Acts 8:38

Not only is Thabo Mampane wrong on baptism, but this guy embodies the worst trends in modern Christianity. He believes much of the Bible is outdated, and he is not saved. When a guy from our church ran into Mampane and asked him “the question,” he admitted to not knowing if he was on his way to heaven. It is no surprise that this watered-down liberal is revered by the masses as one of the spiritual leaders of his country.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Here is link to the audio of me facing off with Mampane on the radio

Here you can pay to watch all footage from "Deported" including WATCHING the full radio interview from the perspective of being in the studio with us including off-air interactions during commercial breaks.

The Relevance of the Bible

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6

God is eternal. He never changes. Not only that, but human nature is the same too. Ecclesiastes chapter one teaches that there is nothing new under the sun. Even as technology advances, we go through the same spiritual struggles as the people in ancient times. If something was a sin back then, then it is still wrong today.

Whether it’s staring at a naked woman from a rooftop or looking up pornography on a smart phone, the sin is the same. The scriptures about the lust of the eyes and committing adultery in your heart were relevant both then and now.

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Psalm 100: 5

God’s Word wasn’t only written to the people back then. God has preserved his word for all generations, so it is geared toward all of us. In fact, when you study the Bible, you’ll find little tidbits that were more than likely put in there for our sake as modern believers.

For example, the following passage teaches that if we denied the resurrection we would be “false witnesses of God.” This is interesting because the Jehovah’s witnesses do not believe in the bodily resurrection. Jehovah’s false witnesses are a modern day cult, yet God seems to allude to them specifically in that verse. This is just one example of the Bible being geared toward us as well as previous and future generations. The passage was just as relevant back then because there have always been people who deny the resurrection, but the terminology seems to specifically attack the modern day cult.

"And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found FALSE WITNESSES OF GOD; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not." - 1 Corinthians 15:14-15

People will try to negate certain scripture passages by saying you need to understand the culture of when the Bible was written. That excuse doesn’t hold water because the Bible was spoken before the world even began:

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2

They’ll say things like, “Women had to keep silence in the church back then, but now they’re more liberated.” If it was wrong for a woman to teach or preach in church back then, then it’s wrong now because God doesn’t change. God’s law was perfect back then, and it is still perfect.

It makes no sense to assume that much of the Bible is now outdated when it contains prophecies about events that haven’t even happened yet. If you claim to believe in end times prophecy, then you should also be capable of understanding that God knew what life would be like in our day. The Bible is a supernatural book that transcends time, and it is more relevant than today’s newspaper.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

The Purpose of the Devil

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

People get the idea that God and Satan are the opposites of each other and are nearly equivalent in power. The Bible makes it clear that this is not the case. Although the devil is very powerful, he is nowhere near on par with God. He is a creation of God who only continues to exist because God allows it. Obviously Satan is wicked but having him around fulfills a purpose.

Because Satan is a created being, he ultimately fulfills God’s will. Part of why the devil exists is because God wants us to have a free will. Starting in the Garden of Eden, God gave man free will to make his own choices. God did not create man to be a robot, which is why Calvinism is such a joke. Anyone with common sense knows that we all make our own choices in life. The devil made his choice too when he rebelled against God:

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:15

Another purpose of the devil is to either punish or strengthen us. There is a lot of scripture on people being punished or tried through the devil. God is the one we need to fear, though, because we learn in the book of Job that the devil can only do what the Lord allows:

“And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:12

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 5:5

In the above verse, the church was praying that bad things would happen to this guy physically, so that he would be shaken up enough to get right with God. God often allows the devil to buffet us for our own good:

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” was probably some kind of physical ailment that helped to keep him humble and therefore strong spiritually. Satan has his own sinister agenda, but God causes even the devil's attacks attacks to work together for good.

God cannot lie, but he allows the devil to deceive people as a curse or punishment. Satan is behind all false religions and does not want you to be saved. False religion can seem very positive, because the devil is good at what he does. For example, the devil might be tempting you with a beautiful, decked-out cathedral filled with spiritual-sounding chants and beautiful music. That feeling you have in that atmosphere is not God’s presence, but Satan’s. God wants people to seek the truth and believe on him for salvation rather than falling for one of the devil’s false religions out of shallowness or laziness.

For those of us who are saved, God wants us to use our free will to avoid sin in the Christian life. The devil is our adversary. He’s our enemy—our opponent. God doesn’t eliminate the devil or tell us to live a secluded life because he wants us to resist the devil. The Bible says “we are not ignorant of his devices,” so we are expected to learn from the scriptures about how the devil works.

Here is the sermon where I go into this subject in more detail.

Baptist Bride Doctrine Debunked

"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,” Revelation 21:9-10

It is obvious in the above passage that the city is equivalent to the bride. The bride of Christ consists of every believer who has ever lived. Being part of the bride of Christ one day is not dependent on church records or by who baptized the person who baptized you. If you are saved, then you can rest assured that you will be part of the bride of Christ.

What am I talking about? Well, there’s a teaching out there that says you can’t be part of the bride of Christ unless you are part of a Baptist church. Some say that any independent Baptist church will do, but many go a step further and teach that most churches are not real churches unless they have a pedigree or genealogy that goes all the way back to John the Baptist. They say that the church has to have been started by another church that was a “true church,” going all the way back.

They think that you have to be a baptized member of one of these special churches, and that you have to be baptized by someone who was baptized by someone, going all the way back to John the Baptist. ABA churches and others that subscribe to this doctrine proudly refer to themselves as “Baptist Briders.”

Not only are these people wrong about the bride of Christ, but this man-made doctrine doesn’t get anybody into heaven. It doesn’t get anyone on fire for God, therefore it is unprofitable. James Chapter Two and other scriptures warn us about people who are all talk. Being a part of a church that claims to be superior due to some kind of unbroken succession is not profitable to others when that church isn’t doing the works. Briders love to pontificate about how significant their church is, but show me one Baptist Bride church that’s a soul-winning church!

What do Roman Catholics, Orthodox members, Jews, and Baptist Briders all have in common? They all want to tell you they are the chosen ones based on some kind of spiritual or physical genealogy. We believe that we are the spiritual descendants of great men like Abraham and John the Baptist, and we believe that by faith, but the Bible tells us to avoid genealogies:

“But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” Titus 3:9

Most people don’t subscribe to the extreme position that Baptist Briders take, but unfortunately many are still messed up on the doctrine of the bride of Christ. They will try to say that the bride of Christ only consists of church-age saints, and that only New Testament believers currently make up the bride of Christ.

Is the church the bride today if the wedding is going to happen in the future? No. A bride becomes the bride on the wedding day; therefore, the statement, “The church is the bride of Christ,” is a false statement. The following verse is a prophecy about a future event:

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb IS COME, and his wife hath made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7

When John saw the future heavenly city in the book of Revelation, he not only saw us, but he saw the Old Testament saints, too! Again, the Lamb’s wife will consist of every believer who has ever lived. It has nothing to do with being a Baptist or being part of a particular church.

Being wrong about who makes up the bride of Christ and when the bride becomes the bride is not a deal breaker when looking for a church to attend, but stay away from “brider” churches that over emphasize church history or focus on other unprofitable pursuits. Instead, select a KJV only church based on the preaching and soul winning. Get involved at least as a silent partner, and start doing some real work for the Lord.

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:17-18

Here is the sermon where I debunk the Baptist Bride doctrine.

We Need More Soul-winning Churches

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:34

There is a shameful lack of soul winning in today's independent Baptist churches. It can be hard to find a church with an advertised soul-winning time, but even among churches that do have some kind of door-to-door outreach program, many are not preaching the Gospel at the door. We need a whole new batch of churches to knock every door in America again, because the old fundamental Baptist movement is dying.

I know people who have found a Baptist tract on their door, but they never heard a knock even though they were home at the time. This is probably a common occurrence, since unfortunately, many pastors are telling people to leave door hangers without first knocking.

When we go out door to door, it’s not just an advertising campaign for our church where all we do is invite people or just leave a flyer, nor is it a "visitation" time where we visit only the people who have been to our church. Our goal is to systematically knock every door, and not only invite people to church, but give them an opportunity to hear the Gospel right then and there.

Brother Richard Miller just started a church in Nashville, Tennessee which is called Soul-Winning Baptist Church. Soul winning is a priority for Brother Miller, so it is only fitting that he call it that. With a name like Soul-Winning Baptist Church, the church will never be able to do away with soul winning, or it might as well just close down. Be sure to spread the word to your friends in Tennessee about this exciting new church!

We need to make sure that when we go out soul winning, we are doing just that. Handing someone a church invitation as an ice breaker is only the beginning. We need to open our Bibles and give the Gospel to whoever is willing to listen. Occasionally, people will show up as a result of finding an invitation left on their door when they weren’t home, and we praise God when that happens, but we need to remember that our primary purpose when we go out is to preach the Gospel.

Statistics obtained in another Baptist church showed that people are the most likely to show up at church after getting saved. Even when people don’t let the soul winner go through with the presentation, they are more likely to come as a result of being personally invited as opposed to just finding the invitation on their door.

Just inviting everyone isn’t enough. The Bible teaches that we are to open our mouths boldly and make known the mystery of the gospel. Church invitations are a useful tool when used in conjunction with actual soul winning, so pastors need to instruct their people to do more than just hand out literature.

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:14-15

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Balance in the Christian Life

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1

We live in a day of specialization, when we ought to strive to be general practitioners. What I mean by that is that we should try to achieve balance rather than going overboard in any one area of life. There are people who cultivate their brain and not their body, and there are others who get plenty of exercise yet don’t feed their mind. Some people will excel in an area such as art or music but can’t hold down a job because they lack practical skills. Ideally, we should get some smarts, get exercise, be musical, and work hard. Investing some time into each of these areas can help us to accomplish more for the Lord.

The best way to develop the mind is to read. You may not think reading is your thing, but you need to make it your thing because God gave us his word in written form. Ask God for wisdom, and then do your part by including reading as an important part of your daily routine.

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” 1 Timothy 4:13

If you are physically weak and frail, then you need to get stronger. I don’t see any weaklings doing anything for the Lord in the Bible. If you are a person that is physically weak, then you need to work at becoming stronger.

"A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.” Proverbs 24:5

“She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.” Proverbs 31:17

If music isn’t your thing, just show up to church and sing your heart out until it becomes your thing. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. The singing isn’t just a filler—it’s an important part of the church service since God commands us to sing.

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” Psalm 100:1-2

When it comes to the Christian life, there is something to be said for being a Jack of all trades. We need to not only read our Bibles and have our own personal walk with God, but we also need to show up for church and go out soul winning. The Bible is an infinite book, so reading it from cover to cover routinely will help us to approach life with a balanced perspective. Participating in church and soul winning will provide fellowship and exercise and will benefit you physically as well as spiritually.

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Advice to Mainstream IFB Pastors

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12:42-43

The Bible talks a lot about people worrying about what others think. This is obviously a deep-seated problem in human nature. Today, it often starts when children are in school and succumb to peer pressure. This creates a life-long habit of worrying about what others think. Next, they’re worrying about what their coworkers think, and those that become pastors are bringing that fear with them to the pulpit.

If I could change just one thing about my independent Baptist brethren, I would eliminate their fear. We have an epidemic of pastors who worry too much about what people think of them. It’s not that only a few of us believe right on key doctrines. A lot of pastors believe right and preach right about a lot of things, but their problem is fear.

There are churches that are shrinking because the people in the pews do not see a difference between their pastor’s preaching and what is being preached in other churches. I know of a pastor who is a dynamic speaker and believes right on salvation, yet he is not experiencing much growth because he seemingly condones other churches that teach that you must repent of your sins to be saved.

Sure, he’ll expound on the subject from time to time to the core group, and the sharpest people in the church might notice and appreciate it, but what about the rest of the congregation that assumes Lordship Salvation Baptist down the street is fine? Salvation is the most important doctrine, sir! If you believe differently than most churches around you, then why don’t you tell your whole congregation that on a Sunday morning?

When you do preach against false doctrine, tell them they won’t hear this kind of preaching in most churches. There is a great falling away, yet most pastors lead people to believe that any IFB church will do. They don’t differentiate themselves because they don’t want to get ostracized from the fellowship, but this tactic backfires and their own congregation dwindles.

Friend, quit worrying about what people are going to think. Yes, initially you might lose Mr. Moneybags deacon or whoever, but people are drawn to confident preachers who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is. You aren’t running a fun center with all the bells and whistles, so the only thing that is going to set you apart from the multitude of conservative Baptist churches around you is the boldness to preach unpopular doctrine. Even if you lost a few members and zero of your pastor friends agreed with you, your overall attendance would likely increase.

Just standing up to your own congregation isn’t enough. If you are a pastor who is invited to speak at other churches or Bible colleges, and you know they are messed up on a key doctrine (not something minor or nit-picky), then school them on it. The worst that can happen is they won’t ask you back next year, but the best that can happen is that you help turn things around in the fundamental Baptist movement!

If you spoke out more on the repentance issue, some of the pastors you are worried about offending might even get straightened out! Not only that, but those who started preaching against you would be giving you free advertising. Some of their people might search the scriptures and realize you are right.

It’s like when the Pharisees worried about being kicked out of the synagogues. Just think how many people would have gotten saved if those chief rulers would have spoken up! Why don’t you use your influence as a “chief ruler,” and start making more of an impact in your circle? Strive to be more Christ-like and stop worrying about your reputation.

“But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” Philippians 2:7

Here is a sermon on making yourself of no reputation