The Big Difference Between Me And The New IFB

Romans 3:4, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

On May 30th, 2026, I noticed a post on Pastor Steven Anderson's Facebook page by Pastor Matthew Stuckey, which redirected the viewer to this YouTube video. In this video, which overall is good because it refutes Pastor Jack Trieber's new heretical book, Matthew makes a horrible error in his teaching. He says that the Epistle of 1st John was not written to show believers how to know we have eternal life, but rather to give us joy. That is a blatant contradiction to 1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Kindly said, Matthew is absolutely WRONG!

That being said, I had a choice to make when I saw this post on Pastor Steven Anderson's Facebook page. I could have just stayed quiet and thought to myself: “Gee, I know how sensitive Steven is and I should probably just let it go, for the sake of getting along.” But that thought never once crossed my mind. As a fundamentalist Bible preacher, I instinctively reacted the moment I saw his video and in the kindest of words refuted Pastor Stuckey's teaching. Here is my unedited post...

Kindly, Pastor Matthew Stuckey gets this wrong. He plainly says in this video that the Epistle of 1st John was written so that believers can have joy, but he denies that the epistle was written so believers can KNOW we are saved, which blatantly contradicts the plain statement of John. 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟱:𝟭𝟯, “𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱; 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱.” 

The Epistle of 1st John was not just written to give believer's joy, but also to help us individually determine if we are saved. 

I humbly think the key verse is 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟯:𝟮𝟰, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗺. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝘀, 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝘀.” The acid test is whether or not we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and that is what 1st John helps us determine, individually, if we have the Holy Spirit. 

If we hate a Christian without cause, we may not have the Holy Spirit, and thus are not saved (1st John 2:9-11). If we can sin without any conviction whatsoever from the Holy Spirit, then something is very wrong, and we may not have the Holy Spirit, and are not saved (Hebrews 12:6-8). John is NOT saying that we are unsaved if our life is filled with sin; but rather, if we can live like the Devil without being chastised by God, then we may not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Hebrews 12:6-8 plainly calls someone a "bastard" who is never scourged and chastised by God for our sin. Anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Spirit of Christ) is unsaved (Romans 8:9). 

We have to be very careful when interpreting the Scripture to rightly divide it. Many people read 1st John 2:4 that you are not saved if you don't keep God's commandments. They assume that this means keeping all of God's commandments, but john plainly writes in 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟯:𝟮𝟯, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.” 

So, you are not saved if you don't believe on Christ. That is God's commandment. We know from umpteen other Scripture passages that works are not allowed or necessary to get to Heaven (John 6:28-29; Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 5:4). So, we know that John is not teaching that you must keep God's law to be saved. The ONLY commandment that you must keep to be saved is to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, which the dear Savior Himself confirmed in John 6:28-29. Many Bible students get 1st John wrong. 

1st John 3:9 simply means that the indwelling Holy Spirit cannot sin. The Bible does not say that we won't practice sinning as the new corrupt Bible versions read, it says the man who walks in the Spirit "cannot sin." It means when we sin, we do so in the flesh. When we walk in the Spirit we cannot sin (Galatians 5:16). But we all walk in the flesh every day by default, because we are all carnal sinners by old nature. I reject the heresy that when a person gets saved, they only have a new nature and the old nature is gone. No, we still have the old flesh to contend with. The Apostle Paul makes this clear in Romans 7:14-25. 

This is mostly an excellent and needful video by Pastor Stuckey, but he is wrong that 1st John was ~not~ written so that believers can KNOW we are saved. 

The day I got saved, the preacher said that if you can commit sin without any conviction whatsoever from the Holy Spirit, you are not saved. I knew that I didn't have the Holy Spirit, because I had never felt bad about my sinning. When I look back now in my mind, before I got saved at age 13 there is only a blank in my mind concerning God. I was spiritually dead. 

But from the day I got saved until today I have felt the presence of God's blessed Holy Spirit in my life: convicting, comforting, guiding, rebuking and teaching me as His child. The day I got saved was like a light switch being turned on in my soul. For the first time in my life I heard an inaudible small voice in my soul convicting me about sassing my mother. I started reading my King James Bible in Genesis through Leviticus, and then I jumped to the New Testament like most believers do...lol. There was a change in my life. I remember my mother saying to me one evening, "You've changed." In hindsight, that is a beautiful confirmation of God's Holy Spirit in my life. I had been born again! 

To clarify, I do not believe in Lordship Salvation. I do NOT believe that a changed life proves anything, because the false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 lived a changed life, doing many wonderful works and they followed Jesus while calling Him: "Lord, Lord," yet they were hellbound sinners. They were living the Christian life without ever having been born again. That is Satan's favorite weapon! 

There is only one thing that the unsaved person cannot have, and that is the blessed indwelling Holy Spirit, and that is why 1st John was written, to give us the joy of knowing that we are truly saved. 

I have heard Benny Hinn preach different plans of salvation to various audiences. When he was in Colorado speaking to Catholics, Hinn praised the Virgin Mary and presented a Catholic plan of salvation. When in Israel, he preached a different gospel. But when I heard him preach in Tennessee, he preached a free grace gospel, which confused me. I had to give it some thought but eventually figured out what he was doing. Benny Hinn is a chameleon, changing colors to appease different crowds to get their money (2nd Peter 2:1-3). Even though I heard Benny Hinn preach a free grace gospel, I realized that he doesn't believe a word of what he is saying. So, to me, that helps understand why God gave us the Epistle of 1st John. 

Pastor Jack Trieber is definitely wrong in his errant views put forth in his book; but this video also needs to be corrected, because the Apostle John did write his epistle to help the Christian KNOW that we are saved according to 1st John 5:13. 1st John 3:24 plainly teaches that we KNOW we are saved by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by which we were "sealed" the moment we trusted Christ to be saved (Ephesians 5:13-14).
One of the reasons for which God gives us His indwelling Spirit is “𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻” (𝗘𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟭:𝟭𝟰𝗯). The Holy Spirit is God's downpayment on His child. No preacher is perfect. I didn't post these comments to shed a bad light on Pastor Stuckey; but rather, to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3b).

In response to my kind post, a NIFB member replied to my post, falsely accusing me of "railing against a pastor" and of "bringing an accusation against an elder." That is crazy talk! So, I rebuked the fella for having zeal without wisdom, and for his ridiculous claim that I did something wrong to correct one of their New IFB pastors for a YouTube video. Pastor Anderson unfriended and blocked me completely on Facebook. I admit that I am deeply hurt by his rejection, and for throwing me under the bus for telling the truth, but I forgive and still love him. That's just the way that he is. I am grateful for his soulwinning ministry for the LORD.

Kindly said, Matthew Stuckey is 26 years old, I am 59, old enough to be his grandfather. Yet, he and Steven Anderson have no respect for me as a fundamentalist Baptist Bible preacher. The idea that Brother Stuckey can upload a YouTube video, and nobody is permitted to weigh in and correct his unbiblical teaching is absurd. I did not "rail" on God's man. Humbly said, I am as much "God's man" as any New IFB pastor, if not more so for my older age and formal theological training for eight years. I have been saved for 46 years! Sadly, they seem to have no respect for anyone outside of their NIFB camp. That is not right. The NIFB think much too highly of themselves. They are not God's gift to humanity. They are not Popes! They ought to be servants, for “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).

Very kindly said, the big difference between me and the New IFB is that I am loyal to truth and principles, not to men and institutions. Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) wisely taught me that truth. In sharp contrast, the New IFB are loyal to their own, prioritizing following their peers over the truth. There is absolutely no way that Pastor Stuckey has a leg to stand on, to say that the Epistle of 1st John was not written to show us how to “know that ye have eternal life,” when that is the exact text verbatim in 1st John 5:13. And for Steven Anderson to blindly defend Mr. Stuckey and throw me under the bus speaks volumes of where his loyalty rests. I sat that respectfully and kindly, but truthfully. 

Dear reader, I am a loving and sincere man. God knows that I truly do care. Unlike the vast majority of NIFB pastors, I do have a caring heart. I love people. I would NEVER have rejoiced when 49 people were murdered in 2016 by a 26 year old gunman in a gay nightclub in Orlando. But Steven Anderson praised the shooting and said he hated homosexuals. That is not a man of God in his right mind! That is hatred of people created in the image of God, not hatred of sin. The NIFB are a dangerous influence because of their hatred toward sinners. For that reason I have never, nor will I ever, be a part of the hateful NIFB community.

I took a stand on May 30th, 2026, for THE TRUTH. Romans 3:4, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” Matthew Stucky is so horrible that after Pastor Anderson broke off all contact with me on social media, Matthew posted laughing Emojis on Facebook to rub it in and mock me. Really nice fella, huh? That's the NIFB!

This video by my ministry friend Onorato Diamante exposing the New IFB, shows how immature some of their pastors are. Many in the New IFB don't take anything seriously except themselves. Some are incompetent, most of whom have zero formal theological training, evidenced by their butchering of God's inspired Word. I say that very kindly. These are perilous times when literally anybody can become a pastor. God knows that I love everyone and hate nobody. I am just a struggling redeemed sinner, trusting in God's mercy and grace day by day. God is faithful.

Thank you for reading my ministry blog. To God be all the praise, credit and glory (John 15:5).

New IFB Unjustly Calls Pastor Jack Hyles “Wicked”

John 11:25-26, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

According to ungodly New Independent Fundamental Baptists (New IFB, or NIFB), Pastor Jack Hyles was a "wicked man" for preaching that you can be saved without praying some stupid sinner's prayer. Sadly, the New IFB elevate their doctrines above the inspired Word of God.

According to Pastor Jonathan Shelley, he states:

So, telling someone that they need to confess to the Lord Jesus, and believe in their heart; and that's how they get saved—that's the gospel. Calling upon the name of the Lord is part of the Gospel. People who say you don't have to call upon the name of the Lord are preaching another gospel. ...they're wicked and I want nothing to do with that individual. —Pastor Jonathan Shelley

Well, here is Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) teaching that you DON'T have to pray a sinner's prayer to get to Heaven...

Dr. Jack Hyles on Sinners' Prayer for Salvation

In this video, you can hear Pastor Jonathan Shelley for yourself wrest the Scripture and call free grace preachers like myself, Onorato Diamante and Pastor Jack Hyles a bunch of derogatory names for teaching THE TRUTH that you can be saved without praying...

The New IFB Cult Redefines Faith

Well, respectfully, pastors' Shelley, Stuckey and Anderson and the whole lot of those New IFB pastors are wrong for unbiblically teaching that you cannot be saved unless you call, pray or ask for it. Kindly said, this blatantly contradicts umpteen passages of scripture where lost sinners simply BELIEVED ON CHRIST to be saved:

Mark 2:5, "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."

John 4:39-42, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world."

John 6:28-29, "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

Acts 2:41, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

Acts 10:43-44, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word."

Acts 16:30-33, "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway."

And yet, in lieu of these plain passages of Scripture (and there are plenty more), NIFB pastors continue to wrest the Holy Bible to teach that you cannot go to Heaven without praying a sinner's prayer. They are preaching another gospel in the NIFB! Their distorted gospel WON'T hinder you from being saved, since asking God to save you isn't a work, but their heresy could run the risk of confusing someone, causing them to struggle with assurance of salvation. The sinner's prayer woefully confused me for several years after I got saved, causing much misery.

Pastor Matthew Stuckey's Foolish Heresy On 1st John

1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Kindly said, Pastor Matthew Stuckey gets the epistle of 1st John very wrong. He plainly says in the video below that the Epistle of 1st John was only written so that believers can have joy. 1st John 1:4, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” So, yes, in part, John did pen his Epistle led (by the inspiration of the Spirit of God) so that our joy could be full as believers. 

But then Pastor Stuckey horribly denies that his epistle was also written so that believers can KNOW we have eternal life, which blatantly contradicts the plain statement of John. 1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Clearly the Epistle of 1st John was written to show us how to KNOW we are saved so that our joy can be full. Stuckey left off 1st John 5:13.

For Pastor Stuckey to deny that the Epistle of 1st John was written for the purpose of helping believers KNOW that we are saved is to blatantly contradict the plain teaching of 1st John 5:13. It's no different than Pastor Anderson teaching that Jesus burned in the fires of Hell for three days, when Luke 23:43 plainly teaches that He and the repentant thief went to PARADISE the very same day they died. Steven Anderson is grossly incompetent in his theology, elevating his Andersonology over the inspired Word of God.

The Epistle of 1st John was not just written to give believer's joy, but also to help us individually determine whether we are saved. Here is Pastor Matthew Stuckey making a total fool of himself, denying that the Epistle of 1st John was given to us by God so that we can “KNOW” we are saved. Stuckey says the epistle was only intended to give us Christian joy. ...

IFB Book Review | Evidences of Salvation by Jack Trieber

I am just going by Pastor Stuckey's exact words, he states: "It's not a book written to show to us whether or not we are saved." Those are his exact words! The guy is incompetent as a wannabe theologian. 1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Pastor Stuckey conveniently left off mentioning this Bible verse in his video, because it contradicts his perverted view of 1st John. I don't see how Steven Anderson can defend him, but he foolishly does, to his utter shame. Pastor Stuckey is WRONG and so are you if you agree with him! Shame on Steven Anderson and Matthew.

I humbly think the epistle's key verse is 1st John 3:24, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” The acid test is whether or not we have the indwelling Holy Spirit; and that is what 1st John helps us determine, individually—if we have the Holy Spirit.

If we hate a Christian without cause, we may not have the Holy Spirit, and thus are not saved (1st John 2:9-11). If we can sin without any conviction whatsoever from the Holy Spirit, then something is very wrong, and we may not have the Holy Spirit, and are not saved (Hebrews 12:6-8). John is NOT saying that we are unsaved if our life is filled with sin; but rather, if we can live like the Devil without being chastised by God, then we may not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. God is not an absent parent. Hebrews 12:6-8 plainly calls someone a "bastard" who is never scourged and chastised by God for our sin. Anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Spirit of Christ) is unsaved (Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24).

We have to be very careful when interpreting the Scripture to rightly divide it. Many people read 1st John 2:4 that you are not saved if you don't keep God's commandments. They assume that this means keeping all of God's commandments, but John plainly writes in 1st John 3:23, “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”

So, you are not saved if you don't believe on Christ. That is God's commandment. We know from umpteen other Scripture passages that works are not allowed or necessary to get to Heaven (John 6:28-29; Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 5:4). So, we know that John is not teaching that you must keep God's law to be saved. The ONLY commandment that you must keep to be saved is to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, which the dear Savior Himself confirmed in John 6:28-29. Many Bible students get 1st John wrong.

1st John 3:9 simply means that the indwelling Holy Spirit cannot sin. The Bible does not say that we won't practice sinning as the new corrupt Bible versions read, it says the man who walks in the Spirit "cannot sin." It means when we sin, we do so in the flesh. When we walk in the Spirit we cannot sin (Galatians 5:16). But we all walk in the flesh every day by default, because we are all carnal sinners by old nature. I reject the heresy that when a person gets saved, they only have a new nature and the old nature is gone. No, we still have the old flesh to contend with. The Apostle Paul makes this clear in Romans 7:14-25.

This is mostly an excellent and needful video by Pastor Stuckey, but he is wrong that 1st John was ~not~ written so that believers can KNOW we are saved.

The day I got saved, the preacher said that if you can commit sin without any conviction whatsoever from the Holy Spirit, you are not saved. I knew that I didn't have the Holy Spirit, because I had never felt bad about my sinning. When I look back now in my mind, before I got saved at age 13 there is only a blank in my mind concerning God. I was spiritually dead. But from the day I got saved until today I have felt the presence of God's blessed Holy Spirit in my life: convicting, comforting, guiding, rebuking and teaching me as His child.

The day I got saved was like a light switch being turned on in my soul. For the first time in my life I heard an inaudible small voice in my soul convicting me about sassing my mother. I started reading my King James Bible in Genesis through Leviticus, and then I jumped to the New Testament like most believers do...lol. There was a change in my life. I remember my mother saying to me one evening, "You've changed." In hindsight, that is a beautiful confirmation of God's Holy Spirit in my life. I had been born again!

To clarify, I do not believe in Lordship Salvation. I do NOT believe that a changed life proves anything, because the false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 lived a changed life, doing many wonderful works and they followed Jesus while calling Him: "Lord, Lord," yet they were hellbound sinners. They were living the Christian life without ever having been born again. That is Satan's favorite weapon!

There is only one thing that the unsaved person cannot have, and that is the blessed indwelling Holy Spirit, and that is why 1st John was written, to give us the joy of knowing that we are truly saved.

I have heard Benny Hinn preach different plans of salvation to various audiences. When he was in Colorado speaking to Catholics, Hinn praised the Virgin Mary and presented a Catholic plan of salvation. When in Israel, he preached a different gospel. But when I heard him preach in Tennessee, he preached a free grace gospel, which confused me. I had to give it some thought but eventually figured out what he was doing. Benny Hinn is a chameleon, changing colors to appease different crowds to get their money (2nd Peter 2:1-3).

Even though I heard Benny Hinn preach a free grace gospel, I realized that he doesn't believe a word of what he is saying. So, to me, that helps understand why God gave us the Epistle of 1st John.

Pastor Jack Trieber is definitely wrong in his errant views put forth in his book; but this video also needs to be corrected, because the Apostle John did write his epistle to help the Christian KNOW that we are saved according to 1st John 5:13. 1st John 3:24 plainly teaches that we KNOW we are saved by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by which we were "sealed" the moment we trusted Christ to be saved (Ephesians 5:13-14).

One of the reasons for which God gives us His indwelling Spirit is “𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻” (𝗘𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟭:𝟭𝟰𝗯). The Holy Spirit is God's downpayment on His child. No preacher is perfect. I didn't post these comments to shed a bad light on Pastor Stuckey; but rather, to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3b).

Pastor Jack Hyles' Five Lifetime Decisions

Ecclesiastes 12:9, “And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.”

As an independent fundamentalist Baptist Bible preacher, I am loyal to truth and principles, not to men or institutions, which quality is extremely rare today in a preacher. I am not bragging, I am simply saying that I decided way back in Bible college 40 years ago to adopt Brother Hyles' five life's decisions:

1. Nobody will ever tell me what to preach or where to preach.
2. Money will never be an object in my ministry.
3. I will always be a friend to my friends.
4. I will be loyal to principles, and not to Institutions. In the sermon Dr. Hyles states:
   
   “Students of Hyles-Anderson College, do not give your loyalty to Hyles-Anderson College. You give your loyalty to what we stand for today, and if tomorrow we don't stand for it, you withdraw your loyalty—loyalty to principle, loyalty to right, loyalty to character, loyalty to integrity, loyalty to conviction, loyalty to truth; not loyalty to institutions.” —Dr. Jack Hyles, from the sermon titled, “Filled With All The Fulness Of God.”
   
   
5. I will make the decisions of my ministry on the basis of what I think is right only.

Amen! Those are five excellent life changing decisions for all of us, especially for preachers!

Priceless Gems From 'The Sword Scrapbook'

I just purchased the 'SWORD SCRAPBOOK' volumes I (1969) and II (1975) on eBay by Dr. John R. Rice's loyal lifelong secretary Miss Viola Walden (1915-2007). I snapped some photos today of interesting things in Volume I.

I Love Sharing My Music With Others

Proverbs 18:1, “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.”

I've been playing pedal steel guitar for 34 years since 1992, which has been a passion for me over the years. I started playing lap steel in 2006. My Mom Barbara Jean Stewart (1935-2001) while she was still alive enjoyed hearing my steel guitar. My father took this photo in 1998 at his Rescue Mission on Chicago's West Side...

Dad took a photo of Mom and Me (1998)

She went to Heaven on August 20, 2001. I miss my mother. I thank God for music.

Here are some of my Mom's Gospel piano recordings. She never played anything except hymns of the Christian faith:

• Gospel Medley 1 (3:25 Minutes)
• Gospel Medley 2 (10:41 Minutes)
• Gospel Medley 3 (6:10 Minutes)

Here are some of my steel guitar recordings:

1. Pedal Steel Guitar From My Heart
2. Steel Guitar Songs I Recorded For You
3. Brighter Day
4. He Knows My Name (I played along with a Hyles-Anderson College song)
5. God Understands
6. In The Garden
7. Just Over Yonder
8. There's A Highway To Heaven
9. Do They See Jesus In Me?
10. His Hand In Mine
11. Near To The Heart Of God
12. He Washed My Eyes With Tears
13. A Million Moons Over Hawaii
14. Rainbows Over Paradise
15. Then Came Jesus
16. Thank You Lord

When I moved from Chicago to the island of Guam in 2004 and lived there for 17 years, I learned to play the Hawaiian lap steel guitar, which was fitting for living on an island.

I just ran across this pretty song today and thought I'd share it with everyone. I love country music with a pedal steel guitar (mostly 1970s music). Nearly all of today's so-called "Country music" is garbage. Alan Jackson is right, country music is dead! This song is a pretty song with nice lyrics and has a great pedal steel guitar. ...

You Must Be out of Your Ever Lovin' Mind

Many years ago, I started a dedicated website just for the Hawaiian steel guitar, which is mostly played using the C6th tuning. On my website you'll find several hundred songs containing steel guitar, which is the best way to learn to play any musical instrument, by saturating your ears and mind with what a particular musical instrument is capable of doing.

This was the song in 1992 that drew me into learning to play the pedal steel guitar, "My Wonderful Jesus" by The Gospel According To Steve, Leroy And Brother Dave. My favorite Hawaiian steel guitar artist is Jerry Byrd (1920-2005). I met Jerry in 1993 in Winchester, Indiana, at the bi-annual Hawaiian Steel Guitar Convention. I also met famous steel guitarist Bud Tutmarc (1924-2006) at the convention in 1993. When I attended Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993), I bought one of Bud's gospel cassettes at the college's bookstore. Bud Tutmarc made many recordings with the Ralph Carmichael orchestra. ...

“For Ever and Ever” - Bud Tutmarc & Ralph Carmichael (1969)

Lloyd Green (born 1937) is my favorite pedal steel guitar artist, and one of my musical heroes. I had the privilege of meeting Lloyd and his late wife Dorothy, in 1995 at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis. Lloyd has recorded pedal steel guitar and Dobro on about 30,000 songs as a career Nashville musician from the 1960s throughout the late 1980s, including all of Don William's recordings. Lloyd played steel guitar on "Remember When" by Alan Jackson. Here is "In The Garden" by Lloyd.

I had been offered countless times on Guam a full time job to play my steel guitar in bars and nightclubs (they offered me $200 per night), which I always kindly turned down because I never wanted to use my God-given talent to help the Devil sell booze. Plus, by God's grace, I have never drank one drop of Liquid Devil, and by God's grace I never will. Those aren't my kind of places. I have always played freely at home, nursing homes, weddings, or in the sand at the beach when I lived on Guam. Music makes the world a better place.

These days at just play my musical instruments at home for the dog, Miss Pickles.

I Love Playing 5-String Banjo

I had learned to play the 5-string banjo in the late 1980's but there was no internet back then and living in Chicago meant I had no inspiration. Chicago is a Blues town! But in 2017 I learned about a guy named Dave Hum (1966-2012) in Salisbury, England, and his music inspired me to get back into my banjo playing, which I am still passionate about.

I made this banjo blog as a tribute to Dave Hum, and to share my own Bluegrass and folk backing tracks with other musicians. Last week I recorded the popular folk song using the Double C tuning (gCGCD), 'Whisky Before Breakfast.' Here is 'Old Spinning Wheel' that I recorded last year in Standard tuning (gDGBD). I really like playing this song, 'Mason's Apron,' also played in Standard tuning. And 'My Grandfather's Clock' in Standard tuning.

Here are some more 5-string banjo songs that I recorded at home...

1. Arkansas Traveller (Deering Golden Era banjo)
2. Boys Of Bluehill (I used the Double C tuning, gCGCD)
3. Dunphy's Hornpipe (I used Standard tuning, gDGBD)
4. Golden Slippers (Deering Golden Wreath)
5. Green Gates (Deering Calico)
6. Green Gates (Deering Goodtime Special)
7. Miss McLeod's Reel (I used Standard tuning, gDGBD)
8. My Grandfather's Clock (Deering Golden Era)
9. Old Spinning Wheel (Deering Goodtime Special)
10. Off To California (Deering Golden Wreath)

The banjo is a happy instrument. Thanks be to God, I have a Deering Calico (maple neck) and Golden Wreath (mahogany neck) banjo, and a Recording King Elite-85 banjo (maple neck), but I mostly enjoy playing my Deering Goodtime Special (hard rock maple) student model. The Goodtime Special is 3 pounds lighter than my other banjos, which helps my neck since I have an old injury that causes me tremendous pain all the time. I love the 5-string banjo!

God Is Faithful And Good

These days I just play at home at my leisure, when my neck pain and related afflictions aren't stifling my ambition. When you're suffering in constant chronic neck pain, and taking multiple different prescription meds, you don't want to do anything except rest. My burning neck pain is so bad every day, and the burning nerves throughout my upper body, et cetera. I digress. I have no complaints to the good LORD, He is wonderful and I love Him.

Kindly said, I don't claim to be a good Christian, but God knows that I do care and I want to be a blessing to as many people as I can for Christ with my website ministry, which is my greatest passion, serving Jesus. I enjoy making music with my banjo, steel guitar and other stringed instruments, but those things don't change lives or earn me rewards in Heaven. So, I am making an investment with my ministry labors!

I recently bought some music from Hyles-Anderson College and added my pedal steel guitar to one of their songs just for fun, “He Knows My Name.” I am grateful to be an alumnus of the college while my hero of the Christian faith, Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001), was still with us. Brother Hyles is still alive, he has simply relocated to Heaven to be with the dear Savior.

In the photo below, you can see the “Division 4, 76-3,” blue birthday gift that my bus kids and workers (my church family) gave to me while attending Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993). Our church bus route was in Chicago in the Wicker Park neighborhood. I voluntarily served the Lord on the 76-3 bus route for 7 years, drove a church bus for 4 years, and then I helped out in the church Bus Garage for my last year with Rick Suba, the mechanic for the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. And you can also see a Youth Conference poster on my wall.

Me in 1992 with my Emmons D-10 Pedal Steel Guitar

I hope you've enjoyed hearing some of my music. I just wanted to take a break from my other articles and share my music with everyone. Tomorrow we'll be back to my regular ministry articles.  God be the glory. Music makes the world a better place.

God is good, just and faithful!

A Christian Cannot Be Demon Possessed

1st Corinthians 3:16-17, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Ephesians 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

A Christian man recently wanted to debate with me, insisting that he is demon possessed. He told me that he has a psychiatrist doctor to help him with his mood swings, nightmares that cause him to grind his teeth and dark thoughts. The man said he is taking numerous prescription medications. I sympathized with his medical afflictions and prayed for him. It is not my place to condemn anyone. There but for the grace of God, go I and you.

However, I needed to kindly disagree with his assertion that a born again Christian can be demon possessed, simply because it is not true, which he didn't take lightly. The inspired Word of God is very clear the the believer's physical body is the “temple” of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 1st Corinthians 3:16-17, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

We also learn from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” The moment that a lost sinner trusts Christ as his or her personal Savior, that individual is immediately and forever SEALED with the Holy Spirit of God. A transfer of ownership has changed hands from Satan to God. There is no way that a child of God can be inhabited by a demon, although it is possible for a Christian to be influenced by demonic spirits.

In Matthew 16:23, Jesus called the Apostle Peter “Satan.” We know that Peter was not the Devil, but he was thinking like the Devil at that time, wanting to prevent Jesus from going to the cross, which was the entire reason for His coming to earth.

The Afflicted Woman In Luke 13:16

According to biblical teaching, Satan can cause suffering and sickness, as seen in Luke 13:16, where Jesus refers to a woman who had been bound by Satan for eighteen years. However, not all sickness is attributed to Satan; some may arise from natural causes or divine purposes (John 9:1-5).

In an attempt to prove that a Christian can be possessed by a demon, the man I mentioned earlier brought up Luke 13:16, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” Since she is a daughter of Abraham, we know that she was saved. The guy debating with me insists that “Satan hath bound” means she was demon possessed. Now, dear reader, the Bible doesn't say that she was demon possessed, it says that she was bound by Satan for 18 years. Jesus said the thief only comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).

In Job chapter one we read that God gave Satan permission to afflict Job terribly. Satan caused thieves to murder Job's servants and then steal all of his livestock. The Devil murdered all ten of Job's children. Poor Mrs. Job! I have always been empathetic toward Job's wife for suggesting that Job curse God and die, because she had just lost every last one of her precious children. Of course, she was very wrong and lacking in her faith, but she was hurting deeply. Job's wife is a perfect example of how NOT TO respond to life's tragedies. Yet, I wonder how you or I would have done in her situation. Would we have praised the Lord anyhow? God allowed Satan to afflict Job and his wife. Mrs. Job was tested just as much as Job! Yet, neither of them were demon possessed.

According to “Barnes Notes On The Whole Bible”:

Whom Satan hath bound - Satan is the name given to the prince or leader of evil spirits, called also the devil, Beelzebub, and the old serpent, Matthew 12:24; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2. By his “binding” her is meant that he had inflicted this disease upon her. It was not properly a “possession” of the devil, for that commonly produced derangement; but God had suffered him to afflict her in this manner, similar to the way in which he was permitted to try Job. See the notes at Job 1:12; Job 2:6-7. It is no more “improbable” that God would suffer “Satan” to inflict pain, than that he would suffer a wicked “man” to do it; yet nothing is more common than for one “man” to be the occasion of bringing on a disease in another which may terminate only with the life. He that seduces a virtuous man and leads him to intemperance, or he that wounds him or strikes him, may disable him as much as Satan did this woman. If God permits it in one case, he may, for the same reason, in another. [emphasis added] —“Barnes Notes On The Whole Bible”

I agree with Pastor Albert Barnes (1798-1870). The woman in Luke 16:13 was not demon possessed, she was bound by Satan with a disease for 18 years until Jesus freed her.

And may I kindly say, I think it would be foolish for a Christian to try to determine if our illness has been caused by the Devil, the Lord, or is just a result of living in a fallen world. Does it really matter? I mean, since we know that nothing can happen to anyone without God's knowledge and permission, we would be wise to simply trust God rather than to try to figure out the cause of our suffering.

I admit that I myself have a hard time knowing that God sees an innocent person being robbed and then murdered, and does nothing to stop it, but we suffer because we live in a fallen world of sin. I am not going to place God on trial as the heathen world continually does. Living in a fallen world doesn't mean that we suffer evil because of any particular sin we may have committed; but rather, because Adam's sin brought the curse of sin and death upon the entire human race (Romans 5:12). That is why bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. And to clarify, we're all bad sinners in the sight of a holy God (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10-23). Some of us may live above reproach, but no one can live above sin.

The Apostle Paul's “Thorn” In The Flesh

Another argument that the man I mentioned earlier brought up is the Apostle Paul, citing 2nd Corinthians 12:7, “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.” Again, the man claims that Paul was demon possessed as a Christian. Dear reader, this is false teaching! It is IMPOSSIBLE for a child of God to be possessed by a demon! Likewise, no child of the Devil has the Holy Spirit living inside them. Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” No one is saved who does not have the Holy Spirit living inside (indwelling) them.

The Apostle Paul did not claim to be demon possessed; but rather, he said “there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.” We must never read into the Scripture what it does not say. The messenger of Satan was not a demon, it was the “thorn.” The Bible plainly says that! To say that the “messenger of Satan” was a demon who entered into Paul is a wicked thing to claim. Most theologians think that Paul's thorn was poor eyesight, because he said to the churches of Galatia in Galatians 4:15b, “for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.” Paul had poor eyesight. We don't know for certain if that is the “thorn” which he spoke of, but it certainly could have been.

The Human Heart Doesn't Need A Demon To Do Evil

Dear reader, I find no evidence that the afflicted woman in Luke 16:13 or the Apostle Paul were demon possessed. That is a serious accusation to make about someone. Just because you are going to a psychiatrist doctor, taking multiple prescription medications, suffering from dark thoughts in your mind, grinding your teeth at night during nightmares and you're struggling with your mental health, does not mean friend that you have a demon living inside you! Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

I think we give the Devil way too much credit. I do not believe that every time someone commits a horrible crime that the Devil made them do it! We are fully capable of committing the most unimaginable heinous evil deeds as humans. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that some monsters are demon possessed! How do we know the difference? I don't think it was meant for us to know. There are some things that only God Himself knows. So, I think Christians are sometimes inspired by demons, but never possessed. It is impossible!

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) didn't think the fight over the inspiration and accuracy of the King James Bible was a trifle matter. Dr. Hyles pastored First Baptist Church of Hammond from 1959 to 2001. Along with co-founder Dr. Russell Anderson (1931-2023), Dr. Hyles started Hyles-Anderson College in 1972. Dr. Anderson was saved in 1959 in Michigan. There was no truth any more important to Brother Hyles than the inspiration of every single word in the King James Bible...

“And brother, any time anybody ever casts any reflection upon the accuracy and the inspiration—verbal inspiration—of this Bible, I'll guarantee you he was inspired by the demons. I'll guarantee you! I don't care if he's got a 'reverend' in front of his name. I don't care if he has a clerical collar on. I don't care what school he's been to. He's of the Devil if he says that the Bible is not verbally inspired by God!” —Dr. Jack Hyles, a great quote from the awesome MP3 sermon titled, “Satan's masterpiece”

You see, a Christian can be inspired by demons, as was Peter in Matthew 16:23, but that doesn't mean you are demon possessed (i.e., a demon lives inside of you).

I humbly think as Christian believers that we need to be very careful about casually going around deciding who is demon possessed (including our self). If you were to suggest to me that serial killers' John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer were demon possessed, I wouldn't argue with you. Those monsters were pure evil! But even though Pastor John MacArthur preached a counterfeit plan of salvation, I do not think he was demon possessed. I do think he was inspired by demons to preach the lie of Lordship Salvation.

Beware of nutty Pentecostals and Charismatics who see everything through a filter of being demon possessed. To the man with a hammer in his hand, everything starts looking like a nail sticking up. And to the wacky Charismatic, they see all evil as being the result of having a demon inside you. I reject all that utter nonsense! Humans are evil enough of our own nature, without needing a demon to make us do bad things to other people. To become evil, all you need to do is just stop caring and your life will spiral downward into insanity and ruin. That is why my favorite Bible verse for many years has been Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Always be on guard!