The Hated Independent Fundamentalist Baptist

Hebrews 11:36-40, “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”

I love that truthful phrase in Hebrews 11:38b, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” This world is not worthy of the saints of God whom they persecute, prosecute and belittle. There is an alarming increase on social media of videos containing wicked slander, criticisms and hatred of Independent Fundamental Baptists (IFB). I for one am proud to be a lifelong Independent Fundamental Baptist. I thank God for my strong roots. When I was about 12 years old, I was born again in an IFB church on Chicago's northside. I was baptized in an IFB church. I was trained to serve God in an IFB church. God is good.

The ungodly hypocrites who make these slanderous videos act like they are above sin, but they are just as wicked in the sight of God as the fallen Christians whom they tear down. There but for the grace of God, go we! In the United States, our news media are infamous manure spreaders! Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) is correct that the only thing you can believe in the local newspaper is the date.

Pastor Jack Hyles is absolutely correct, “No one can withstand the attack of a critic.” In my humble opinion, most of the people who hate on IFB churches have deeper ill-seeded feelings at work, than any sincere criticism of an IFB church. There is a Satanic agenda at work to discredit, undermine and destroy today's IFB churches. The reason why is obvious, because they come closest to being New Testament churches that get the job done for God.

The ongoing hatred of IFB churches isn't a new phenomena. The heathen world has always hated the New Testament church. Revelation 12:10b calls Satan, “the accuser of the brethren.” Those haters today who slander and tear down the IFB are in league with the Devil. You're never more like the Devil than when you accuse others.

Now, I'm not defending anybody who commits a crime, God forbid. But what I see happening is thousands of malicious wicked haters are connecting dots that don't exist to discredit the IFB movement. They dig up all the dirt they can. They overturn every rock. They have their magnifying glass in hand, scrutinizing today's IFB churches and colleges for every fault, sin, crime and mistake they can find to slander, put down and attack Christians.

The inspired King James Bible says in Hebrews 11:38b concerning the saints, “Of whom the world was not worthy.” We are a royal priesthood. 1st Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Oh, what a great privilege it is to be a child of God, a born again believer.

God Created The Moon, Not A Cataclysmic Event

Genesis 1:15-16, “And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

Psalms 8:3-4, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

Psalms 104:19, “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.”

The level of unbelief, ingratitude and wickedness in American society today toward our Creator is staggering. The inspired Holy Bible is very clear that God made the moon, not two asteroids crashing into each other billions of years ago.

According to NASA (the smartest people on earth) the moon just accidentally happened...

The Moon formed from debris created by a massive collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia about 4.5 billion years ago. This impact ejected material into orbit around Earth, which eventually coalesced to form the Moon. SOURCE

What ingrates! Why is it so difficult to believe that God made the moon? But wait, there's much more to the story. The Scripture tells us that when wicked people embrace the sin of homosexuality, they don't want to retain God in their thinking...

Romans 1:26-28, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”

Sadly, NASA has embraced the deplorable homosexual movement. So, it doesn't surprise me that NASA doesn't want to retain God in their thinking. There is nothing any more wicked than to attribute the creation of the universe to natural causes without God. NASA are just one of countless heathen organizations today who throw God under the bus.

I love astronomy and have been watching many intriguing documentaries on YouTube. I've seen several dozen videos, maybe even a hundred so far. Sadly, not once, has any of those videos glorified God as our Creator. I'm not kidding, not even one! What an insult to our omnipotent Creator who spoke the universe into existence by the mere Word of His mouth (2nd Peter 3:5). God is good!

Psalms 19:1-3, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”

God made the moon, and the sun, and the Milky Way Galaxy, and the stars and beyond.

Jeremiah 31:35, “Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name.”

Don't Let People Confuse You About Your Salvation

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.”

A man hears the gospel and believes it to be saved. But then he hears someone say that if he didn't pray a sinner's prayer, he isn't really saved. So he prays to ask God to save him. Then someone else says he didn't really get saved if he didn't publicly confessed the name of Jesus. So he tells others that he trusted Jesus as his personal Savior. Then someone tells him that he didn't really get saved if he only believed in his mind, but not with his heart. So he worries about his sincerity in the matter and is confused. Then someone tells him that if he still indulges in sinful bad habits, he has never repented and is not saved. Another person tells him that if he isn't following Christ in obedience, he isn't saved. And on and on it goes!

What saith the Scripture? 2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Dear reader, God doesn't want you to become a basket case of religious scrupulosity. God wants all of His redeemed children to have total peace of mind, especially concerning His promise of eternal life.

Let me say without debate that the life you and I choose to live has absolutely nothing to do with God's free gift of eternal life. Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” The dear Lord doesn't want us to live in unrepentant sin, but if we do, His grace will abound so that we can never be in jeopardy of losing His gift of eternal life. As believers we always fall “in grace,” but never “from grace.” Only a lost person who tries to get to Heaven by keeping the works of the law has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4).

I went through a nightmare for many years, being misled by preachers. I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior at age 13. But due to the unbiblical sinner's prayer, I was confused and couldn't find peace concerning the assurance of God's salvation. In the Christian high school that I attended in Chicago at our Baptist church, I finally mustered up the courage at age 17 to go ask my Baptist pastor for his help with my fear of not being saved. I had often cried, literally, worried sick for the previous 4 years that I might die in my sins and end up in Hell.

I kept wondering if I left something out when I prayed the sinner's prayer. Since I couldn't remember what I had prayed, I worried. So, I started asking for God to save me again and again and again, probably 50 times at least over those 4 miserable years. I would read religious tracts line by line, and carefully agree with each point, and then I would pray again and ask God to save me, as directed in the tract. I would then tell myself that I am saved, but it just didn't resolve my fears, worry and tears. What if I missed Heaven? What if I ended up burning in Hell forever? I was terrified.

So, I mustered up the courage one school day to go talk to my pastor, with the teacher's permission. I remember as I approached his office door that it felt like I was going to talk to God. I knocked on his door and he welcomed me into his office, and I told him of my concerns, fear and inability to settle my assurance. He assumed that since I didn't know I was saved, it surely must mean that I wasn't. Respectfully said, that was his first blunder.

Then my pastor made his second big blunder. He did the worst possible thing he could have done, he led me in another sinner's prayer. Oh boy, that was the whole problem! He prayed and I followed after him, and he assured me that I was saved. But I went home scared, still uncertain if I was really saved. He called my parents to tell them I had received Christ that day, and then he announced to the entire church congregation the following Sunday that I got saved. Now that everyone thought I was saved, I was afraid to tell anyone that I still feared that I wasn't. I felt trapped in my miseries of uncertainty that I was saved. I did trust Jesus with all my heart, mind and soul as my Savior, but I just couldn't find the peace that I was saved. In hindsight, I was afraid of something that I did not fully understand, and that stupid sinner's prayer was hindering me from learning what I needed to know.

My Dad was a preacher, who water baptized me weeks after my pastor assumed that I was saved, because he led me in another sinner's prayer. But I still remember how scared I was on the day I was baptized, thinking about 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝟭𝟲:𝟭𝟲, “𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱; 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝗱.” Would I be damned for getting baptized, still not knowing if I am saved? I felt trapped and went ahead with the baptism, but I was still worried and uncertain about my salvation.

I went off to Hyles-Anderson College at age 18, not knowing that I was saved. I was hoping to settle my fears at Bible college. Unfortunately, that fear stuck with me for the next 8 years during Bible college, because the First Baptist Church of Hammond and their Bible college all use the sinner's prayer. Now, I am not criticizing my home Bible college and the people whom I love, cherish and am indebted to who investing in my life as a young man training to be a preacher. But the fact of the matter is that FOR ME AT LEAST, the sinner's prayer was toxic.

Although Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) preached some great sermons, and he was correct on the gospel, he strongly promoted using the sinner's prayer, which obscured the truth FOR ME and prevented me from resolving my issue. Ironically, I have heard more helpful sermon by Brother Hyles since I have graduated (especially over the past 10 years), than all my time in Bible college. I was so busy laboring in the 'B' Bus Ministry, working various secular jobs, providing for my family, et cetera, that I missed most of Dr. Hyles' sermons while in college. I taught a Sunday School class every Sunday morning, and I worked on Wednesday evenings, so I was only able to hear Brother Hyles Sunday evenings.

One of the sermons that has helped me, which I've only heard in recent years (now at age 59) for the first time is titled, "FUNDAMENTALIST HERESY." In this sermon Brother Hyles explains that prayer does not save us, but faith. Inviting Jesus into one's heart doesn't save anyone, faith does. For whatever reason, I didn't get the answers I needed while attending Hyles-Anderson College. I did sit on the edge of my seat during all those years, learning new helpful truths about salvation, trying to complete the puzzle. As I said, I am not criticizing my beloved home college, but I have gratefully learned to present the gospel without the sinner's prayer, which has never been a problem. It is the sinner's prayer that causes problems!

I am forever grateful to the folks at Florida Bible College and Calvary Community Church in Tampa, whose godly pastors' A. Ray Stanford (1916-2012), Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), Max D. Younce (1935-2023) and Ralph Yankee Arnold have opened my eyes to the clarity of the gospel. I cherish this quote...

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.”—Pastor Yankee Arnold, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”

God used the prolific writings of my long time ministry friend of 20 years, Pastor Max D. Younce, who is a graduate of Florida Bible College, to solidify my salvation beliefs. In particular, it was his wonderful book titled, "SALVATION AND THE PUBLIC INVITATION," that helped settle my assurance of salvation once and for all, and I have never doubted God's gift and promise of salvation for one second since. PRAISE GOD!

To clarify, there is nothing wrong if someone wants to accompany their faith with a sinner's prayer, but every soulwinner has a solemn duty to make sure a lost sinner understands that praying, asking, publicly confessing or calling is NOT required to get to Heaven. 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. I learned that great quote from Dr. Younce. I miss my ministry friend.

Furthermore, a lost sinner should never have to walk down a church aisle to learn how to be saved. Dr. Younce addresses this primary problem in his book. Preachers who require people to walk an aisle are adding an unnecessary step to God's simple plan of salvation. Likewise, no one should ever be required to pray a sinner's prayer to be saved, when God is already freely offering eternal life as a gift to whosoever simply believes that Jesus did it all for them.

I exhort you dear friend to get grounded and settled in the inspired King James Bible, and avoid listening to the incompetent herd of misguided, confused and foolish neo-evangelical preachers today who will have you all turned around, confused and worried about your salvation if you let them. Romans 3:4a, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar...” And please don't leave off the last portion of the verse, in Romans 3:4b, “...as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” I love that warning! It means if what you are preaching and teaching aligns with what God is saying in His inspired Word, then you WILL BE vindicated on Judgment Day. But if what you are telling people is unbiblical and false teaching, then you will be in serious trouble with God (Proverbs 30:5-6).

That all being said, I DO NOT use the sinner's prayer anymore, and have not used it for twenty years; but if I did use it, I would absolutely make sure to explain that prayer is not required to be saved. For the ungodly toxic New IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) movement to mandate a sinner's prayer to get to Heaven is utter theological incompetence. They are deliberately obscuring the gospel with manmade garbage. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Balaam, The Son Of Bosor

2nd Peter 2:14-16, “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.”

Jude 1:10-11, “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.”

Balaam, The Son Of Bosor
(by Evangelist Justin Zhong)

This is excellent sermon truth by Evangelist Justin Zhong. FALSE PROPHETS can speak God's Word with cunning words like Balaam. God spoke through Balaam (Numbers 23:5). But just because God was speaking through Balaam doesn't mean that he was a righteous man. Sometimes God uses wicked people for His purpose.

The Spirit of God was upon wicked Saul (1st Samuel 19:23). In Matthew 10:1 the Bible names Judas Iscariot as one of the apostles to whom God gave power to cast out demons. Reprobate false prophets like Judas can cast out devils (Matthew 7:21-23). But just because Judas had power from God to cast out devils doesn't mean that God endorsed him. Pharaoh's Satanic magicians had the power to do miracles.

Caiaphas led the sinister plot to murder Jesus, yet Caiaphas prophesied the truth concerning Jesus' crucifixtion, burial and resurrection (John 11:49). False prophets can tell the truth sometimes, cast out devils, and even be used by God to bless people; yet they can love money and be of the Devil. You cannot judge a preacher by mere appearance alone.

Just because somebody in a church is doing the right things, working miracles, saying the right words and helping people in the community, doesn't mean that they are good people.
Effectiveness is not the same thing as faithfulness. Pastor Joel Osteen is a very effective speaker, but he is unfaithful, not preaching the truth of the inspired Word of God. Just because God is blessing you doesn't mean that everything you are doing is right.

Pastor Steven Anderson is a bold fiery preacher, but he is unfaithful, not preaching the truth of God's inspired Word that God unconditionally loves everyone (John 3:16). No preacher is faithful who teaches hatred for people. Just because somebody is doing some right things, saying some right words, and helping some people in the community—doesn't mean that they are good people. Popularity is not the same thing as faithfulness.

Infamous murderous gangster Al Capone (1899-1947) was well-liked in Chicago for his generosity to the poor during early days of The Great Depression. The infamous gangster distributed food and clothing to the needy, for which many people in the community loved him. But was he a good man? Reports indicate that there were at least 522 gang-related killings in Chicago during the 1920s, a portion of which can be attributed to Capone and his evil criminal organization. Even Judas Iscariot was given the power to cast out devils and heal the sick (Matthew 10:1). As you know, Judas was not a good person, he betrayed Jesus to death.

Dr. John R. Rice's Conflicting Theological Statements

John 3:14-16, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The inspired King James Bible presents God's simple plan of salvation very plainly, so that if you take the Bible at face value there is no controversy. The problem arises when well-meaning, but men of corrupt minds, start tampering with the Word of God to satisfy their own whims and agendas. The raging debate over repentance is nothing new.

I get frustrated when I read articles by India missionary David W. Cloud, who likes to quote Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) to support his perverted view that you cannot get to Heaven unless you are first willing to change your behavior. Mr. Cloud vehemently accuses professed Christians of not being saved unless their lifestyle clearly reflects it. This is a form of Lordship Salvation.

To Forsake Sinful Behavior Or Not To Be Saved

Here is one of the quotes that David Cloud likes to reference from Dr. Rice's religious tract: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” (which was written in 1949) ...

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  —Dr. John R. Rice, 'What Must I Do To Be Saved?'

Uh, no, that is NOT what Bible repentance means. Respectfully said, Dr. Rice is very wrong! He clearly gives the wrong impression that to get to Heaven you must make a strong effort to forsake your sinful behavior, which is 100% works.

Ans yet, read what Dr. Rice wrote elsewhere in 1963 regarding repentance, totally contradicting his 1949 tract...

"There are those hyper-dispensationalists who think that John the Baptist preached a different Gospel from Christ when he commanded repentance (Matt. 3:2). But it is the same repentance Jesus commanded in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 13:3 and 5, and the same repentance that Paul preached in Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 31). Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. ...Everyone who genuinely repented under the preaching of John the Baptist put his trust in the Saviour John the Baptist preached, and was regenerated. There is no such thing as being “a disciple of John the Baptist” in any honest sense without being a disciple of Jesus, that is, without trusting Christ for salvation." —Evangelist John R. Rice, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” pp. 251-252; Sword Of The Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; ©1963

Well, which is it Dr. Rice? Does a person have to turn away from sinning earnestly with all their heart to get to Heaven? Or can they simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ? It cannot be both ways! Dr. Rice's contradictory statements are confusing at best.

So, which is it, do we have to “turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart” to be saved; or do we simply trust Jesus Christ, and in so doing we have automatically turned from our sins? Dr. Rice's 1949 tract has stirred MUCH controversy in the religious world, providing ammunition for the Lordship Salvation cult who quote his bad theology.

Evangelist David C. Cloud (a missionary to Nepal in India for over 30 years) is a good man as far as good men go. But he is a bitter enemy against Pastor Jack Hyles, for which I do not respect him. David Cloud has horribly dubbed Dr. Hyles: "The King Of Shallow Soulwinning!" On the Day of Pentecost, the Bible says the Apostle Peter preached the Gospel and 3,000 people got saved. No one was interrogated. No one had to be watched to see if their life changed. No one was required to forsake their sinful lifestyle. They simply "gladly received his Word" (Acts 2:41). That is, they heard the Gospel and they BELIEVED it! (Galatians 3:2). Now, David Cloud can call that type of soulwinning "shallow," but it is the Bible way and the only way to be saved! I have read Mr. Cloud's plan of damnation, and it is not the free grace Gospel.

When David Cloud met with Pastor John Wilkerson (senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana) on April 12, 2022 (per Mr. Cloud's request), Mr. Cloud wasn't man enough to come by himself, he brought another pastor along to gang up on Pastor Wilkerson, who did come by himself. I don't know why Dr. Wilkerson bothered to meet with that scumbag, because as anticipated David Cloud used the meeting to criticize, further smear and tear down the First Baptist Church of Hammond and their pastors for preaching Easy Believism. SHAME on David Cloud and his Satanic plan of damnation (i.e., partial faith in Christ plus works).

It was David Cloud who started spreading the untrue garbage that Pastor Curtis Hutson and Dr. John R. Rice didn't agree on salvation. They both believed the same Gospel!!! They just presented it differently. The only difference is that Dr. Hutson refused to use the stupid phrase "turn from sin," but Dr. Rice unfortunately did and it confuses people still today.

From the quote I just shared with you from the book, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” Brother Rice made it very clear that he believed: "One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ." That is the opposite of what we are hearing preached in 90% of Bible colleges and churches today! Look at this Satanic tommyrot preached at Bob Jones University (BJU) nowadays by Dr. Steve Pettit. BJU are ungodly Calvinists. RUN from that accursed cult!

Sadly, Dr. John R. Rice has hindered many people from getting saved by his sinful use of the unbiblical phrase “turn from your sin,” which is nowhere found in the inspired King James Bible. It is a wicked thing to read into the inspired Word of God what it doesn't say.

Likewise, I believe that cartoon artist Jack Chick was saved, but he also sinfully embellished the simple Gospel, requiring people to “be willing to turn away from sin (repent)” in billions of his Chick Tracts (on the back page, step number 2, in his perverse plan of damnation). Romans 5:6b plainly says, “CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY”!!!

There is no requirement to be willing to reform your life of sin before God will accept your faith in His only begotten Son. Although preachers will continue to debate and argue over this matter, the FACT remains that not one verse in the inspired King James Bible teaches that God won't save you unless you are first willing to reform your life of sin. Those wicked pastors are trying to do the work of the Holy Spirit, trying to force sinners to forsake their sinful ways to receive God's free gift.

I do believe that Dr. John R. Rice was saved, because he plainly stated that “One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately, his foolish teaching in his 1949 tract requiring the reader “to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart” to get to Heaven, which impossible requirement would scare any sinner away. If someone had told me that in 1979, I never would have received Christ as my Savior, because I would have felt that such a requirement was too difficult for me to achieve.

Even when I was saved, I used to pass on the Lord's Supper in church, refusing to partake of it because of some ongoing sins (or I should say things that at the time I thought were sinful) I had in my life as a young teenager. I learned years later that the only qualification to partake of the Lord's Supper is to be saved. Had I know that truth, I would have partaken of the Lord's Supper and not pass on it, as I did for a few years. I took things serious as a teenager. So, if someone had foolishly told me that I have to be willing to turn from my sinning to be saved, I would have declined their offer, as does this woman on an airplane when Evangelist Ray Comfort pressures her to stop sinning to be saved. That is not the Gospel!

As much as I love and respect Dr. Rice, he really messed up by using unbiblical terminology, which has misled multitudes of people concerning what you must do to be saved. What irony! The very name of his booklet is: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?,” and yet he fails to accurately present God's simple plan of salvation to the reader.

Perhaps you ask, “What about John 3:20?” John 3:20, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” Yes, that is a powerful Scripture passage. Most people will not come to Jesus because of sin. John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Jesus said, “ye will not come”; He didn't say, “ye cannot come.” Most people won't come to Christ to be saved because of their love for sin.

No doubt this is why so many preachers require that you first be willing to forsake your sinful ways as a prerequisite to saving faith. However, please don't leave off John 3:21, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” 2nd Timothy 2:25, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” Bible repentance is a change of mind. That is, it is acknowledging THE TRUTH.

Here is one of the best quotes that I've found on repentance by Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):

“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” ('Except Ye Repent,' p. 16)

We learn from Matthew 7:21-23 and Luke 13:23-34 that many religious people (who do “MANY WONDERFUL WORKS”) are not saved and consequently, they are going straight to Hell when they die! There are far more religious people who do GOOD works than BAD works, who are unsaved and going to Hell. The point being, neither good works or bad works are conclusive evidence that a person is either saved or unsaved. The only true evidence of the new birth is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit (and that is something that only God can see).

If it weren't for 2nd Peter 2:6-7, we'd never know that Lot was saved, whose own family laughed in his face when he tried to warn them of the coming destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:14). Proverbs 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.”

The truth is that getting saved does not change a person's personal character one iota. Not one bit! The only difference is that the Holy Spirit has come to live inside the body of every believer (1st Corinthians 3:16-17; 1st John 3:34; Romans 8:9). You don't have to “decide to change” nor have a “change of direction” to be saved. Respectfully, I hear errant preachers attempting to use the Epistle of 1st John to teach that a person is not saved if they're still living a deathstyle of sin. 1st John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” This means that a person committing wickedness is of the Devil, but the Bible doesn't say they are not saved. Even the apostle Peter was called “Satan” by the Lord for thinking contrary to the Scripture (Matthew 16:23).

And also, here is what Pastor Bob Gray Sr. rightly said about Bible repentance ...

“Repentance means to change your mind—change your mind—change your mind about how you want to get to Heaven to what God says you've got to do to get to Heaven. If you've got to repent of all your sins, you're still headed for Hell tonight.” —Pastor Bob Gray Sr., 'Why You Should Be A Part Of A Growing Church'

There is no controversy if you believe the Holy Bible dear friend. The only reason why so many preachers insist that you must be willing to turn from your sinful ways to be saved, is because they are attempting to force YOU to do the job of God's Holy Spirit. That is, they are requiring YOU to commit to live a changed life to be saved, or to prove that you are saved. Yet, repeatedly we are told in the inspired Holy Scripture that it is God's Holy Spirit who produces the “fruit” of righteousness in God's redeemed children, and not we ourselves.

To tell someone that they must be willing to give up their sinful bad habits to get to Heaven is effectively to require them to keep the law to be saved (Romans 3:19-20). It is very unfortunate that Dr. John R. Rice foolishly chose his words when he wrote his religious tract in 1949, because multitudes of people still today recognize and follow Dr. Rice as a leader in fundamentalism. But we must remember that Brother Rice was merely a man, fully capable of doctrinal error, and he is very wrong in his tract.

We must NEVER tell someone “to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart” to get to Heaven, because no such teaching can be supported with the inspired King James Bible. The very suggestion is intimidating to any sinner. The antithesis of John 3:20 is not turning from your sin, it is turning from your unbelief to trust the 'GOOD NEWS' of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen the third day. The only change of mind regarding sin that you need to have, to be saved, is to admit that you re one. The only thing that you and I contribute to our own salvation is the sin that made it necessary.

Pastor Brad Strand Gets Repentance 100% Correct

Wrong Repentance is Deadly!

Don't Play Russian Roulette With People's Lives

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

For me, I heard a doctor say something helpful many years ago that I adopted: "You cannot take two drinks of alcohol if you don't take the first." I think that is great wisdom.

I heard Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982) in a sermon tell the true story about a man who had never taken any alcohol in his life. The man signed up for a cooking class which included drinking a glass of wine with various meals. So, the man drank wine for the first time, and over time it escalated until he became a full blown drunkard.

It's not my place to condemn anybody who drinks alcohol, but for me personally I have chosen all my life to steer clear of alcoholic beverages. Pastor Jerry Falwell (1933-2007) used to call Nyquil "Baptist wine." I really like that. He was so right. I admit that to help me sleep I drink a cup of Nyquil here and there. But like Pastor Falwell wisely said, since we Baptists don't drink alcohol, we use medications like Nyquil instead to get the same effect. So, we need to be careful and use discretion and wisdom.

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” The inspired Holy Bible warns that there is a deceptive nature to alcohol. It is no mere coincidence that the writer of Proverbs 20:1 warns about the deceptive nature of booze. Many people have lived to rue the day that they bought into the Devil's lie that they could handle booze. Many a great men have fallen because they were deceived to think they could handle alcohol, that they wouldn't ever become the next statistic.

Granted, most people handle their booze well, but it only takes just one time. To me, drinking booze is a form of playing the deadly game of Russian Roulette.

Please don't become the next victim of booze; or worse, make someone else your next victim.

A 26 Year Old Drunken Woman Murdered a Police Officer on Guam

The Counterfeit Gospel Of Evangelist Dylan Novak

John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Dylan Novak was born on March 15, 2002, in Indianapolis, Indiana. His ministry website is at: https://celebrityevangelist.org. I found the following video today about Dylan giving a New Living Translation (NLT) of the Bible in 2023 to Ozzy Osbourne (real name: John Michael Osbourne, 1948-2025). Jack Osbourne (Ozzy's son) said that the gift meant the world to his Dad.

What Ozzy Osborne said about being Christian & the Bible Before Death

In all his videos and Statement of Beliefs on his website, Dylan plainly requires that you not only accept Jesus as your personal Savior, but ALSO as your personal “Lord.” To an unlearned Christian, that addition may seem to be harmless since Jesus is the Lord. However, you need to know that when Dylan Novak refers to accepting Jesus as “Lord,” he means recognizing Christ as the supreme authority in your life, which involves a commitment to follow His teachings and guidance. This acceptance signifies a personal relationship with Jesus, where individuals trust in Him for salvation and strive to live according to His will. This is another gospel.

Ozzy Osbourne’s Departure Sparks Spiritual Questions 

John Michael Osbourne—better known as Ozzy Osbourne—succumbed to his battle with Parkinson’s disease this past week at the age of 76. Much has already been written about the former frontman of Black Sabbath and how his legacy shaped not only the emergence of heavy metal but of the broader entertainment culture as well.

What’s perhaps most interesting—and maybe unexpected—is the number of conversations his death has sparked about spiritual things. Chief among them, his own spiritual beliefs. READ MORE

Sadly, all of Ozzy's rhetoric about believing in God wasn't enough to save him from Hell. I sure hope that he went to Heaven, but we won't know under the afterlife.

Dylan's Deadly Misunderstanding Of The Gospel

Nowhere in the inspired King James Bible do we read that to get to Heaven you must accept Jesus as your “Lord.” Pilgrim's Progress author John Bunyan (1628-1688) said it best:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan

In the preceding video Adrienne Bankert asks Dylan Novak the question:

“With Ozzy, do you know if he ever prayed the prayer of salvation?”

Dear reader, you don't get saved by praying a prayer of salvation, you get saved by faith (taking God at His written Word) to accept Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then resurrected physically from the dead three days later. This is “the Gospel” (Good News) by which all who believe it are instantly, irrevocably and permanently saved (1st Corinthians 15:1-6; Romans 1:16).

In the neo-evangelical video, Dylan mentions the thief on the cross who did nothing but, ”he acknowledged with his lips that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

“Well maybe Ozzy gave his life to Christ at the end.”

Again, this is not how you get saved dear reader. Judas Iscariot gave his life to Christ, becoming one of Jesus' very apostles. Yet, Judas died in his sin of unbelief and went to Hell forever. The false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 devoutly followed Jesus, calling Him: “Lord, Lord.” They boasted of having done “many wonderful works” in Jesus' name, but Jesus still denied knowing them as His redeemed sheep. They had failed to do the will of the Father in Heaven, which we learn in John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” I don't see anything in that passage about accepting Jesus as one's “Lord” to get to Heaven. Wicked preachers have perverted God's simple plan of salvation, adding and embellishing the gospel.

At about 12:45 minutes into the video, Dylan says:

“We don't know because if you look at the thief on the cross, that thief on the cross didn't do anything to further the gospel. All he said was, "Remember me, Lord." He acknowledged with his lips that Jesus Christ was Lord. And Jesus said, "Today you will be with me in paradise." He didn't have to be baptized. He didn't have to go to seminary. He didn't have to go profess Christianity or following Christ to anybody. He believed and he was saved. So again, we see through scriptures. It doesn't matter when as long as you give your life to Christ. And it's with a sincere transformation, change, and acknowledgement in your heart.” SOURCE

Oh my, that's the Satanic deception of Lordship Salvation (which is rooted in Calvinism). Dylan is clearly associating a positive change in one's behavior with being saved. If salvation is truly by grace, then you don't need to start or stop anything to be saved. Eternal life is a free gift from God (Romans 6:23). Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty.

The Deadly New Living Translation (NLT)

The NLT that Dylan gave Ozzy Osbourne as a gift is of the Devil. Unfortunately for Ozzy, the so-called “Bible” that Dylan gave him which is “easier to read” contains ALL of the same corruptions as all of Satan's modern English Bible revisions. Case in point...

KING JAMES BIBLE (KJB) - Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT) - Mark 1:15, “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

Do you see how the NLT perverts the truth of God Word? The Greek verb for “repent” in Mark 1:15 means “to think differently.” It DOES NOT mean to repent of your sins!!! Wicked but well-meaning men changed God's Word. Proverbs 30:5-6, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Anyone who tells you that God won't save you unless you are first willing to repent of your sins, to be willing to clean up your life of sinful bad habits, has been inspired by demons.

Biblically, you don't need to feel some deep profound regret, sorrow or a desire to reform to be saved; but you do need to acknowledge that you are a guilty hell-deserving sinner. You need to know why you need to be saved (because you are a sinner), and from what you're being saved from (burning in Hell forever). We are SINNERS and Jesus is the SAVIOR.

Dear friend, Christ died on Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago to pay for your sins and mine. Why would He demand that you be willing to forsake your sinful ways to be saved, which very idea is IMPOSSIBLE? No one has ever turned away from their sinning. You may clean up your life enough of sin to live above reproach, but you can never rise above sinning; no one can. If salvation is truly by grace, then you don't need to start or stop anything to be saved. Eternal life is a free gift from God (Romans 6:23).

After watching the video, it does sound like singer Jerry Lee Lewis did go to Heaven, because he simply trusted Jesus as his personal Savior. But what Dylan is preaching about accepting Christ as one's “Lord,” giving your life to Christ, and experiencing sincere transformation and change, is NOT God's simple plan of salvation. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!! Dear reader, since what someone believes will determine where they spend eternity, it is imperative that we present the gospel correctly. I love what Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold said:

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.”—Pastor Yankee Arnold, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”

I have no doubt whatsoever that Dylan is 100% sincere, but he has been lied to and deceived by today's ungodly neo-evangelical preachers. I couldn't help but notice the name of Billy Graham emanating from a book on Dylan's bookshelf in the background.

Beware Of False Prophet Billy Graham (1918-2018)

On their BGEA website the following demonic heresy is what they teach you must do to be “born again”...

So how can we be born again?

First, we must admit our sin—that we can’t live up to God’s perfect standard on our own. 

Then we must ask forgiveness for that sin and repent, which means to make every effort in turning away from that sin.

Finally, we ask Jesus to be part of our lives.

That’s when God’s Spirit penetrates our hearts to guide us and help us be more like Him. That’s when we’re born again. [emphasis added]

SOURCE: What Does It Mean To Be Born Again?

Where does the inspired King James Bible tell us to “make every effort in turning away from sin” to be born again? It doesn't! Billy Graham is a lying false teacher, as is his protégé Dylan Novak!

Also, where does the inspired King James Bible tell us to ask Jesus to be part of our life to be saved? It doesn't! Billy Graham and his foolish followers are hellbound infidels—imposters who masquerade as children of God. What you've just read is a false plan of salvation, which cannot produce the necessary new birth to enter into God's Kingdom. Billy Graham is guilty of mixing and confusing living the Christian life with God's free gift of eternal life, which is received by faith alone in the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ. These wicked men are preaching the Devil's fraud of LORDSHIP SALVATION!

In 1st Corinthians 15:1-6, the inspired Word of God plainly defines “the gospel” as three things:

1. Jesus DIED on a cross to pay our debt of sin.
2. Jesus was BURIED.
3. Jesus physically RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.

The only prerequisite necessary to believe the Gospel is to admit you are a guilty sinner, because you need to know what your being saved from. You are a sinner and so am I dear reader (Romans 3:10-23). There is a penalty (wages) for our sins, which is death (Romans 6:23). This includes a second death in the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8).

The Bad News is that we are all guilty sinners deserving of being punished in the fires and torments of Hell forever. The Good News is that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, into the world to die on a cross for our sins, to make a way of escape through His shed blood (Romans 5:9).

Biblically, you don't have to turn away from your sins to go to Heaven; but rather, Christ died on the cross to pay your debt of sin (and mine). Whatever changes God wants to see happen in your life after you get saved is His department, and you can be assured that He will attend to it. God is not an absent parent (Hebrews 12:6-8).

Jesus fully bore the weight and curse of our sins so that we don't have to. The Devil's fallacy of Lordship Salvation (which Billy Graham and his followers like Dylan Novak errantly preach) place the weight and burden of sin upon the sinner instead, which is an impossible burden to bear. Who can turn away from their sinning? That's right, no one. Psalms 130:3, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”

Please be awake to righteousness! These devilish false prophets need to be exposed (Titus 1:9-14; Ephesians 5:11; Matthew 7:15; Galatians 2:5; Jude 1:3). I have been saddened when I attended local churches throughout Pensacola, Florida, and I've heard foolish pastors quoting and bragging on Billy Graham.

By partaking of Operation Christmas Child (OCC), tens of thousands of compromised churches across the country are supporting and wickedly bidding Godspeed (2nd John 1:11) to Franklin Graham (whose corrupt plan of salvation is the same as his father's plan of damnation). Franklin Graham's OCC has taken in billions of dollars, which Charity Watch Dog Groups have exposed for the organization's lack of transparency to reveal where the money is going. I won't give OCC a penny and neither should you!

The world is going to Hell while corrupt churches are dropping the ball about how to get to Heaven. Merely “becoming a Christ follower” is the popular teaching today in neo-evangelical dead churches, but that won't produce the required new birth to get to Heaven. Salvation only comes to those who cease from all their own works, and rest in Christ alone, relying upon His death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection from the dead three days later.

We get saved by receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full-payment for our sins, believing that He was buried, but then raised up from the dead the third day. 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” That is one of my favorite Bible passages. Philippians 1:17b, “...knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.”

If Billy Graham went to Heaven, then there are at least TWO gospels. The inspired Holy Bible warns in Galatians 1:6-9 that there is only one gospel, which the Apostle Paul defines for everyone in 1st Corinthians 15:1-6. There is nothing in Paul's Gospel (which he received directly from Jesus according to Galatians 1:12) which requires turning or repenting of your sins to be saved. There is nothing in Paul's Gospel that requires giving your life to Jesus, becoming a Christ follower, or of experiencing some radical change or transformation of one's heart to be saved. In fact, if you are a child of God, your salvation did not change you a bit. I encourage you to listen to a classic MP3 sermon of the same title by my favorite preacher of the Christian faith, Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001). ...

Your Salvation Did Not Change You A Bit

Sadly, I Doubt If Ozzy Went To Heaven

I have combed the internet for information about Ozzy's beliefs, especially before he died. All I keep reading is that Ozzy believed in God. What saith the Scripture? James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” I fully agree with Ozzy that you don't have to go to church to believe in God, but believing in God is not enough to enter into God's Kingdom. You must accept Christ's sacrifice on the cross 2,000 years ago as full payment for your sins, believing that He is risen from the dead! If that was Ozzy's only hope for eternal life and forgiveness of sins, then he went to Heaven. 

Sadly, throughout his 50 year career as: “The Prince of Darkness,” I've never found any place on social media or elsewhere that Ozzy expressed faith alone in Christ as his hope for Heaven. Merely saying that one is a “Christian” doesn't make it so. Hellbound Mormons, Roman Catholics, Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses, Greek Orthodox, Lutherans and countless other pseudo-Christian cults claim to be “Christian,” but they all trust in partial faith in Christ plus something more (works).

Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty.

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work.

If to “repent” means to forsake our sinful ways TO BE SAVED, but Jesus already paid for our sins by dying on the cross, then what are we repenting from?

The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.

If salvation is truly by grace, then you don't need to start or stop anything to be saved. Eternal life is a free gift from God (Romans 6:23). 

One is saved by God's grace through faith in the finished Work of His Son on the Cross as payment in full as our pardon for sin.

It is my earnest hope and prayer that Ozzy's family will come to the light of the truth of the saving gospel before it is too late. Only God, Ozzy and those already in the afterlife know where Ozzy went when he died. I sure hope he trusted Jesus as his personal Savior before he died. Believing in God isn't enough. Receiving and reading a new modern Bible version isn't enough. Getting excited about having a Bible that you can read is not enough. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”