False Teaching By Pastor Jack Hyles

2nd Timothy 2:15-16, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

I love Brother Jack Hyles (1926-2001). He is (and always will be) my hero, friend and mentor of the faith. I had the privilege of attending Hyles-Anderson College from 1985 to 1993, which institution was founded in 1973 to train young people to serve God in full-time service. By God's grace alone, I thankfully graduated in 1993 with honors.

Dr. Hyles taught us preacher boys to be loyal to truth and principles, and not to men or institutions. Over the past 24 years of my website ministry, I have spoken my mind. I do not bite my tongue, as some would say. When my heart hurts, feels grieved or someone hurts my feelings, I start writing to find solace in the matter. God has given me the gift of writing, for which I am forever grateful. Granted, I do not consider myself an eloquent writer, but I do get the point across quite effectively, which I humbly think is the most important thing.

That all being said, I was listening to a Bible study today by Pastor Hyles titled, “Justice - Part 14.” In this study (a little after 18 minutes) he makes some disturbing statements that bothered me, simply because what he says is not true. He is teaching against the sin of gossip. Dr. Hyles says that we should avoid talebearers, lest they contaminate us. I agree with that teaching, but then he makes these bizarre statements:

“The Bible, not one place in all this Bible, does it tell you to help the talebearer; not one place. Bible says help the drunkard. Bible says help the adulterer. Bible says help the thief. Bible says help the liar. Bible says help help the crooked, the dishonest. But not one place in this Bible; I dare you to show me one place in this Bible, where anybody is ever told to lift up the talebearer.”

Dear reader, that is heresy! That is false teaching! This is no better than Pastor Steven Anderson saying that homosexuals are beyond the hope of the gospel, and God hates them with a passion, so we ought not share the gospel with them. Well, thank God that someone didn't take Steven Anderson's horrible advice, or else Frank and Anita Worthen never would have been saved decades ago (who were both former homosexuals).

I know that Pastor Hyles was 100% sincere when he made these statements, but dear reader, what he is teaching is nowhere found in the inspired Holy Bible. I triple-dog dare anybody to show me where the Bible says we are supposed to help (lift up) drunkards, adulterers, thieves, liars, the crooked and dishonest, but not talebearers. You cannot. It is nonsense. It is false doctrine.

I find this in the Old Testament...

Ezekiel 34:4, “The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” 

Psalm 145:14, “The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”

I find this in the New Testament...

Luke 14:21-23, “So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

We read in the New Testament...

Galatians 6:1-3, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

Does this not include the ungodly talebearer? I don't find any Scripture passage that says to “lift up” the drunkard or the adulterer, unless Dr. Hyles meant to restore a fallen brother or sister in Christ as Galatians 6:1 teaches. But talebearers must be restored too. No? They are sinners too. No? I find no place in the inspired Word of God where we are told to restore fellow saints who go into sin, except the talebearer.

I am not trying to be mean, unkind, or show up Dr. Hyles in any way, I am just earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3). If a man is right, he is right; If a man is wrong, he is wrong. What Pastor Hyles teaches in this Bible study about not lifting up the talebearer is strange doctrine.

The Bible teaches that by showing compassion toward people, in a world without love or compassion, we can make a difference for eternity. ...

Jude 1:22, “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

Among those who are alienated from God, the godly are taught in this Bible verse that we handle them gently with compassion in hope of winning lost sinners to Christ; and that others, who being near entering into the very flames of Hell, may be warned of their present danger as we endeavour to save them with the Gospel. Yet so, that we do it in such a way as to abhor the wickedness and dishonesty, lest we be corrupted by their influence.

When Jesus sat to eat with sinners, He did so only in an attempt to preach the Gospel unto them. Jesus did not march in homosexual Pride Parades! Jesus didn't hangout playing a game of pool at the local tavern. Jesus was a godly man who abhorred and abstained from all appearance of evil, as so also should we. Jesus was a friend to sinners, but not a partaker of their evil deeds. John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”

I love and respect Brother Hyles, but I was bothered when I heard him preach this nonsense today. The talebearer is in the same sinking boat as the adulterer, drunkard, thief, liar and crooked sinner. As far as restoring one in the Lord's family who has gone into sin, the Bible makes no distinction between classes of sinners. Right doctrine matters!

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

Homosexuals Are Made In God's Image

Genesis 1:26-27, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

The inspired Holy Bible is our Creator's Owner's Manuel for humanity. The old adage is true: When all else fails, read the instructions.

The Bible teaches in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” As I've mentioned in numerous recent blog articles, I am a big amateur fan of astronomy. It is my humble opinion that God made the universe and all the remarkable endless wonders therein to impress us as his creatures, who are all made in His image. James 3:9, “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.”

Kindly said, that is why I take a strong biblical stand against Pastor Steven Anderson and his New Independent Fundamental Baptist (New IFB) cult of followers who preach hatred for LGBTQIA+ people, who were all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). It didn't come as a surprise recently that Pastor Anderson's four oldest children have come out publicly against him and his wife with accusations of parental abuse. I say that kindly, but truthfully. Hatred just begets more hatred. One thing that I have learned during my lifetime is that people will not tolerate hatred. Dear reader, life is too short to live with a burden of hatred.

God created the universe and all therein to “wow” us, because He yearns for praise from His creatures. Just as God loves to be praised, so do we as human beings love to be praised. Proverbs 27:21, “As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.” That is part of what it means to be made in the image of God.

And just as we get our feelings hurt and are grieved, so also is God hurt and grieved. Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” When Jesus healed ten lepers of the horrible disease of leprosy (incurable at the time), only one man bothered to return to thank the dear Savior. That really hurt Jesus' feelings. Luke 17:17, “And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” I can hear some religious Pharisee at church saying, “Oh Jesus, you're so negative!” I love this inspired Scripture passage, because it teaches that it is perfectly okay and not wrong to express our hurt feelings and grief.

It is a natural part of life that people will sometimes hurt our feelings, and as human beings made in God's image we have a natural need to express those hurt feelings, as part of the healing process. Don't ever let anyone scold you, or try to make you feel bad or guilty, for expressing hurt feelings. If Jesus shared His hurt feelings, and He clearly did, then so can we. It is perfectly acceptable to assertively, in a passive voice, tell someone that your feelings have been hurt. Jesus' feelings were hurt that only one man who had been healed thanked him.

Homosexuals were all created in the image of God, their Maker. Kindly said, I do not believe that homosexuals were “born that way.” Just like all sins, homosexuality is a choice. Some people may have a disposition to steal, lie, lust or experience homosexual tendencies, but sin is always still a choice. That being said, we have all been made in the image of our Creator. No one is beyond the hope of the gospel, including homosexuals.

Just because as a Christian I do not go along with the homosexual agenda doesn't mean that I hate LGBTQIA+ people. Quite the contrary, I love them all unconditionally with God's endless love. Or better said, I am allowing God to love homosexual people through me. I do not love others; but rather, God who is love, loves them THROUGH ME. We are all selfish by birth and by nature. The Christian life is lived on purpose. That is, we must choose to walk in the Holy Spirit by faith (Galatians 5:22-25), or else by default we will walk in the flesh, in sin (Romans 7:14-25).

In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to love EVERYONE as our self. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Jesus didn't exempt any classes of society. He didn't disqualify unrepentant sinners. No, Jesus commanded us to love all of our neighbours, regardless of who they may be. That doesn't mean we must approve of their sinful lifestyles or choices. It doesn't even mean that we have to like them. But we do have to love everyone unconditionally with God's love, which means to treat everyone the exact what we would like to be treated. This is THE GOLDEN RULE according to Matthew 7:12.

Jesus Christ died for all mankind (John 3:16; 1st John 2:2). Not only are homosexuals made in God's image, but God's only begotten Son Jesus died for them on Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago (Romans 5:6-9). We have a solemn obligation as God's children to be ambassadors to the heathen world (2nd Corinthians 5:20-21). It is not our right or place to decide who is reachable or unreachable with the saving power of the truth of the gospel. God gives the increase (1st Corinthians 3:7-9). Our job is to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15b). Every creature includes everybody!

Beware Of Modern Dishonest Bible Revisions

After examining the following passages of Scripture, it should become quite obvious why it is of such crucial importance that the inspired Holy Bible not be recklessly tampered with, changed, corrupted and watered down to satisfy the whims and agenda of our generation...

KING JAMES BIBLE - Deuteronomy 23:17, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.”

KING JAMES BIBLE - 1st Kings 14:24, “And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.”

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) - Deuteronomy 23:17, “No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.”

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) - 1st Kings 14:24, “There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.”

EASY-TO-READ VERSION (ERV) - Deuteronomy 23:17, “An Israelite man or woman must never become a temple prostitute.”

EASY-TO-READ VERSION (ERV) - 1st Kings 14:24, “There were also men who served other gods by selling their bodies for sex. So the people of Judah were worse than the people who had lived in the land before them. And the Lord took the land away from those people to give it to the Israelites.”

ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV) - Deuteronomy 23:17, “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.”

ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV) - 1st Kings 14:24, “and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.”

Do you see how dishonest today's Bible translators and publishers are? Few people know that Marten Woudstra (1922-1991), the man who headed up the Old Testament translation committee on the NIV, was a well known homosexual. Why does Wikipedia very dishonestly hide this fact? I have hated Wikipedia for decades because of how ungodly, biased against Christians, worldly and misleading the website truly is. Moreover, all they do is beg for money. Sadly, Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source of information, which even its co-founder admits.

Since Sanger's departure from Wikipedia, he has been critical of the project, describing it in 2007 as being "broken beyond repair". He has argued that Wikipedia lacks credibility and accuracy because, in his view, it had a lack of respect for expertise. Since 2020, he has accused Wikipedia of having a left-wing ideological bias in its articles. SOURCE

I couldn't agree more.

Getting back to the focus of this article, everyone knows that the ungodly LGBTQ+ agenda is being shoved down American's throats continually by the wicked media and Hollywood. At some point in time, the wicked media overnight started promoting homosexuality as the “norm” in society. Today, we're so used to seeing homosexuals like Anderson Cooper, Robin Roberts, Eugene Daniels, Jonathan Capehart, Stephanie Gosk, Shepard Smith and , that we don't even flinch anymore. Here is a list of at least 200 known homosexual journalists.

Now, I love everybody and do not believe that we ought to bash or hate on anybody. That being said, the Holy Bible is very clear that homosexuality is a terrible sin which brings the judgment of God. If that offends you, then you have a real problem with the Lord, not me, because I didn't say it, God did. The heathen world are changing the inspired Holy Bible to fit their ungodly views, their perverted agenda, to satisfy their whims. This is evil and wrong!

Don't Believe Anything You Hear Or See Anymore

2nd Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”

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

This blog is appropriately being uploaded on April Fool's Day. Sadly, I wish it were a prank, but it's not I assure you. There is an old adage which says: Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Dear reader, those days are gone forever with the invention of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

A few months ago I ran across a video on YouTube that amazed me. It is a video of 95-year-old Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood sharing his Christian testimony. I was totally sold on his words. I mean, most people as they grow older reflect over their life, and many come to the Lord in their old age, returning to their childhood roots, having grown up in a Christian culture in the United States. So I thought. Here is the fraudulent disturbing video...

I Risked It All To Follow Jesus Christ | Clint Eastwood

When I heard Mr. Eastwood's sincere words, I thought in my heart that there is absolutely no way that A.I. could create this. But I was woefully deceived. I had actually converted the video into an MP3 and shared it with all my ministry web visitors. I was promoting the video, praising God that Clint Eastwood found Jesus Christ before he died, just to learn later that it was all a cleverly fabricated deception by some evil clown. 2nd Corinthians 11:13, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.”

Tragically, it was all a ruse, a grand deception by some wicked person on YouTube who thinks it's funny to misrepresent people for a cheap thrill and some shady entertainment. Clint Eastwood was raised Protestant but currently does not affiliate with any faith. He has expressed interest in Deist principles and Buddhism, emphasizing personal beliefs over traditional doctrines. There is no indication whatsoever that Clint Eastwood is a born again Christian. If you are wise in 2026, you won't believe anything that you hear or see, especially on social media. The world is full of liars, cheats and deceivers like never before!

The way I discovered that the video was false is that after a couple weeks I went back onto social media to find more information, but couldn't find anything. Things were eerily silent and that raised a gargantuan red flag. Surely if such a famous celebrity as Clint Eastwood professed a new found faith in Jesus Christ, several news outlets would have picked up the story. But there is nothing! So, I went back to the original video on YouTube and this time read everything in the comments by the video's horrible creator, and this is what I found...

⚠️ Disclaimer

This content is for educational and inspirational purposes only. It is based on public figures and widely discussed topics. The video may contain commentary, dramatization, or opinion, and should not be taken as a factual record of actual events. Viewer discretion is advised. SOURCE

The unethical liar made this fictitious story up using A.I. technology! Dear reader, we can no longer believe anything that we hear or see on social media, because we are living in bizarre times of ungodly manipulators, liars and fraudsters. It is a sin to intentionally mislead others.

I am really shocked that Google (who acquired YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion) allows this deceptive practice. It should be legally forbidden to attribute false actions or words spoken to anyone that is not true. I wonder how many tens of thousands of people now errantly think Clint Eastwood is a Christian, when in reality he is more Buddhist than anything. This one video has received 899,184 views since it was posted in October of 2025. This is so wrong. The video's creator is slandering Clint Eastwood's name and what he believes. In fact, his entire YouTube channel features dozens of fake videos of Clint Eastwood lying.

The Dangerous Coming A.I. Threat To Mankind

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) warned that the development of full artificial intelligence could pose a significant threat to humanity, potentially even leading to our extinction. He expressed concerns that advanced A.I. could surpass human intelligence and evolve uncontrollably, making it difficult for humans to compete or control it. That being said, unlike Dr. Hawking who sadly died as an avowed atheist, I humbly believe that God is our Creator and won't allow mankind to destroy himself. Psalms 47:8, “God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.”

Please do not believe anything you hear or see on social media, without first triple checking to make sure it is factual information. A good way to check is to look for verification from multiple online sources. If one clown publishes some lying information, you won't find it elsewhere. Never run with any information that you found from only one source, unless you are certain it is factually true. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but no one has a right to their own facts. In life you don't get what you expect, you get what you inspect.

It is my humble but firm belief that Satan will employ A.I. technology during the future 7-year Tribulation period to deceive the masses of this world. Revelation 12:9, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” I also believe that the coming image of the Beast (Revelation 13:13-18) will utilize some type of holographic A.I. technology, which will kill anyone who refuses to worship the Antichrist.

The Bible says in Revelation 1:7 that when Jesus Christ returns “every eye shall see him.” Could this be mobile phone, television and internet technology? It certainly seems plausible. Exciting and perilous times are ahead for humanity. I was born in 1967 and cannot believe I am now seeing 2026. Wow!

I enjoy a good science fiction movie. I have always liked James Cameron's The Terminator (1984). It's a typical guy's movie. The film is based in 2029. It's hard to believe that 2029 is almost here! I see many aspects and threats of Skynet coming to fruition in real life in the decades ahead if the LORD tarries His return.

In fact, there is a war going on right now in 2026 between the A.I. company Anthropic and the U.S. Pentagon over A.I. safety limits. The Pentagon wants total unlimited control over self-governing autonomous A.I. to kill soldiers on the battlefield. Talk about Skynet! Anthropic's designers see the inherent risk of giving unrestrained, unlimited, control over A.I. to military leaders. My God, that's literally the script from Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003).

Thank you for reading my ministry blog. To God alone be all the praise, credit and glory.

Talk Is Cheap; It's Best Not To Make Promises

Proverbs 6:1-2, “My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.”

Proverbs 19:22, “The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.”

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

Dear reader, I NEVER make any promises to anyone. I encourage you to do the same. If you do make a promise, you had better make darn sure that you know what you are committing yourself to, because talk is cheap and promises are easily broken. The Bible says that a poor man is better than a liar.

We are all guilty of being careless with our words sometimes. That is because we are all sinners by nature. I sure am guilty. The inspired Holy Bible warns in James 3:5-7, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” The reason why the tongue is so evil is obvious, because the human heart is very evil. Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” And our mouth speaks out of what is in our heart. Matthew 12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

When I voluntarily served on the 76-3, Division 4, Bus Ministry in Chicago while attending Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993), one Saturday afternoon my soulwinning partner told one of our bus kids that we'd come back in a couple hours to take him to George's restaurant for a cheeseburger. The boy was excited. But I said, “No promises!” I didn't want to get the boy's hopes up in case something happened, as it SO OFTEN DOES!

A few seconds later the boy's father graciously thanked me. He said: “Brother Dave, thank you for saying, 'No promises!'” He added: “There have been other workers from the church who came by and made promises to my child, but then they never came back. I respect you for saying that to my child. Thank you!” I have never forgotten what that concerned father said to me in Chicago, and from that day until today I have prefaced everything I have ever agree to do for someone with the phrase, “No promises!” Keeping our word is important!

Too many unforeseen situations can arise without warning, and they very often do arise. I don't want to be called a “liar.” But moreover, I don't want to be a liar! I have to give account to God in Heaven someday for every word that comes out of my mouth, and so do you dear friend (Matthew 12:36). A man is only as good as his word. That is why we read in Psalms 138:2, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” God is only as reliable and trustworthy as His Word. So, the LORD has therefore elevated the inspired Holy Bible  even above the precious name of Jesus, the name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9-10). This is an important truth to understand dear reader.

Having said that, it should become quite obvious why it is of such crucial importance that the inspired Holy Bible not be recklessly tampered with, changed, corrupted and watered down to satisfy the whims and agenda of our generation.

Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935)

Pastor Steven Anderson Is Wrong About Gospel Tracts

Psalms 126:6, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

For many years, Pastor Steven Anderson has taught from his pulpit that Gospel tracts don't work, so Faithful Word Baptist Church doesn't bother to use them. Their church has been very successful through hard work soulwinning to build a strong church without Gospel tracts. Bravo!

That being said, Gospel tracts DO work. I have met numerous Christians in my lifetime, including my soulwinning Bible teacher at Hyles-Anderson College, Brother George Godfrey, who was saved when a Christian lady in a subway handed him a Gospel tract to read. Why limit our outreach for Christ? Why ignore a tool that plants seeds of the Gospel?

“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!”

Psalms 126:6, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Pastor Jack Hyles said this Bible verse could be translated, “He that goeth forth with a leaky seed basket,” shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. I like that. That's what Gospel tracts do, leaving the seed of the Word of God everywhere we go, the seed by which we are born again, that is, the Gospel. Why not use every tool available? I agree that personal person-to-person confrontational soulwinning is most effective, but why not also utilize other soulwinning tools that are helpful?

Gospel Tracts Are Effective

Now, I have heard Pastor Steven Anderson claim that less than 1% of people are saved by Gospel tracts. I truly have no idea what the true statistic is, but I doubt if it's that low. There is no reliable worldwide statistic for how many people have been "saved" or "born again" specifically from reading a Gospel tract. No church, ministry, or organization can accurately measure that because:

1. Many people read a tract privately and never tell anyone.
2. A tract may be only one influence among many (a sermon, a friend, a Bible reading).
3. Different Christian groups define "saved" differently.
4. Most tract-based conversions are self-reported rather than independently verified.

What we do have are countless testimonies. Organizations that distribute tracts regularly publish accounts from people who say they came to faith after reading one. For example, Evangelism ministries and tract distributors have collected testimonies from former Hindus, prisoners, pastors, and others who credit a Gospel tract as a key factor in their conversion.

Historically, several well-known Christians are reported to have been influenced by Gospel literature. The missionary Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) is often cited as having come to faith after reading a tract, and many modern Christians give similar testimonies.

Some ministries have tried to measure results. Modern digital tract ministries can count things like downloads, reads and responses, but even they acknowledge that a click or response is not the same thing as a verified salvation conversion.

From a practical standpoint, most evangelistic ministries view tracts less as a way to produce immediate conversions and more as a way to "plant seeds" that God may use later. Many testimonies describe a tract being read months or years before the person eventually trusted Christ. God works in mysterious ways behind the scenes!

Gospel tracts have several strengths:

• They can reach people you may never have a chance to speak with.
• A person can read them privately without feeling pressured.
• The message remains after the conversation ends.
• They can cross barriers of shyness, distance, and time.

On the other hand, personal witnessing has strengths that a tract cannot match:

• You can answer questions and objections.
• People can see your sincerity and character.
• You can tailor the presentation to the individual.
• A relationship often gives the message more credibility.

Many pastors and evangelists; therefore, view Gospel tracts and personal witnessing as complementary rather than competing methods. A tract can start a conversation, reinforce a conversation, or continue speaking after a conversation has ended. I definitely think we should use Gospel tracts, and not exclude them from our soulwinning efforts.

1st Corinthians 3:6, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”

Even if a tract does not produce an immediate response, it may plant a seed that someone else later waters. Christians often underestimate how many tracts are actually read. Even tracts that are discarded may be picked up by someone else. There are numerous testimonies of people finding a Gospel tract on a bus seat, in a waiting room, in a trash bin, or tucked inside a book and reading it out of curiosity. Why limit our soulwinning efforts?

So, while there is no hard statistic proving how many people have been born again through Gospel tracts, there is enough historical evidence and testimony that most evangelical tract ministries regard them as a worthwhile tool—especially when combined with personal witnessing and personal follow-up. I say we should use Gospel tracts in any ministry.

We Are Saved By Christ's Obedience, Not Our Effort

Romans 5:19, “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

The inspired King James Bible teaches that when Adam sinned, he opened the floodgate of sin and death upon the world. Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” This is why we live in a fallen world. This is why a drunk driver may swerve into your driver's lane and take your legs off in a crash. This is why things dry rot, wear out and break. This is why there is disease, pain and sickness, and then we grow old and die.

But thanks be to God the Father for sending His only begotten Son Jesus into the world to redeem humanity. Whereas mankind had utterly failed again and again to perfectly obey the law, Jesus did fulfill it perfectly. Therefore, Jesus Christ has become the end of the law to all who believe on His name. Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” That it, if you will put all of your trust (reliance, faith) in Jesus as your personal Savior, God will count your faith for righteousness.

Romans 4:4-5, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” I am surprised how many unlearned preachers foolishly teach that people were saved by works under the Mosaic law. Peter S. Ruckman (1921-2016) was the biggest purveyor of this terrible heresy. Consequently, Ruckmanites today like Robert Breaker, Gene Kim and William P. Grady still promote this unbiblical rubbish that people were saved by works in the Old Testament. Dear reader, don't you believe it!

Romans 4:4 plainly teaches that if salvation had ever been works, then God owed those sinners salvation, and it wasn't by grace. I hope you are not that gullible to believe them.

It was Christ's perfect obedience to God's Old Testament law that qualified Him to be “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29b). To get saved, you simply need to believe that Jesus did it all for you. Simply by faith (taking God at His written Word) accept Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then resurrected three days later. The moment that you make this decision, God reads your mind and declarers you His redeemed child. You have been born again by the Holy Spirit of God in response to your faith in the Word of God (i.e., the Gospel).