Faith Does Not Work

Romans 4:4-7, “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. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

I heard a helpful sermon today by Pastor Steven Anderson, titled “Matthew 12.” I encourage you to listen to Brother Anderson's Bible preaching. We need more Bible preachers who tell it like it is. The great need of the hour is PREACHING PREACHERS!!! I love truth-telling preachers! In the following sermon excerpt Pastor Anderson emphasizes the Bible truth that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone WITHOUT WORKS. ...

Faith Does Not Work
(an excerpt from Matthew 12, by Pastor Steven Anderson)

Out text passage from Romans 4:4-7 is very clear that salvation is WITHOUT WORKS. That includes works before, during and after being saved. The manmade idea that you must first be willing to turn from your sins, repent of your sins, or be sorry for your sins, to be saved is foreign to the inspired King James Bible. Please don't be deceived dear reader!

Anybody who tells you that there must be some results and evidence that you are saved is lying to you. Salvation is WITHOUT WORKS!!!

In the same sermon from Matthew 12, Pastor Anderson emphasizes the truth that we are saved by BELIEVING, not by praying. Some New IFB pastors are wickedly teaching that you cannot be saved unless you call, ask or pray to be saved, which is heresy!!! You DON'T have to call, ask or pray to be saved, the Bible says you simply need to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:30-31).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4:10, “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” But carefully notice in the verses to follow that no one actually “asked” Jesus to save them, they simply BELIEVED.

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.”

The Samaritans simply believed and were saved. There is no record of anyone, not even the Samaritan woman herself, asking Jesus to be saved. They were all saved simply because they BELIEVED on the only begotten Son of God, the Christ. What saith the Scripture? John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” BELIEVE! BELIEVE! BELIEVE!

I fully agree with my ministry friend, Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, who said:

“Salvation is one thing and service is another, and never the two goes together. No man is saved because he serves, and no man has to serve because he is saved. Gotta keep them separate. And if you don't do it, the Scriptures will be confusing to you. You'll not rightly divide what God has to say.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Why Lordship Salvation Is Wrong"

“Lordship Salvation is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the performance of good works, the promise of good works, or the evidence of good works, must accompany faith in Christ to establish or provide evidence that such faith has resulted in eternal life.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Jesus Versus John MacArthur”

Yes, Bravo! Amen and amen! Salvation is WITHOUT WORKS!!!

Tragically, the major Bible colleges today have deteriorated into religious CULTS. I am talking about the dangerous cult at Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida. I am talking about the dangerous cult at Bob Jones University located in Greenville, South Carolina. Woe unto these demonic institutions that pervert God's simple plan of salvation, producing the next ungodly generation of theologically incompetent, unloving and impotent pastors.

Then there are dangerous religious cults like the Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, where incompetent fools like vice president Marty Herron (former incompetent senior pastor at the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam) preach the Devil's “Repent of your sins” Lordship Salvation heresy, but they won't be honest to tell you that in their Statement of Faith. Like 99% of other cults, they hide what they really believe behind a generic Statement of Faith intended to deceive new students. Marty Herron is a hardcore follower of infidel John MacArthur, a hellbound 5-point Calvinist devil. Dear reader, RUN away from anyone who tries to convince you that faith must produce works to be genuine.

One such infidel is Pastor Chuck Phelps at the Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Marty Herron is close friends with Chuck Phelps and has preached at his church cult, which is located a couple hundred miles away from the apostate college where he ruins young people's lives in Ankeny, Iowa. I am not trying to be unkind, I am exposing FALSE PROPHETS as the inspired Holy Bible commands believers to do (Titus 1:10-14). Titus 1:13-14, “This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” Lordship Salvation is a lie of the Devil that turns people away from THE TRUTH of a free grace Gospel taught in God's Word.

Dr. Mark G. Cambron Gets Repentance 100% Correct

Here is an excellent and needful writing by Dr. Mark G. Cambron (1911-2000) on the subject of REPENTANCE. Please read the following quote carefully, because Dr. Cambron is one of few theologian who gets it, that is, he understands the simplicity of the Gospel and that repentance does not mean turning from sin as proponents of Lordship Salvation foolishly teach.

Here is what the Bible teaches, as explained by Dr. Cambron...

Repentance is necessary for salvation.

The Greek word for repent is metanoeo, which, translated into English is: to change ones mind. It does not mean to turn from sin. That would add works to salvation.

Repentance for salvation means a change of mind from men's ideas of salvation and religion, to an acceptance of Gods only way of salvation.

This results in a completely new creation, not a reformation of the old. The old nature remains as evil as ever after salvation and has not been reformed . . . The old nature can now be controlled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

God guarantees salvation. This is His gift to us.
God guarantees reward and fruit to the obedient son.
God guarantees chastening and loss of rewards to the disobedient son.

God does not cast out disobedient children, but in some cases, does take them home. He does not permit His children to live as they please without His discipline and guidance.

Many teach repentance for salvation incorrectly, by including some form of human effort or righteousness, such as willingness to turn from sin, or turning from sin. This is heresy and has confused many people. It adds works to salvation and causes many to not understand Gods great gift. It is probation, not salvation. It is completely unscriptural. It is Galatianism and a counterfeit of the gospel.

It is a tragedy that many Christians live shallow Christian lives. The Cambron Institute is dedicated to the task of training Christian men and women in the importance of total dedication and making Jesus the Lord of their lives not to be saved but because they are saved.

Shallow Christianity cannot be cured by adding works to salvation.

Salvation is not the result of what we do, but is by receiving what God has done for us. Acts 13:38, 39; Acts 20:20: Gal. 1:8,9; Gal. 2:4; Gal. 2:21; Gal. 3:1.3; Gal. 5:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10; II Cor. 5:21;John 3:16-18; Phil. 3:9; Titus 3:5-8:11 Cor. 11:13-1 5.

SOURCE: The Cambron Institute

Boy, that sure is great Bible teaching!

A Righteous Person Always Gives The Benefit Of The Doubt To The Accused

Proverbs 11:9a, “An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour...”

There are many evil allegations today floating around on the internet, and in the churches, and in the Bible colleges, about preachers. The accusations are horrifying to say the least! However, I do not believe rumors, allegations or slander without proof to substantiate it. Much of the slander on the internet is mere hateful speculation. It is sinful to assume that a report is true without solid proof to back it up! It doesn't matter how circumstantial the evidence may be, that does not establish guilt of wrongdoing or a crime. We live in an ungodly culture of gossip and criticism in America, where people automatically believe what they hear without proof.

When someone is accused, I don't want to take sides or help spread the manure. The world loves to find reports of clergy sinning, to condemn and hurt the cause of Christ. Anyone can say anything about anyone, but that doesn't make it true! A righteous person always give an accused person the full benefit of the doubt until proven guilty of wrongdoing! An accused person ought never have to prove their innocence, which is utterly impossible.

The Devil's crowd fully understand that the best way to destroy a man, whether he be a politician or a minister, is to destroy his credibility. Once you destroy a man's credibility his message is also diminished. Satan has been using that M.O. (method of operation) since the beginning of time! Unfortunately, this is not that difficult to do. All you need is for anyone (and I mean literally anyone) to make an allegation, have a local newspaper print the allegation as an unsubstantiated fact, which then becomes a citable news source (as if it were a substantiated fact). I mean, after all, if it's printed in a local newspaper it must carry some merit, right? WRONG! Don't be so naïve if you think that.

Pastor Jack Hyles was right when he said that the only thing you can believe from the newspaper is the date! Thomas Jefferson said that the man who reads nothing is more educated than the man who reads nothing but newspaper! Ain't it the truth!

I have been watching the program Forensic Files, which is fascinating. I am amazed how police detectives are able to use science to catch evildoers. It is truly amazing. DNA is nothing short of a God-send for catching criminals today, and I praise God for it! In one episode, a little girl was abducted and murdered. When police questioned the girl's mother for over 9 hours, she seemed unemotional, cold and lacking the kind of passion that you'd expect to see from a grieving mother. So the mother was a prime suspect in her daughter's murder. It turned out later that the mother was completely innocent, and police had made a wrong judgment.

I've watched over 100 episodes so far of the Forensic Files, and I have learned much about people on both sides of the law. In countless cases, police jumped to erroneous conclusions based upon circumstantial evidence, and were later proven wrong! It just goes to show that you must be very careful about judging people based upon what seems to be the truth. There are numerous pastors who have been accused in recent years of horrible crimes, without proof to substantiate those allegations. Until proven guilty in a court of law, I am not going to assume anything about anyone who has been accused. What if it were you being accused?

In literally a few dozen episodes of Forensic Files (you can watch them for yourself and you'll see what I say is true), professional detectives (who do this for a living) thought they had “overwhelming evidence” of a suspect being guilty of a crime, just to be proven wrong later. Detectives were so confident that a particular young man was guilty that they repeated the DNA test, thinking that he was surely guilty, but he was proven to be 100% innocent! My point is that it is dangerous, unethical, wrong and sinful to ASSUME guilt! You listen to me carefully—“overwhelming evidence” is not the fact of guilt! No one has a right to destroy somebody's life based upon “overwhelming evidence”! That is ungodly. If you have “overwhelming evidence,” the accused has every God-given right to see it!

“When someone does something wrong, make it a point to never forget all the things they did right.” —Pastor Bob Gray Sr.

You Can Still Do What You Always Could Do
(MP3, Dr. Jack Hyles; A pastor is a position, not a calling. You can forfeit a position, but never your calling to preach!)

Here are some very helpful words from one of my favorite preachers and mentors, Pastor Bob Gray Sr. ...

Judging The Appearance Of Evil

We are to abstain from the appearance of evil as Christians. However, if someone does not abstain from the appearance of evil, we are not to make a judgment on that appearance. We may warn if we are the authority, but we must not judge. We are never to judge according to the appearance. John 7:24, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

We are to judge according to the facts. Never convict people because it appears that they have done something wrong. This is what causes much of the trouble in churches.

May I introduce you to the word “mercy,” which in Scripture always comes before the word “truth.” Mercy is “not judging without truth.” Truth is what you judge. Justice is when you, if the authority, punish for what you KNOW has been done not what you suspect has been done. Mercy never judges by appearance. Proverbs 20:28, “Mercy and truth preserve the king and his throne is upholden by mercy.”

Let me give you five statements that relate to this truth. 

1. We must have righteous judgment. 
2. None is righteous, as we read in Romans 3:10, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.”
3. So we cannot judge the inside. I Samuel 16:7 says that God looks on the heart. Man cannot look upon the heart, so man cannot judge the heart. That means that man cannot judge motives. It is time for us too quit judging people’s motives.
4. God is the final judge.
5.  We can judge only what we KNOW, and that is not the inside or the unknown.

SOURCE: Dr. Bob Gray Sr., “Judging The Appearance of Evil”

Amen! We are living in a generation of sinful critics, who unjustly usurp the roles of judge, jury and executioner! As Brother Gray rightly said, “mercy is not judging without truth.” Mercy is withholding judgment in the absence of truth. If we don't know the truth, we ought keep our mouths shut and not judge anyone! I have read horrible accusations online against faithful men of God, based merely upon speculation and unfounded rumors. That is very sinful to do! The allegations may in fact be true, but we don't know, do we?

Admittedly in some cases, where allegations have been made against a certain preacher, I tend to think the accusations are true; but since I don't KNOW FOR SURE, I am commanded by God in the Scripture to assume the person's innocence. What saith the Scripture? Deuteronomy 19:15, “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” In the Bible one person was not allowed to accuse another person, to protect the innocent. Think about what would happen if just one person could accuse anyone of anything, and the authorities punished the accused accordingly? Sadly, this is where America is at today.

Jesus Was Falsely Accused And Assumed Guilty

The ungodly Pharisees hated the Lord and conspired against Him. They were continually looking for ways to trap Him, to accuse Him, but could not find anything to do so. So ultimately the Pharisees falsely accused our innocent Savior, having Him crucified on a cross...

Luke 6:7, “And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.”

John 18:29-30, “Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.”

As we just read, the Pharisees couldn't give Pilate a legitimate reason to want Jesus killed, so they made excuses and remained vague in their words. Pilate interrogated the Lord and found no fault in Him, declaring Him innocent for the sake of conscience...

John 19:4, “Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.”

The Pharisees persisted to falsely accuse the Lord. There was no law of which they spoke, that condemned the Messiah to die. There were laws against idolatry, but Jesus was telling the truth as the Son of God. ...

John 19:7-8, “The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid.”

So the ungodly Pharisees stooped low and falsely accused the Lord of political sedition, as being a threat to Caesar their emperor...

John 19:12, “And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.”

And so their evil false accusations succeeded, and the innocent Savior was crucified for a guilty human race. The Lamb of God was slain for the sins of the whole world, and the sins of those wicked Pharisees who lied about Him.

I am not defending anyone who sins or commits a crime, God forbid. There have been many accusations of “cover-ups” in Baptist churches today. May I truthfully say: 

• Fundamentalism has a problem with cover-ups
• Catholicism has a problem with cover-ups
• Evangelicalism has a problem with cover-ups
• Politics has a problem with cover-ups
• Hollywood has a problem with cover-ups
• Business world has a problem with cover-ups
• News media has a problem with cover-ups
• Professional Athletics has a problem with cover-ups
• Higher Education has a problem with cover-ups
• Medical profession has a problem with cover-ups

Wouldn't it just be easier to say, depraved mankind has a problem with cover-ups?

I did not write this article to defend the guilty, but to teach you dear reader the Biblical truth that we ought never ASSUME guilt for any reason, until the FACT OF GUILT has been established by the proper authority. And then, unless it is our place of jurisdiction to do something about it, we ought not condemn that person, lest we invoke the wrath of God against our self, for we are all woeful sinners. We are not the jury. We are not the judge. We are not the executioner. We are vulnerable, susceptible, guilty sinners just like the fallen. 1st Timothy 5:24, “Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.”

Matthew 7:1-3, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”

Don't judge others because they sin differently than you do! And may I say, I really hate the Fighting Fundamental Forum website, I would not want to be that ungodly website owner when I stand before God, for hosting a cesspool of iniquity—a sewer hole of hate-mongers and unjust critics, an online tavern of hatred, a casino of slander, and a whorehouse of condemnation! Shame on any idle pastor who posts gossip, wastes his time, and hangs out in that hellhole!

Revelation 12:10 calls Satan “the accuser of the brethren.” Slandering others, assuming guilt, being unjustly critical, gossiping with good intentions, and spreading hurtful rumors—are all part of the carnal flesh, which is at enmity against the Lord's Holy Spirit. Carnal people love to instigate. They love to get that hot information to someone to upset them, to cause fireworks between people, and ruin friendships, to create distrust and resentment and hatred of others. They use the foolish reasoning, “This person has a right to know,” when i reality they truly don't need to know anything.

One of my favorite preachers, Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988), tells an intriguing story in his commentary on the book of Zephaniah. The MP3 is titled: Zephaniah: The Dark Side Of God's Love—a story that at first seems surely dark, creepy and horrifying, which turns out to be a wonderful story of love. I think this is an excellent illustration of how oftentimes we can prematurely draw the wrong conclusions, and make faulty assumptions, simply because of our human frailties and lack of omniscience (as possesses our great God). Therefore, the only safe rule to live by is to always give the benefit of the doubt to others, especially when accused of a sin or crime. Let him that hath ears to hear, hear. (By the way, here is a webpage I made for the book of Zephaniah, featuring the audio commentary of Pastor J. Vernon McGee.)

What saith the Scripture? ...

Ephesians 4:30-32, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

You'll Hate Yourself Forever If You Don't Get Born Again

1st Corinthians 2:9-10, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”

I was thinking today about how great it is to know that my name is written in Heaven as a Christian. Amen!

And then I thought about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and all the smorgasbord of food that were going to feast upon. The Bible says when the two angels came to Lot's house, they ate a feast which Lot prepared. This included fresh homemade baked bread (Genesis 19:3). That means angels eat! When Jesus resurrected, in His glorified body, He ate and drank on multiple occasions with His disciples (Luke 24:39-43).

The Bible promises that when each believer receives our new glorified body at the Rapture, it will be fashioned like UNTO THE LORD'S (Philippians 3:21). Yeah boy, I can't wait to get to Heaven and feast on all the awesome family recipes throughout the ages of time!!! I'm talking everyone's favorite recipes will be in Heaven! Do you want to miss out on the grandest buffet of all time and beyond? Not me buddy! This is a great reason to get born-again!

Consider the following drastic contrast between the unsaved and the saved:

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

SAVED - Philippians 3:20-21, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

What would you rather have—a brand new perfect body with supernatural abilities like the Lord's, or a body designed to withstand the tremendous heat and torture of the Lake of Fire for all eternity? Matthew 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” I don't know about you, but I want to be with Jesus in Heaven, with a new immortal perfect body, enjoying the wonderful recipes and foods from around the world.

The Lord enjoyed eating while on the earth. Matthew 11:19a, “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber...” The word “eat” is mentioned 757 times in the New Testament. The Lord enjoyed eating and fellowship with others. We read in the Bible that Jesus attended wedding feasts and often accepted dinner invitations into people's homes. In Heaven, we are going to enjoy eating and drinking. I sure don't want to miss that!

The same omnipotent Savior Who walked upon the Sea Of Galilee, and commanded the raging waves of the sea and the mighty blowing winds to calm, will change our corrupted earthly bodies into immortal and incorruptible glorified bodies. We will be able to ascend into the air as did the Lord (Acts 1:9). We will be able to walk through walls as did the Lord (John 20:19). 1st Corinthians 15:51-53, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

God is so good!!! When I think about all the horrible wars, famines, pestilences and atrocities which have afflicted so many hundreds-of-millions of people throughout the history of mankind, I praise God for our blessed American culture. Unfortunately, things have slowly been deteriorating because of the rejection of Christianity in the United States. Ultimately, our nation will fall to chaos, anarchy and a rising police state.

Another great reason to get saved is to escape the fires of Hell. I heard Dr. Jack Hyles say in a sermon that he was saved, I believe it was at the age of 11. Brother Hyles said he got saved because he was afraid of going to Hell. My friend, that is a very good reason to come to Christ for salvation. That is why I got saved too. I heard a false prophet named Paris Reidhead, teach that a person is not saved if they only got saved to escape the fires of Hell. That is a lie of the Devil.

It doesn't matter why a person receives Christ to be saved, just so long as they get saved. Every person who acknowledges that they are a guilty sinner in the eyes of a holy God (Romans 3:19), and BELIEVES the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are immediately and permanently born-again. 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.”

Wanting to escape the fires of Hell forever is a perfectly acceptable motive to trust Christ as one's Savior. I'm so sick-and-tired of the Lordship Salvation heresy that has infected thousands of churches today. The new corrupt Bible versions all teach “ANOTHER GOSPEL” by redefining what it means to “REPENT.” Please use only the King James Bible, which hasn't been corrupted. Satan knows that if he can replace the inspired Words of God with a substitute, then he can misled you and even take you to Hell with a false plan of salvation. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. Have you been born-again? Are you saved? Have you believed the Gospel?

There are so many reasons to get saved. My friend, you will absolutely hate yourself for all eternity if you go to Hell. You will be miserable, lonely, tormented in flames of fire, inexplicably uncomfortable, without rest, without relief and without hope. IT WILL BE TOO LATE. You'll hate yourself even more when you look into Heaven, and see the saved enjoying the blessings, joy and presence of the dear Savior. Luke 13:28, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

Jesus could return right now!!! Are you ready to meet your Maker friend? Have you been born-again by the Holy Spirit of God? The heathen world has a hundred excuses not to get saved. If you're not saved, what's yours? I hear so many people praising atheist comedian, George Carlin, who was a gifted orator; yet Mr. Carlin is burning in Hell this moment, because he died in his sins without Jesus Christ. Do you want to join him? Do you really? Think about it, because life is short, Hell is hot, and eternity is a long time!!!

Perhaps you ask, “Why should I trust Jesus? Why not Allah? Why not Zoroaster? Why not Buddha? Why Jesus?” Acts 4:10-12, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” The inspired Word of God teaches that SALVATION IS FOUND ONLY IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!! The big question is: Do you believe that the words in the Bible are God's Holy Words? Most people who criticize the Bible have never truly read the Scriptures. They read a few verses or chapters with a bitter heart, a closed mind and a love for sin, looking for justification to validate their hatred of God, fundamental Christians and the Holy Bible.

The appearance of the Antichrist is drawing near, which means we are so close to the appearance of the Lord Jesus at the pretribulation Rapture. As a born-again Christian, I am looking forward to receiving a brand new healthy, perfect and immortal body, fashioned just like Jesus' body, at the Rapture. I'm looking forward to all the blessings of God. Romans 8:32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

I'm looking forward to Jesus protecting my feelings, and no one will ever ruin my day again. John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” I'm looking forward to Heaven, where there is no worry over thieves breaking through to steal, and the gates are left wide open all the time. Revelation 21:25, “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.”

Oh, how I want to be with Jesus! If I took the time to go through the entire Bible, I am confident that I could find at least 1,000 reasons to get saved. The Scriptures teach that believers will one day reign with Christ. Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” The 'First Resurrection' Of Revelation 20:6 Consists Of Five Separate Resurrections. In sharp contrast, Christ-rejecters in Hell will suffer in torment and have nothing. There is no future in Hell, except death, pain and misery.

It is tragic that most people today scoff the reality of Hell, challenge the legitimacy of the Holy Bible, and downplay the need to be born-again. We are about to find out very soon who was right, and who was wrong. When the Lord returns, or this short earthly life ends, we will all learn THE TRUTH. I'm betting on the King James Bible being right! I'm taking the side of Jesus Christ! If you dare deny and reject the Holy Bible, knock yourself out; but I believe that the King James Bible is 100% God's inerrant, infallible, perfect, inspired, incorruptible, holy and preserved Words!!! My complete hope and trust is in the precious name of Jesus Christ!!!

There are so many reasons to get saved. Anyone with a working brain ought to want to escape Hell. Certainly, being with Jesus is my greatest desire, the One Who died for me and set me from from the curses of sin, death and Hell. Praise the Lord, for He is good!!! I'm looking forward to eating with the Lord, feasting on Heaven's menu. It's going to be grand! I'm looking forward to my new body, fashioned like unto the Lord's body.

I'm looking forward to whatever work God has for me to do. I believe we will have jobs in Heaven, but they will be fun and enjoyable, things that we enjoy doing. I believe God gives everyone a special desire and ability to do a certain work (Philippines 2:13). I'd love to learn to be a food chef in Heaven, cooking for others, watching them enjoy a delicious meal. I'd also like to be a luthier making stringed musical instruments, and enjoy people making music on something that my hands crafted. That would be great. And I very much want to perform musical instruments (especially my pedal steel guitar) in Heaven along with other musicians. Romans 8:32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Yes, I believe the Lord will let me do these things, as He promised in Romans 8:32.

In Heaven, believers will be one big happy family. Yes, if you are saved, you have a Christian family here on earth and in Heaven. Ephesians 3:14-15, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” This is what the local church is—your spiritual family in the Lord (if you are saved)! People who go to Hell will have no family. There's no party going on in Hell. That's only how idiots talk. Nobody is laughing in Hell!!! (an excellent MP3 sermon by Evangelist Phil Kidd). Tears In Heaven (MP3, Evangelist Phil Kidd; Life is short, hell is hot, and eternity is forever!). I have given you just a few reasons why you'll hate yourself forever if you go to Hell, but once you get to Hell (and I sincerely hope you don't let that happen to yourself), you'll think of thousands!

All you have to do to go to Hell is NOTHING!!! You are a sinner by nature and by choice, and so am I. You and I were born spiritually dead, inherited from Adam's sin (Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-2). That's why we all must be born-again by the Holy Spirit of God (John 1:12-14; 1st Peter 1:23). No amount of good works, prayer, penance, reform, generosity or religious devotion can substitute for God's imputed righteousness (Romans 4:5-6 - Note: All Scripture references are ONLY to the trustworthy KING JAMES BIBLE), which is obtained ONLY by faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way! That is why the heathen world hates and despises Christianity so much, that is, because we teach what the Bible teaches, that Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 14:6).

Or Perhaps You'd Like The Highway To Hell Instead

Friend, what are your hopes, dreams, desires, talents and ambitions? If they are decent, good, pure and holy, then God has promised to give us ALL THINGS in eternity. But if you die in your sins and go to Hell, the Bible says that you will be tormented day and night with the Devil, forever. Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” This will be the fate of everyone who goes to Hell. If you are not born-again, then you are a child of the Devil, whether you realize it or not (John 8:44).

Perhaps you say, “I would never worship the Beast when he comes!” Oh really! Many people are unknowingly worshipping the Beast (Antichrist) already, which is indirectly worshipping Satan. Satan will use any lie or scam to deceive you. The Bible says the Devil will be very successful at tricking the 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.”

NOTE: Carefully notice in the preceding Scripture that we learn how Satan and the demons came to be upon earth, that is, they (Lucifer and his loyal disobedient angels) were kicked out of Heaven and cast down to the earth. Since this event is not recorded in the Old Testament, and Satan was already present in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, it is logical to conclude an old earth creation. That is, a pre-Adamic creation when dinosaurs roamed the earth. In the Genesis 6-day creation beginning in Genesis 1:2, God remolded the universe. For a compelling exegesis of Genesis 1, explaining the truth of an old earth, please read: THE REMODELING.

If you live on planet earth, then you are familiar with AC/DC's massive hit, HIGHWAY TO HELL from their 1979 album). The original singer, Bon Scott, drank himself to death with booze several months later, sadly discovering the horrifying REALITY OF HELL. Oh, please don't follow Bon Scott upon the Highway-To-Hell. My friend, life is short, Hell is hot, and eternity is a long time!!! Don't be a fool. Salvation is completely free, but you must receive it by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You must receive Christ's sacrifice, believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and bodily resurrected three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

In 1980, new AC/DC singer Brian Johnson and the group perfected their demonic song on their next album, Back In Black, recording the version most often heard today around the world. In fact, AC/DC's song HIGHWAY TO HELL has won awards for being one of the most played songs.[1] Tragically, this blasphemous song against God has unofficially become America's new national anthem, being performed millions of times a year around the country, from nightclubs and public concerts to the 2015 music Grammy Awards in Hollywood. The song has been featured in umpteen Hollywood movies. They are all on the fast-track to the Lake of Fire, and they don't really believe it. They don't believe that the Bible are God's holy, inspired, Words.

If you die right now in your sins without Jesus Christ, your eyes will open in Hell. You'll have to wait in fear for your court date, at The Great White Throne of Judgment. If you died today and Christ came back tomorrow morning at the Rapture, you'd have to wait at least 1,007 years for your court trial (i.e., the 7-year Tribulation plus the 1,000-year Millennium). At The Great White Throne of Judgment, you will be judged and sentenced to the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:11-15). Is that what you want? You'll hate yourself forever if you choose that destructive route, knowing that you could have had eternal life, paradise and blessing all completely for free. The choice is yours alone to make. People who are burning in Hell now would give a million lifetimes of wealth, pleasure and fame if they could just have one more chance to get saved. If you are reading this, YOU HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE!

Hell will be filled with rich, powerful, influential and talented people. Most rich people reject Jesus Christ, because they are sinfully proud, blinded by their prestige, social class, wealth and influence. But God is no respecter of persons. 1st Peter 1:17, “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear.” We will soon find out who was right, and who was wrong. The end of the world as we know it is drawing closer each day. According to the dream given to king Nebuchadnezzar by God, which is interpreted for us in the book of Daniel, we are now living in the End Times. Are you ready to meet your Maker?

You Still Have Time To Get Saved Before It's Too Late

It doesn't matter how wicked you may think you are, God is a forgiving God, Who loves to pardon iniquity. Micah 7:18, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” The world is foolish, sinfully trying to enter into Heaven “some other way” (John 10:1)—through human effort (works), religion, sacraments, water baptism, devotion, morality, philosophy, reformation, the Virgin Mary and various other methods—which are all idolatry!

Most people laugh and scoff at my website ministry, because I preach the Word of God from the Holy Bible (i.e., the King James Bible). I'm not the one who is going to be sorry, you are, if who reject Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. I'm speaking to supporters of Lordship Salvation. You need to get saved. I'm speaking to Roman Catholics. You need to get saved. I'm speaking to Seventh-day Adventists. You need to get saved before it is too late. Satan has blinded the masses of this world (2nd Corinthians 4:4). Unless you get born-again, you will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever (John 3:3; 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 21:8)!!! Religion is a sure road to Hell, fire and damnation. Have you truly been born-again?

Please don't miss out on all the blessings which God has prepared for those who “die in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13). Only born-again Christians die in the Lord, meaning that you are in Christ by faith. Ephesians 2:12-13, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” The only one who can prevent you from going to Heaven is you, because God has given His solemn promise to save anyone who believes of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (Romans 10:13; John 3:16; Philippians 3:9).

If you die in your sins and unbelief, you'll regret (with the bitterest of tears) your stupidity for ever and ever. You'll spend the rest of eternity burning in the flames of Hell, being tormented night and day without rest, comfort or relief. There is no water in Hell. Please think about this, because it is reality. Once you pass into eternity, your fate is sealed, there is no going back. Once you die and go to Hell, you cannot come back for a second chance. Friend, you have that second chance right now, please don't blow it!

Very Few Pastors Genuinely Love People

Ephesians 4:30-32, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Sadly, I've met some cold hearted bastards for pastors over the years. They are illegitimate pastors who have no business being in the clergy.

Pensacola Christian College's Cult In Pensacola

Namely, Jeff Redlin, senior pastor at Pensacola Christian College's (PCC) Campus Church. Mr. Redlin is a hateful monster who refuses to allow me to attend Campus Church, since August 2, 2022. He emailed me in writing to tell me I am not permitted to attend their church, My great crime was criticizing the conceited prima donna gods at PCC on social media, which Redlin and company deserve for shunning and ostracizing people.

PCC wickedly throws people under the bus! I pleaded with the pastors at Campus Church for compassion and understanding, but Jeff Redlin and Timothy Zacharias refused. It didn't matter that I apologized for criticizing them, they refused to forgive me. Those are a very wicked arrogant proud pastors! Tragically, PCC's college leadership is just as bad. I sent them a letter to request their help, but they ignored me. So now we are enemies!

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) was so right...

“You can't love anybody, until you love everybody!” —Dr. Jack Hyles, “The Test Of Spiritual Maturity”

There is no love or compassion at PCC or their Campus Church. Read some of the negative reviews of PCC for yourself. PCC is a Lordship Salvation neo-evangelical cult, not a biblical fundamentalist Christian institution. I hate that accursed place at PCC, where the cult system always comes first, but individual people do not matter! It was one of their own hurting female students over 20 years ago who made that statement, and I concur 100% with her.

Harvest Baptist Church's Cult On Guam

Then there's Marty Herron, who was the clown senior pastor at Harvest Baptist Church on Guam for 19 years. Marty quit when he saw an opportunity to make more money as the executive vice president of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa, where he ruins young people's lives today with his damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation. Mr. Herron is a devout follower of heretic John MacArthur and his Satanic Calvinism.

I heard Pastor Herron with my own two ears in 2014, when I visit the Harvest Baptist Church cult on Guam, say to several hundred church members on a Sunday morning: “It's not enough to admit you're a sinner to get to Heaven, you must forsake a lifestyle of sinning.” BLASPHEMY! That man is still hellbound in his unbelief, because he adds works to grace! No one is born again who is attempting to forsake sinning to get to Heaven!!! Either you are trusting Jesus alone because of what He did through Calvary's cross to pay for your sins, or else you are only partially trusting Christ PLUS something more, which is no faith at all.

Smyrna Baptist Church's Cult In Pensacola

When I attended the Smyrna Baptist Church in Pensacola in 2024, their senior pastor Bill Adams rudely looked off at the wall when I shook his hand. I contacted him about the matter, because it was clear to me that he dissed me. He apologized and said he didn't know why he did it. One week later his wife approached me at Smyrna Baptist Church to shake my hand, but she looked 45 degrees hard right off at the wall, which was obvious that she didn't want me to return to their church cult.

So, I kindly contacted her husband again, the pastor, wondering what the hell was going on. I couldn't have been more kind. Sadly, he totally ignored me. So, I contacted him again but again he still totally ignored me. This is the type of hatred that exists in our Baptist churches today—cold hearted uncaring pastors with a chip on their shoulder, and bitchy pastor's wives with hussy bad attitudes running the church into the ground. Bill Adams is henpecked!!!

Even worse, their cult promotes the heretical Lordship Salvation poison of Chick Tracts, which falsely require lost sinners to be willing to forsake their sinful bad habits to be saved, which is works instead of free grace. Jack Chick is a FALSE PROPHETS!!! Shame on any church that distributes Chick Tracts, because they do NOT preach a free grace Gospel.

God knows that I do not hate these wicked pastors, but they ought not be pastors! If I had the power to do so, I'd fire every one of them and ban them from getting involved in any religious leadership role ever again. They'd be finished!!! It's not okay to throw people under the bus! Either you love everybody, or else you don't really love anyone!!! Jeff Redlin, Marty Herron and Bill Adams don't love anyone except themselves and their paychecks.

Payday Someday!

I could also name other incompetent pastors I've met, but these are the three big names that have horribly mistreated me, shunning and throwing me under the bus for TELLING THE TRUTH. All I wanted was to come back to their churches, but they refused. THOSE ARE MANMADE CULTS!!! They are bastards. That is, they are illegitimate pastors!

God knows that Marty Herron ruined my life on Guam, for which God will hold him accountable and punish him (Romans 12:19-21). When I had an opportunity to get married, Pastor Herron ruined it for me. If I had my way he'd be a very lonely man, to let him experience the deep pain he caused for me over the years. It is only my faith in God that keeps me from hating Marty Herron, but I hate everything about him, especially his damnable preaching of a counterfeit plan of salvation (aka, Lordship Salvation). Woe unto Marty Herron on Judgment Day (Galatians 6:7). You cannot preach another gospel, promote the Devil's corruptible seed (false bible revisions), shun away truth-tellers (like they did to me), and escape God's wrath!!! My worst enemies in life have been neo-evangelical pastors; namely, Marty Herron and Jeff Redlin being among the worst offenders. MONSTERS ARE REAL!!!

My continual prayer is for God to avenge me of these evildoers, since I told THE TRUTH but they punished me for it. ALL of the modern English Bible revisions are corrupt! Lordship Salvation is of the Devil. Jack Chick (1924-2016) preached another gospel in his Chick Tracts. Martin Luther (1483-1546) is burning in Hell for preaching Sacramental Salvation all his life. I am so disgusted with stupid local pastors in Pensacola. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!

Neo-evangelicals wickedly make light of moral standards (e.g., they're okay with females wearing whorish sexy pants in pubic); they make light of sound doctrine, make light of which Bible version we use, make light of soulwinning, and make light of the accuracy of God's simple plan of salvation. PCC's incompetent leaders and ungodly pastors wickedly laughed in my face in 2021 and 2022, when I confronted them about their damnable Lordship Salvation heresy.

People can say what they want about me, but I do care. I get upset because I do pay attention to the little details. Pastor Jack Hyles was so right, who said: “The most important job is the one that doesn't get done!” Sadly, today's pastors aren't getting the job done! They're dropping the ball for God by promoting the Devil's corrupt modern Bible revisions, by preaching the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation, by perverting the Bible meaning of repentance (which is a change of mind, not turning from your sinning) to be saved, et cetera. RIGHT DOCTRNE MATTERS!

By God's grace I may throw a fit, but I'm on the Lord's side. I am tired of being mistreated, shunned, abused, ostracized and thrown under the bus by wicked incompetent pastors, because I am TELLING THE TRUTH. There is so little love for truth or people in today's dead churches. I speak this to their utter shame. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

“What is preaching? It is throwing a fit!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Quit Meddling With God”

Quit Trying To Improve Yourself

Exodus 34:27-30, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water.  And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.”

I listened to a wonderful sermon today by my favorite preacher, Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001). Dear reader, I sincerely hope that you will take the time to hear this life-changing sermon. It is titled, “Self Improvement Versus Others Improvement.” I heard Dr. Hyles once say that if he could teach his church congregation one thing, next to how to get to Heaven, it would be to GET OUT OF THE SELF LIFE! I couldn't agree more. As humans we are born with a sinful selfish nature. By default we are all selfish.

In this helpful sermon, “Self Improvement Versus Others Improvement,” Pastor Hyles points out that only two times in the Bible did a Christian not recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit—here is Exodus 34:29 when Moses wist (knew) not that he face shown with the Spirit of God; and then in Judges 16:20 when Samson wist not that the Holy Spirit had departed from him. When you are what you ought to be, you won't know what you ought to be! That is, when you lose yourself in meeting the needs of others, you won't be concerned about how well you are doing. I don't care if I am a good preacher or not, I just want to help others by giving you THE TRUTH you need!

This is one of my favorite sermons by Brother Hyles, because it really hits home, doesn't it. We live in a very selfish culture in America. Someone even published a magazine called, SELF. The important thing is not being filled with the Holy Spirit, it is yielding to allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to do the things God wants you to do (Galatians 5:22-25).

I learned a long time ago that I cannot live the Christian life, and neither can you friend. We will fail again and again if we try in our own feeble human strength to live the Christian life. What saith the Scripture? Galatians 2:20-21, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Jesus lives the Christian life through us, via the Holy Spirit who lives inside every believer (Romans 8:9; 1st Corinthians 3:16-17; 1st John 3:24).

Pastor Hyles teaches this wonderful truth in his helpful sermon titled, “Filled With His Fulness.” I don't love you dear reader, God is loving you through me. I don't care about you, God cares about you through me. This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). God doesn't give the fruit of His Holy Spirit TO ME; but rather, THROUGH ME to give to you. So, if I don't walk in the Spirit, you won't be loved. If I don't yield to the Spirit to obey God's Word (2nd Corinthians 10:5-6), you won't receive the blessings that God intended for you to have through me.

There is a voice in God's heavenly choir that only you can fulfill dear reader. You are the only Jesus that somebody knows! To someone you are the “the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). I visited a church one time and saw a sign above the exit door which read, “You are now entering the missionary field.” I love that!!!

In most bookstores today you'll find an entire section on “Self Improvement.” Sadly, that includes many Christian bookstores. No Sir, self improvement is a byproduct of living for others! Burn your books on self improvement and GET OUT OF THE SELF LIFE!!!

It doesn't matter who you are, it's who you help that matters. It doesn't matter what you're trying to become, it's what are you doing for other people. Dear reader, may we all by God's grace get out of the self life. Forget self improvement, spend your life trying to improve OTHERS.

In the popular 2005 movie, “Batman Begins,” Rachel Dawes tells billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne: “Bruce. Deep down, you may still be that same great kid you used to be, but it's not who you are underneath. It's what you do that defines you.” That is absolutely true!

Moses didn't know that his face was shining. He was consumed pleading with God to spare the Hebrews from utter destruction. Because of their wickedness and idolatry God wanted to annihilate them! But Moses begged God to reconsider, lest the heathen nations say that God only delivered His children out of Egypt to slay them in the Wilderness. Thankfully for their sakes, Moses succeeded at changing God's mind.

I have never tried to be a good preacher, I have always tried to help others know THE TRUTH. Jesus said in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

OTHERS

by Pastor Jack Hyles

(Loyal Pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana for over 42 years)

†       †       †       †       †       †       †

Sunday evening sermon, preached on September 29, 1974...

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34a

"... Woman, behold thy son! ...Behold thy mother!" John 19:26, 27a

"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43

I read biographies a great deal. Especially in the early, formative days of my ministry, so very often did I read biographies. I have read about the lives of most great men. One of my favorite characters in all of history is General William Booth. General Booth was the founder of the great Salvation Army, when it was more salvation than it was army. He led in spreading the Gospel over much of the world, as he organized street meetings and evangelistic services.

With the passing of the years, General Booth became an invalid. His eyesight failed him, and one year he was in such bad health that he was unable to attend the Salvation Army Convention in London, England. Somebody suggested that General Booth send a telegram or a message to be read at the opening of the convention. General Booth agreed to do so.

When the thousands of delegates met, the moderator announced that General Booth would not be able to be present because of failing health and eyesight. Gloom and pessimism swept across the floor of the convention. A little light dispelled some of the darkness when the moderator announced that General Booth had sent a message to be read with the opening of the first session. He opened the message and began to read the following:

Dear Delegates of the Salvation Army Convention:

OTHERS!
Signed, General Booth.

Lord, let me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.

You recognized awhile ago the words of our Lord. No one ever exemplified the "others" life as did our Saviour. He never typified His life for others quite so beautifully and so clearly as He did when He was on the cross. As I have said from this pulpit several times, our Lord in dying on the cross, suffered as no man ever suffered, agonized as no man ever agonized, and hurt as no man ever hurt. His Father turned His back on Him. His own race had crucified Him. His own city had hated Him. His own people had nailed Him to the cross. Yet when our Lord opened His mouth on Mount Calvary, the first statement that He made had nothing to do with His own pain or His own suffering, but He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) He did not speak of His own suffering.

Before He ever cries, "I thirst," He says, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." After awhile, He is going to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46) He will speak in the first person, but not yet. He speaks in the third person when He says, "Forgive them; for they know not what they do." Before He speaks about His own suffering He says, "Woman, behold thy son!" (John 19:26) and "Behold thy mother!" (John 19:27) Before He says, "I thirst" or "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" or "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46), He says, "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Our Lord had learned the lesson that most of us never learn, and that is, to live as we ought to live, is to live for somebody else.

Lord, let me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.

I don't know who the person is tonight in this room who is the most miserable wretch here, but whoever he is, he lives for himself. I don't know who it is tonight who is the most unhappy creature in this room, but whoever it is has never lost himself in service for somebody else.

I want you to notice the first three of our Lord's sayings on the cross. In the first place He said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Jesus died loving others and forgiving them. He died loving others.

There sits at my right on this platform tonight, Brother Fisk. I kid him a great deal, but he's one of the great, if not the greatest, personal soul winners alive today. He came to this church 14 years ago an unsaved person. He came during a big special contest drive. He heard me preach. He thought I preached too loud and too long. (I would never plead guilty to either.) Somebody said that C. W. Fisk didn't like my preaching; I thought he'd never come back. The next Sunday, he came back. He walked the aisle and professed his faith in Christ as his Saviour. I couldn't believe it! I went to him, shook his hand, and said something like this, although I do not recall exactly what I said: "I'm surprised to see you back; I thought you didn't like my preaching." He assured me in no uncertain terms that that was an accurate appraisal, and then he said, "I'll tell you why I came back. After the service last Sunday, you placed your left hand on my shoulder and put your right hand in mine, and you said three words that no one other than my wife had ever said to me -- 'I love you."' I wonder how many people will be in Heaven because the Holy Spirit inspired this preacher to say, "I love you."

If there is a need among fundamental people tonight, it is for a baptism of love one for the other. Jesus died loving others. I love to tell this story, and you may as well love to hear it. I preached at Bob Jones University for a few days several years ago. I had to fly all night long. I had to leave this pulpit, and somebody met me at the back door and rushed me to O'Hare Field. The plane was to leave at 10:00 o'clock, and I got there a few minutes before 10:00. I'll never forget it, because somebody had given me a sack of grapes to eat on the plane. I wish they would have wrapped the grapes in some kind of plastic or waxed paper. Because I was late for the plane, my shoe came untied and I lost my shoe. So there I was, a sack of grapes in this hand, a shoe and a suitcase in the other hand, running down to catch the airplane. Then the grapes decided they wanted to work their way through the sack! As a great crowd of people rushed to their airplanes, there were grapes rolling all over the concourse. There were "grapes of wrath" going everywhere, and wrath coming back toward me from the people.

I got on the plane; there was only one seat left and I felt led to take it. I sat down beside a little lady who had on a black sweater, a diamond pin on that sweater, and a beautiful diamond ring, but she had her hair rolled-up. Now anybody knows that no lady with any sense is going to take a trip with her hair rolled-up. I couldn't understand it, because her hair was rolled up and she was wearing a diamond pin and a beautiful, gorgeous diamond ring. She was obviously wealthy, but obviously not prepared to travel. I sat down beside her, and as I usually do, I spoke to my fellow traveler. (I had the misfortune being reared in the South where folks are friendly, and did not learn that you're not supposed to be friendly till I moved up here.) I said, "Howdy. How are you?" She said, "Fine. How are you?" We chatted for a few minutes, and then I went off to sleep. I slept for an hour.

I was awakened by the touching of the wheels on the runway at Cincinnati, Ohio. I stretched, woke up, and looked around. The little lady looked at me and she said, "Mister, could I ask you a question?" I said, "What?" She said, "How could you do what you did while you were asleep?" I thought, "Good night! What did I do while I was asleep?" I said, "Ma'am, what did I do?" She said, "Sir, we have been in a storm. This plane has almost turned over. It is the worst storm I've ever seen on a plane. One of the stewardesses got so scared she locked herself in the rest room. We had our heads in our pillows. Some folks have been praying aloud, and you've been over there snoring. How could you do it?"

I said, "Dear lady, there are two reasons, I guess. One reason is, I fly 150,000 miles a year on these planes; but the other is, my Father owns this airplane.'! "Your father owns this airplane?" "Yes," I said, "He owns the Delta Air Lines." She said, "Your father owns Delta Air Lines?" I said, "Yes, ma'am, and American Air Lines." "Delta and American?" "Eastern and Allegheny, too." "Your father owns Delta, American, Eastern, and Allegheny?" "Yes, and also Braniff, United, Northwestern and Ozark." Her hair fell. She said, "I am so honored to be sitting beside the heir of the Delta, American, United, Allegheny, Braniff, Ozark, and Eastern millions." I said, "Thank you."

She said, "May I ask you a question, who is your father?" I said, "He's the Father of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." Then she screamed so loudly that everybody on the plane heard her. She sat up in her seat, pointed at me and said, "I know what you are!" She said it so loud that everybody was listening, "You're a minister; that's what you are!" I said, "I already knew that; but I'm more than that. I'm a Christian. Jesus is my Saviour and God is my Father."

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,
The wealth in every mine.
He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,
The sun and stars that shine.
Wonderful riches, more than tongue can tell;
He is my Father, so they're mine as well.
He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,
I know that He will care for me!

Then she screamed so loudly I'll never forget it, "Mister, tell me one thing. Tell me, does your God love me, too?" Everybody on the plane heard her. Folks gathered around. They thought she was an emotionally disturbed lady. I said, "Yes, my God loves you, too, and I love you because He loves you." As we were flying between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Atlanta, Georgia, at 28,000 feet in the air I told her a wonderful story of love.

Wonderful story of love,
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love,
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it;
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, 0 won't you believe it?
Wonderful story of love.
I love to tell the story,
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song
'Twill be the old, old story
That I have loved so long.

How many times have I told it from this pulpit through these years? Oh, thank God, it never grows old! For ten years in this auditorium I've preached from one Book, just one Book! I've preached from it all the time; it never, never growsold. At 28,000 feet in the air, my Father adopted her into His family and she was born of the Spirit of God. I thought about her shriek and cry. She told me a sad story. She told me how her husband, the manager of a manufacturing and mining company in Racine, Wisconsin, had just left her. She had just tried to kill herself. She rolled up the sleeve of her sweater and showed me the scars where she had taken a razor blade and tried to kill herself. They had found her almost dead. She said, "I have a sister in Atlanta, Georgia, who is a Christian. I was put on an airplane with the hope that I would find a reason to live. Of all the people that could have sat beside me, a minister of the Gospel would come!" She was sweetly saved at 28,000 feet in the air.

I was thinking tonight, "I wonder how many people wonder if our God loves them?" I hope I learn someday to live for other people. I hope I'll learn what it is, before I see Him, to so bathe myself in service for others it won't matter about self anymore. Oh, my friends! This is a heartsick, sin-sick old world. Everybody is weeping, and the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together. Everybody needs somebody to help them! There's a great need. Do you want a job? Do you want something to do for God? Just try to help other people. Oh, my! Honestly, I mean it, I never go home late at night without wondering as I drive home after counseling and trying to help, "How many people out yonder in this great Chicago area could use some help?"

Lord, let me live from day to day,
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.

Yes, Jesus died loving others. That leads us to one of the sweetest things ever written in the Bible. Jesus is dying on the cross. He is God incarnate, the very God of gods, clothed in flesh, the preexistent, eternal Son of God on earth. He walked among men and now He is on the cross. This is the most important hour in the history of civilization -- Calvary! All the rivers of history empty into Calvary. All the streams of prophecy find their source at Calvary. Look at Him. He's dying. Look at Him! That's the Son of God! Look at Him! He had fellowship with the Father before the world was. Look at Him! He's virgin-born. Look at Him! He lived a sinless life. Look at Him! All the doctrines of justification, propitiation, sanctification, glorification and predestination -- all the Bible doctrines are wrapped up in what's going on right there on Calvary. If He comes down from the cross, we are doomed: If He stays there, we will live forever with Christ. Calvary!

Sh-h-h-h! He's opening His mouth; He's going to speak. God Incarnate is going to speak! He has a message for us; I wonder what it will be? I wonder if He will give us a dissertation on justification. Hey! Maybe He will tell us something about the great doctrine of predestination that none of us quite understands. Maybe He will tell us something about propitiation or about the heart of God. What is He going to say? Sh-h-h-h! Listen! I wonder what profound words will come through His lips? He is opening His mouth. "John, take care of Mama. Mama, John's going to take care of you."

There is something so sweet about that I cannot even walk through the garden without feeling that I have profaned the petals of the roses. Why wouldn't He speak about a great doctrine? I'll tell you why! When Jesus died, He wouldn't say, "I thirst," until He took care of His mama. (John 19:28) He died caring for the needs of others. After awhile He's going to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" but not yet; first He wants to care for the needs of others.

Let me say this. You'll never be happy, you're barking up an empty tree; you're running down a dead-end road; you'll never be happy until you lose yourself! Forget yourself! Forget your own needs! Forget your own likes and dislikes! Bathe yourself in service for other people.

Lord, let me live from day to day,
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.

I think I am a happy man. I think folks who are around me know that I am rather happy. I enjoy life. If happiness were bought tonight by money in the bank, I would not be happy; I have no money in the bank. If happiness came tonight by a lack of enemies, I would not be happy; I have thousands of enemies. Whatever degree of happiness I've found, I've found it trying to help somebody else. "Help somebody today, somebody along life's way." That's the secret!

There's a lady -- I think she's in the auditorium tonight; if she's not, she usually is -- who came to my office several years ago and said, "Pastor, I'm about to crack up." (Now, that's nothing unusual; all ladies are about to crack up, Every lady I know either just had a nervous breakdown or is having one now or is planning to have one as soon as she can work it into her busy schedule.) She said, "I'm about to crack up. Can you help me?" I said, "Yes; ma'am, I can help you." She said, "How?" I said, ."Go bake some cookies." She asked, "What does baking cookies have to do with my nervous breakdown?" I said, "Go bake some cookies and take them to some deaf people in our church. Spend an hour with them, telling them you love them. Tomorrow, bake a cake. Take that cake to some blind person. Spend a little while with that one. The next day, go down to the hospital with a dozen roses and go to each room in the hospital that has nobody visiting. Give a rose to the patient in that room and have a prayer with that one who has no visitors. Every day of your life spend at least one hour -- at least one hour, at least one hour -- forgetting yourself and thinking of others. That will take care of that nervous breakdown."

I didn't see that lady for awhile. It seemed like she was trying to avoid me. One Sunday morning after months had passed, I happened to catch her in the back of the auditorium. I called her by name and said, "How about that nervous breakdown you were supposed to have?" She said, "I got so busy I called it off."

You could call yours off, too. Do you know what your trouble is? Self! Some body offended you. Somebody didn't treat you right. Somebody mistreated you. You didn't get what you were supposed to get. (If you got it, you wouldn't be happy.)

Others! Others!

I'm going to tell the story that I've told so often here; I love it and it's one of the best stories for closing a message. (Pat Paolucci, are you here tonight? I like to tell it when she's here. She was probably in the early service this evening.) A little bus girl, nine years of age, walked down the aisle in the old auditorium and got saved one Sunday morning. I can still see her coat. (Some of you folks that knew Pat; you remember that she was sort of a tubby little girl. She's always been tubby; she still is a little tubby. Since she's not here, I'll say that. Of course, the whole world will hear it on tape!) Her coat was made of imitation fur. After the service was over, nine-year-old Pat came and knocked on the door of my study. I went to the door and I said, "Can I help you?" She said, "I'm Pat. Brother Hyles, my Mommy ain't saved.

Would you pray that my Mommy would get saved?" I prayed for her mommy to get saved. The next Sunday morning after the service, there was a knock on my study door. I went to the door and it was little Pat, She said, "Brother Hyles, Mommy ain't saved yet. Would you pray that Mommy would get saved?" I prayed. The next Sunday morning after the service, there was a knock on my study door. It got to where almost every Sunday, if not every Sunday, Pat would knock on my door. I'd know who it was and I wouldn't want to answer the door. I would be busy; It didn't matter whether I was praying or winning a soul or counseling, there would be a knock on the door. She'd say, "Would you pray that Mommy would get saved?" For almost nine years she came by and asked me to pray. I'll never forget it.

One Wednesday night I walked out this side door and down the hallway behind the choir and right where you go to the door to go down the stairs, little Pat met me. She was 18 then. "Brother Hyles, could I have my senior appointment with you?" (As you know, I have a senior appointment with all the high school seniors and discuss their futures.) I said, "Pat, I won't have to have a senior appointment with you because I know what I want you to do. I can tell you right now what you ought to do." Pat said, "What?" I said, "I want you to go to a Christian college and prepare to serve God full-time." She got mad at me! She put her hands on her hips, stomped her foot (nobody here stomps their foot at me, except Pat), and said, 'Well, Mr. Hyles," -- Mister Hyles? (Oh, I'd rather call the pope "Pauly.") Then she said to me, "You don't even know who I am!" I said, "Yes, I do; you're Pat. You're one of our bus kids." "Well, how do you expect a bus kid to afford to go to college?" she said.

I said, "I'm sorry, Pat. I'm sorry, but wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a God?" Pat said, "There's a God, and you know it!" (She was almost insolent! If we'd had a school, I'd have given her 150 demerits. I may do it any way and make them retroactive!) I said, "Pat, it would be wonderful if that God weren't flat busted?" "He's not flat busted; He's rich and you know it!" she said. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if He Weren't such a tight wad?" Disgustedly she answered, "He's not a tight wad; He's generous and you know it!" "Oh? Wouldn't it be wonderful if He loved little bus kids and would send them to college?" She got mad again. She put her hands on her hips and stomped again and called me, "Mister Hyles," again. She said, "Mister Hyles, for your information, there is a God and He is rich and He is generous and He loves bus kids, and for your information, I am going to college!" We knelt right back there in that hallway right by the top of those steps and we prayed down a college education for Pat that night!

Eight weeks after that, Pat met me right here after a Wednesday night service. Her hand was full of green bills. She was crying. She said, "Brother Hyles, I have $200.00 here that people who don't even know me have given me! There is a God, and He loves me, and He is generous! He's rich, and I'm leaving for college tomorrow at 12:00 noon on a Greyhound bus."
The next day I got the staff together -- we had 15 folks on the staff at the time; some of the folks will remember this. Our staff got on one of the old church buses that Pat had ridden on for nine years. We rode down on Conkey Street where Pat lived. Just a short while before she was to leave, we called her out to our bus and gave her a personal shower on the bus. I never will forget it. One of the ladies on the staff bought her a.... Two of the ladies on the staff went together and bought her a pair of.... One lady bought her a... (You see, it was a personal shower.) After she had opened all the 'presents she said, "Brother Hyles, there is a God. He loves me and He's rich and He's generous. Brother Hyles, I love you so much; you've fed me and clothed me and prayed for me." Pat went off to school.

Her mother got saved the next Sunday right here in this auditorium! Five months passed. The folks on the staff will remember this. I got a long-distance call from Pat in Chattanooga, Tennessee. (The little stinker called me collect, would you believe it?) "Hello. Long-distance calling collect for Reverend Jack Hyles." "This is Brother Hyles." "Brother Hyles, this is Pat. I'm so happy. I wanted you to know. Brother Hyles, this is the happiest day of my life. I wanted you to know first; I haven't told my mother, yet. I haven't told my father, yet. I wanted you to know first; I haven't told my sister, yet." I said, "You haven't told your pastor yet, either." She said, "Brother Hyles, a preacher just proposed to me. I'm so happy." I put the phone on the desk -- didn't hang it up, but put it on the desk; I felt a spell coming on.

When I have a spell, I always take off my shoes. I took off my shoes and jumped around the room, clapping my hands and saying, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" My mind went back to the morning when a little nine-year-old girl got saved. I remembered the little meeting we had nine years later in the hallway behind the choir. I heard Pat's voice on the phone saying, "Brother Hyles, Brother Hyles, Brother Hyles!" I went over to the phone and said, "What is it?" She said, "This is costing money." I said, "Don't forget, honey, it was collect!" I put the phone down and clapped my hands some more and rejoiced and praised the Lord.

The next June I stood right here on this platform, and a young man stood right here beside me. Down that stairway the bride came -- a bus kid, just a bus kid. She walked down the aisle and we slobbered through a ceremony together.. (I slobber through everything I do.) She was married.

After the ceremony, she said, "Brother Hyles, aren't you going to preach at Highland Park in Chattanooga at Tennessee Temple School this summer?" I said,. "Yes." She said, "Would you come to our little apartment and let me fix you a meal? I would just love to have you." I said, "Why, sure."

So later that summer on a Friday at noon, I walked up an old stairway to second-floor apartment of a married college student. It was summertime; the screen door was closed, but the main door was open and I heard Pat say, "I wish I could die!" I didn't think it was that bad to have me over to eat; I couldn't understand what the deal was. Again she said, "I wish I could die!" So I decided to wait and see why she wanted to terminate her existence. I listened and she said these words to her husband: "I burned the steak! I wanted to serve Brother Hyles a good meal, but I burned the steak and I don't want to live."

Soon I said through the screen door "I'm here!" She said, "Come in." I went in; nobody as yet had come to the door, I was just standing by myself in the other room. I called to her and said, "Pat, what are we having for lunch?" She said, "Steak."' I said, "Pat do me a favor." "What?" "I like my steak burned. Would you put my piece back in the oven and just burn it slightly, please?" I heard her say, "Praise the Lord!" So, we had a lovely meal. Pat and her husband and I had an enjoyable meal. My steak was highly baptized with ketchup, but we had a lovely meal. When it was all over, Pat said, "Brother Hyles, we bought you something." She gave me a little gift-wrapped package.

I opened it. It was a little notebook; you've seen these little plastic notebooks that cost a dollar. I'll tell you why I know; because the price tag was still on it. (When you buy a gift that "expensive," you ought to leave the price tag on it.) I opened it and they were so pleased and I was so pleased. (I still have the notebook. I wouldn't trade it for the Taj Mahal.) Pat said, "Brother Hyles, there is a God, He is rich, He loves bus kids, and He is generous. Brother Hyles, I love you and I appreciate you." After I left I sang. (I can't sing! When I sing, the angels weep and Heaven's flag is flown for three days at half-mast.) I was singing and crying,

Lord, let me live from day to day,
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.

Elizabeth Barrett was an invalid and for many, many months didn't even lift her head off her pillow. One day Robert Browning came to see her. On his first visit, she lifted her head for the first time in months. On his second visit, she sat up in bed. On his third visit, she eloped with him. Others! Others!

Jesus -- God Incarnate, the preexistent Son of God becoming flesh -- with all the sins of all the universe, of all the world, heaped up on his shoulders, suffered as no man ever suffered! He saw the back side of the Father for the first time in eternity, but He said, "John, take care of Mama. Mama, John's going to take care of you." He said to the thief on the cross, "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise." He died saving others.

I've been your pastor over 15 years -- over ten of them have been in this auditorium. There is one thing I want my people to do -- I want you to forget yourself! I want you to be happy. I want you to live the victorious life. I don't want you to be miserable. I want you to be happy. God knows I do. I want the best for you. You are my people. I love the words, "preacher" and "pastor." You've got me so spoiled, it's pitiful. Between services tonight I said, “I wish I had something to eat; I need a little energy.” I opened the office door and saw a little package of peanuts that somebody had left me. Here's the sweet thing about it -- and Jesus is this way -- I said, “How can I eat the peanuts? The skins and pieces of nuts will stay in my teeth and bother me when I'm preaching!” Whoever gave me the peanuts had thought about that, too. There was a little piece of Dentyne chewing gum that I could chew so the leftover pieces of nuts would stick to the gum. The Lord's that way and you're that way. Somebody left me three tomatoes. That's the way it is all the time! There was a note from a little girl saying, "I love you." Little boys write notes and say, "I'm glad you're my Preacher." So, I want the best for you.

Listen to me. I know that when I'm not happy, it's because of selfishness; and I know when you're not happy, it's because of selfishness. It be a wonderful thing if we could so live that the theme song of our lives would be “Others.”

Lord let me live from day to day,
In such a self-forgetful way,
That even when I kneel to pray,
My prayer shall be for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others;
Let this my motto be.
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.

“Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing.” “Mama, John's going to take care of you. John, you take care of Mama.” “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

I'd like to close my ministry some day from behind this pulpit with one word to my people: “OTHERS! Signed, Your Pastor.”

Let us pray.