Just
A
Thought
III
By: Dr. Bob Gray Sr.
Copyright Bob Gray, Sr 2010.
Published by Bob Gray Sr. at Smashwords
This book is also available in print at http://www.solvechurchproblems.com
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All Scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Contents
HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ADVANTAGE
THE BIBLE WORD THAT SAYS IT ALL
THE AVAILABILITY OF THE NEW CREATURE
IS THERE A SAMUEL IN THE HOUSE?
WHAT MADE JOHN THE BAPTIST GREAT?
ARE FUNDAMENTAL BAPTIST CHURCHES’ CULTS?
Introduction
Dr. Jack Hyles once stated that in every living person there is a book that must be published to help the cause of Christ. I believe he was and is right. Every child of God has Ephesians 2:10 at work in his life. The “ordained works” at play in the life of every child of God as he interacts with other human beings are a part of God’s plan. No man lives to himself, and no man dies to himself. It is an affirmation of the will of man to accomplish God’s will in his life when he allows the good and bad of others to affect his life. I believe in insulation, not isolation.
It is an impossibility to live in this world without this world touching our individual worlds. Although we are not to be of this world, we cannot help it if we are in this world. I refuse to dip my sails when it comes to separation from the world. Worldly Christians are doing more damage to the cause of Christ than all the liberals in Christianity. However, it is imperative that we learn and grow as we battle in the world to win souls to Christ. According to the book of Romans, there are two parts to separation. One is separation from the world and the other is separation to the Gospel.
In this process, we find ourselves with a new adventure every day we live. Satan has his next move already prepared on the chessboard of life. The child of God’s only hope is to prayerfully approach each day begging for God’s help before he makes a move. The book of Ephesians chapter six refers to “the evil day.” Satan is just waiting for the day that we, as God’s children, wake up and make a move on our own. He will not conquer us as long as we depend upon God for each daily move on the chessboard of life. However, the day we wake up and make a move based on our wisdom is the day Satan will say, “Checkmate.” All of God’s children are just twenty-four hours away from blowing it.
In order to avoid such catastrophic moves, we need all the help that is available. It is imperative that the child of God read his Bible every day, not just to say he has read twenty chapters, but also to get one thing out of the Word of God to strengthen his new nature. It is essential that the child of God pray every day. It is necessary that the child of God go soul winning every week of the world. It is vital that the child of God attend every church service. It is critical that every child of God listen to his Man of God. It is of the utmost importance that the child of God obey financial principles and give tithes and offerings to his local church.
When the basics of the Christian life are as natural as breathing, then that person has a foundation to build upon. God then begins to bring events and individuals into his life to help perfect him. We enjoy the good while we endure the bad, but both help mature the child of God.
The Bible gives us the parameters. The Bible gives us the “thou shalt not’s.” The Bible gives us “commandments.” When the child of God has put together the basics of the Christian life, the “don’ts” and the “do’s” of the Christian life, then it becomes necessary to gain from the experience of those who have lived longer to fill in the empty spaces of life.
Dr. Jack Hyles explained to me about his methods of counseling, and I was awed by what I heard. One of the things he taught me can be summed up in one word, “odds.” Brother Hyles used “odds” to help him counsel matters that were not covered in the Bible. In keeping track of his counseling for forty plus years, he discovered some things that turned out disastrously, along with some exceptions. He then developed odds. In so doing, he could pretty much tell anyone on any given subject what the odds were of it working out for them. I have been in the ministry for thirty-seven years. That one thing has helped me more than any other single piece of advice I have received through the years. I allowed Dr. Hyles’ twenty plus years’ advantage on my ministry to be the veto on major decisions in my ministry. I am so glad I did. It has helped our ministry immensely. His experience in the ministry is gold and silver to me.
The purpose of this book is to give some thoughts about the ministry and life in general that could be used to help someone grow to a higher level of walk with God and develop “odds” based on experience. Maybe a pastor, a staff person, or a layman may glean just one thought to help him cope, capture, and capitalize on life’s defeats or victories through the experiences of others.
Acknowledgement
I want to thank my dear wife of almost four decades. Your love and support have allowed the blessings of God to come not only on our family, but also on our ministry. Lee Ann, I realize you did not marry a pastor; you married an accountant. Yet your flexibility has allowed both of us to adjust successfully. Our four children and ten grandchildren all owe you a debt. Thank you for your faithfulness in spite of ill health.
I want to thank my dear mother, who as of this writing just turned ninety-seven. Mama, I owe you a debt I will never be able to repay. I promise you I will not let the wonderful truths you instilled in my life die. I love you!
I want to thank my children for their love and loyalty to our Saviour Jesus Christ. Kim, Bob, Karen, and Scott, you have displayed wonderful grace and courage in light of being in the spotlight. Sometimes it was good, and sometimes it was not so good, but you have never wavered in your love for your families and for the souls of men.
I want to thank the dear members of the Longview Baptist Temple for their love and loyalty throughout this almost a third of a century. You stayed by me as your pastor in the good days and the bad days. I will forever be grateful.
I want to thank the dear staff at LBT. You have been so faithful in your labors for the souls of men and I owe you a debt of gratitude.
I want to thank Mrs. Connie Vazquez for the many hours of labor over this manuscript. You have provided encouragement and an expertise that has proven to be invaluable not only to this book, but also to THE BAPTIST MAGAZINE as well.
I would be amiss if I did not give acknowledgement to one of the hardest working staff ladies I have ever met in my life. Mrs. Diana Ayres has been a faithful and loyal staff member for almost two and one half decades. Your fiscal integrity and work ethic is unsurpassed. You and your dear husband have been a superb example of the old work ethic that built America.
Then may I say a special thanks to my Saviour. Anything that anyone in the family of God accomplishes in life is because of the mercy and grace of our Saviour.
Revelation 21:5 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
When it comes to salvation, I want a child to have an adult like experience; yet God wants an adult to have a childlike experience. Faith is more natural for a child than an adult. Faith is so simple, yet we tend to complicate it; the result is that more people will die and spend an eternity in Hell because of our fear of the simplicity of the Gospel. More people will be in Hell because we have made salvation hard rather than because we have made it too simple. Man wants to make salvation profound! The truth is, though, if you simply and sincerely ask Christ to save you, He will save you from the penalty of sin through His applied shed blood. You may kneel at the altar and simply ask Christ to forgive you and be your payment for your sins, and He will respond.
The simplicity of listening to the verses of a soul-winning presentation and then praying and asking Christ to save you from Hell seems too easy to the average man. Man wants to add something to it— shouting, weeping, speaking in an unknown tongue, being slain in the spirit, or other emotional expressions. Like Namaan the leper, we want to go to the Rivers of Pharpar and Abana because they are prettier rivers than the Jordan River. Namaan did not like the fact that God told Elisha to tell Namaan to dip seven times in the muddy Jordan River. It just seemed too easy for Namaan. He questioned, “Could it be that I could be healed in the Jordan River just by dipping in it?” It seemed too easy and humbling to him. We question, “You mean all I have to do is call on Christ, and He will save me from Hell?”
Only one time in the Bible, in Acts 16:30 is the question asked, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
It all sounds so simple, yet some marvelous things are going on inside you. The very minute you received Christ, the Holy Spirit of God moved into your body to live. Most people are unaware of the many things that happen in that instant.
A New Birth
John 3:3, 5, 7 state, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. . . Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
According to these verses, a new birth takes place inside everyone who trusts Christ for salvation. Jesus said, “Ye must be born again,” and that is exactly what happens to the one who asks Christ to become his payment for sin. The new birth occurs when you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Immediately the Holy Spirit moves into your body. You do not swap the old nature for the new nature. You add the new nature to the old nature. The old person is still there. However, when you trust Jesus, you do receive a new birth.
Some people ask, “Will I feel anything?” It does not matter! “Will I tingle?” It does not matter! The fact is that we are all sinners. The fact is that the Gospel is Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The fact is that anyone who will receive Christ as payment for his or her sins will be spared death in Hell, regardless of his or her emotional reaction.
A New Creature
II Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This verse teaches that, not only do we experience a new birth on the inside, but we also have a new creature living on the inside. Within each believer lives two people—the old man and the new man. You do not swap the new nature for the old nature; instead, you add the new nature to the old nature. The old man is still there and has been there longer.
Within a short time of your salvation, you probably noticed a battle going on inside you. The new nature says on Sunday morning, “We ought to go to church”; but the old nature, which has been there longer, says “We never go to church.” The new nature says, “I want to go,” but the old nature says, “I don’t want to go.” The old nature says, “Read Playboy Magazine,” while the new nature says, “Read the Bible.” Within the same body, you have a new nature and an old nature struggling with each other.
A New Name
Isaiah 62:2 says, “…and thou shalt be called by a new name. . . .” What is your new name? I do not know, but you do have a new name. When I was saved in 1957, I did not see angels, Heaven, or Jesus. As an eleven-year-old boy, I simply knelt by my bed in my bedroom and asked Jesus Christ to be my Saviour, and He saved my soul from the damnation of Hell. I received a new birth, a new creature, and a new name.
He writes your name down in Heaven at the moment of your salvation. You were dead in God’s sight, but now you are alive, and you are a new child of God. Therefore, your Heavenly Father writes down your new name. A baby has no past! All he has is a beginning. When you were saved, you were born again with no past, and you were given a new beginning.
In Luke 10:17, the disciples were rejoicing because the devils were subject to them. In verse 20, Jesus responded by saying, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”
A New Spirit
Ezekiel 11:19 says, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh.”
Ephesians 2:1, 2 says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” According to these verses, a lost man’s spirit is dead in the sight of God.
Matthew 10:28 says, “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.” According to this, people who go to Hell have a body and soul but no spirit.
You can work on the flesh—quit smoking and cursing, start exercising—and still die and go to Hell. You can work on your soul—be nice, courteous, friendly, and kind—without salvation. There is no salvation until there is a new spirit within a man. When a person trusts Jesus for salvation, the Holy Spirit brings to life that person’s spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can bring to life the dead spirit of a man. Many marvelous things happen at salvation: a new birth, a new creature, a new name, and a new spirit.
A New Heart
Ezekiel 18:31 tells us that the saved are given a new heart. “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit. . . .”
When you get saved, you begin to love things you did not love before. You start to love God’s house, God’s Word, God’s man, God’s people, and other Godly things. You start having a different kind of fun. A new heart is a new emotion! Every time you go places the old man wants to go, you will feel guilty because of the new man’s new heart.
A New Man
Ephesians 4:24 says, ”And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The wife has a new husband; the children have a new dad; the parents have a new son; the sister has a new brother; the husband has a new wife; the brothers have a new sister; the parent has new children, etc.
A New and Living Way
Hebrews 10:20 says, “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;” Apparently, the other way must be an old and dead way. That is exactly what Paul meant when he said in I Timothy 5:6, “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” The liquor way is a dead way; the so-called Gentleman’s Club is a dead way; the tavern way is a dead way; and the strip club way is a dead way.
Most believers are unaware of the many things that occurred when a person simply prays and asks Jesus to be his Saviour. Man wants to complicate God’s simple plan of salvation, and that is dangerous for the souls of men. JUST A THOUGHT!
How Shall They Hear Without a Preacher?
Romans 10:14, “How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”
In this wild, weird, and wicked time we live in, the work of the preacher is being rethought, revamped, and re-examined. Some think the preacher should just be an equipper of the laymen for their ministries. He has been pushed from the center of the platform to the wing in favor of celebrated experts and entertainers. However, the Bible still says, “…how shall they hear without a preacher?”
What kind of preaching do we need in this twenty-first century? Do we need seminars for the construction of the worship hour? Do we need worship services instead of preaching services? Do we need lectures? Do we need low-key speeches? Should we enter the Warren Wiersbe sound-alike contest, the John McCarthur talk-alike contest, the church Swindoll teach-alike contest, the Rick Warren look-alike contest; or the Joel Olsten smiling contest? What kind of preaching do we need for this twenty-first century? Ladies and gentlemen, we need the same kind we have always needed. Nothing important has changed!
Just because we have split the atom and sent a man to the moon, that does not mean we need a new kind of Christianity. We have a new kind of preacher in some quarters, but we do not need him. What we need is…
Apostolic Preaching
Of course, none of the original apostles are alive today, but an apostle is one sent, and a preacher is also a man sent from God. The apostles studied at the feet of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 11:29, our Lord said, “learn of me,” and that means studying in the school of Jesus Christ Himself. It is possible to graduate from college with magna cum laude honors, yet still be in the first grade in the school of Jesus Christ. This man of God is a sent man, a soul-winning man, a separated man, a Spirit-filled man, and a doctrinally sound man. What we need is…
Anointed Preaching
We need preaching that is divinely appointed and divinely anointed. We have a new Madison Avenue school of the prophets complete with degrees, personality, travel experience, sophisticated methods, up-to-date communication skills, and a public relations manual; but how many preachers are God-appointed and God-anointed?
In Exodus 30:32-33, instructions are given concerning anointing oil for the priests. “Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured…. Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.”
One of our problems today is that we are running a society to improve the old Adam. An unsanctified flesh that has never died to sin and risen to walk in newness of life is running down church aisles to re-dedicate, and God would not use it if it were re-dedicated a thousand times.
Not many wise, mighty, or noble have been called. Why? “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (I Corinthians 1:29). I wonder how long it is going to take us to learn that they who are controlled by the flesh cannot please God. The unction, the anointing oil, is not sold over any counter. In Acts 8, we read that Simon attempted to buy it, but it was not for sale. It is not compounded by any apothecary; it is not put together by chemistry.
A preacher may be wrapped in the robes of learning, his study walls may be decorated with diplomas, his home may be filled with travel souvenirs from many lands, he may wear all the trappings of ecclesiastical prestige and pageantry; but he cannot function without unction. John Wesley demonstrated this truth a long time ago. He began his ministry equipped with formidable qualifications. No man was ever better prepared but less ready to preach. Many a pre-Alders Gate Wesley today starts out to convert the lost without ever having been converted himself.
When I speak of being anointed by the Holy Spirit, I am not advocating weird hallucinations that pretend to be the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit becomes the figurehead in any movement, that movement becomes eccentric because the business of the Holy Spirit is to magnify Jesus Christ!
There must be a divine anointing; and when God calls a man to apostolic preaching, that man must be in the appointed place for His anointing. This is what happened in Mathew 28:16, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.” The appointing and anointing are God’s business.
Were you at your appointed place last week? Were you in your appointed place at the appointed Sunday school time, Sunday morning preaching, Sunday night preaching, Wednesday night Bible study, Thursday night soul winning, or the Saturday bus meeting? Were you at the Teachers and Workers’ meeting at its appointed time? Were you at your prayer closet at the appointed time? Were you at your appointed Bible study time? How about your appointed quiet time? No appointment…no anointment!
All God asks of the candidate is consent and cooperation. That does not mean that everyone who is appointed and anointed will become a well-known preacher, but he will be qualified for the task set before him by God. What we need is…
Authoritative Preaching
Our Lord taught us with authority, not as scribes taught. Far too much of our preaching today sounds like the scribes’ teaching, and it is not anointed preaching! There is no king in Israel, and every man does what is right in his own eyes. Authority goes out and anarchy comes in.
Jesus met the devil, not in His name, nor in His power, but with the Scriptures. “It is written…it is written…it is written…” If Jesus could defeat the devil with three verses out of Deuteronomy, we ought to be able to do it with the whole Bible. This is the Word of God…period! This can be preached with authority! The scribes do not know what book to call the Bible, but we do!
Do not be ashamed of the old-time religion. There is nothing newer! We have the NEW Testament about a NEW and living way. We are NEW creatures with a NEW man and a NEW song, walking in NEWNESS of life, living a NEW commandment, headed for NEW earth and a NEW Jerusalem. Almost the last word of the New Testament found in Revelation 21:5 says, “Behold, I make all things NEW…” No wonder the Gospel is good news—old time, new time, any time, and all the time. God is not running a spiritual antique shop.
Titus 2:15 says, “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” However, you cannot preach it as it is if you do not believe it as it was! If you do not believe that the Scriptures are God breathed, that Jesus Christ was virgin born, He died for our sins, He rose bodily from the grave, and He is coming again, you cannot preach it as it is! You cannot preach “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today…,” if you do not believe what He was yesterday. For what He was, He is!