July, 2005

GOLIATH, there in the Valley of Elah is a young man named David. He has your name and is coming after you. Goliath laughed but his laughter was short lived. Now we see Goliath lying out there—DEAD. In a few lines I will tell you why I used this illustration

In Acts 26:24, Festus said to Paul, ‘Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth made thee mad.’ The Greek says, ‘Thou ravest, Paul, the many letters turns thee to madness.’ I am going to take this out of context to use it as an illustration.

Recently the American Psychiatric Association had their 158th annual convention in Atlanta. They voted to support marriage for same-sex couples. They approved a proclamation to support legalizing such marriage. The advisory group made up of 250 representatives from each state and region.

A CLEAR MAJORITY SAID YES TO SUPPORTING GAY MARRIAGE. The APA is the first medical organization to endorse same-sex marriage.

Here we have the GOLIATH of the Medical profession taking on The Bible and its Author, THE HOLY SPIRIT and GOD. They are the Doctors, the PH.D’s who know everything and they seem to think they know more about what is good for man than THE ONE WHO CREATED MAN. God created man and He said this is what man needs—ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN, united in Marriage for a life- time. This same-sex idea is contrary to the Bible. The Bible tells us that it is a dirty and terrible sin. It is filthy, unnatural, and God defying.

GOLIATH (the) PSYCHIATRIST there is a David coming. His Name is Jesus Christ. You may be a Doctor with a bit of knowledge, but He is the Lord of Lords, King of Kings—He is God, not you, Sir. When you are gone HIS BOOK WILL STILL BE HERE. You will not be remembered in eternity. Who are you to ignore, try to change what God has said, and belittle the Bible and everything that God stands for.

Festus said to Paul, ‘Much learning hast made thee mad.’ This could be said about the medical group who said they know more than God, The Bible, and the Old-fashioned, God-called, Spirit-filled, Bible believing preacher. He is the one we had better listen to.

Somewhere there is a meeting–face to face with God That Judgment will not be based on what the APA said, rather what is written in God’s Word. The Bible rejecters will hear, ‘Depart from me,’ and the people they deceived will hear the same.

DOES NOT GOD GIVE US A STRIKING ILLUSTRATION as He tells us of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis, chapter 19? Homosexuals and lesbians caused the prosperous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to be burned. God does not change. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

I was asked, ‘Would you not pray for a Homosexual?’ Yes, if they wanted to change their life-style, but they are not wanting to change– they are wanting (and I might add getting) acceptance. God did not accept them and as Bible Believers we cannot condone what God did not condone.

A person may have a PH.D and be accepted as a great one, but, friend, that does not impress our God.

Thank God there are many very fine Christian Doctors who have not sold out to the lie of the Devil. Some of my close friends are good Christian Doctors. I admire these men and women. Some of our M.D. friends will pray with us. Many of them read this bulletin. I am sure that there are some (very few) members of the APA who do not agree the stand taken in Atlanta. I pray that God will help them stay true to their God and The Bible. It seems to me that of all people who should believe in God, The Creator, it is the Doctor as he looks at the human body.

I have read that 95% of all young people after they have finished College or their University training have either had their faith shaken or nearly destroyed. One of earth’s greatest, the Apostle Paul, said in First Corinthians, 1-17, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words less the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness (folly); but unto us which are saved it is the power (Gr. dunamis) of God. (the real meaning is, we were saved, we are being saved, and we shall be saved—redeemed and presented in Heaven. Salvation is an ongoing experience. If He did not keep us, we would never make it. That is why in Heaven we will place any crowns that we have at His feet and sing, ‘All Glory to God. It is only by the grace of God we are saved) 19. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the (prudent—the ones who thought they knew it all) (Paul takes the opportunity of correcting his converts for their undue exaltation of human eloquence and wisdom {Lightfoot). The unsaved are on a path to destruction. Paul believed men were lost and needed Christ. Note the sharp contrast here. The world is on a path to destruction but as believers we are on a path of being saved.

Salvation is described by Paul as a thing done in the past, ‘ye were saved’, (see Greek Text) Romans 8-24, as a present state, ‘ye have been saved’, Eph. 2-5, and as a process, ‘ye are being saved’, I Corinthians 15-2, and as a future result, ‘thou shalt be saved’, Rom. 10-9. The message of the Cross—no other passage has this dynamite message from God. A.T. Robertson says, ‘There is such a thing as the ignorance of the learned, the wisdom of the simple-minded.’

Wana’s father, Rev. C.D. Benton, went home to be with His Lord at age 102. He preached for more than 60 years. He had a third-grade education but in one meeting at Peggs, Oklahoma, he baptized 192 people—on one Sunday.

I am not saying we don’t need education. In 1968 God allowed us (Wana and I) to start a Bible College and Seminary. May 14 of this year we had our 36th annual Graduation service. Dr. Don Richards brought the message. The President of the Antioch Baptist Bible College and Seminary is Ed Kirche, PH.D. This man is one of the finest Bible Scholars that I know. Many of the great preachers of this day and other times were highly educated. The men who gave us the Bible, the ones who translated and worked in the past and are working today are highly educated But if education leads you to think you know more than God and His Word—you have missed the boat.

While I am on this subject, let us take a look at another item. Recently there has been much talk about some of our soldiers who mishandled the Quran, the Islamic holy book. How our leaders have made such a ordeal about the so-called holy book of Islam. Yet in our nation the HOLY BIBLE, GOD’S WORD, is not allowed in our schools. The Ten Commandments cannot be displayed in our Court Houses, and the list goes on and on. Our nation is treating GOD’S HOLY BIBLE with contempt and yet we create such an ordeal about a ‘false so-called’ bible. The bible of the Islamic people is the work of one man, and that man is so questionable. I would rather take our Holy Bible, written by 40 or more men and women over a period of 1500 years as my Guide. Our nation’s laws, for the most part, come from that Holy Bible. The very book that our nation needs is the BIBLE and we outlaw it. No wonder that we have policemen and trained dogs in the halls of our public schools. When a nation leaves God out, that nation will pay the price. Out nation is an armed camp. You can’t get on a plane, go into a courthouse, enter many buildings without being searched and treated like a criminal; We don’t want God, the nation’s courts are anti-God, anti-Bible, and we are paying the price;

As in the case of Goliath—there is a David waiting in the wings. HE IS COMING AGAIN. Many of us believe that Coming (Gr. parousian) is nearer than we think. Some Golden Daybreak Jesus will come. The trumpet will sound. The dead in Christ will be raised and the Christians living will be caught (Gr. harpagesometha , second future passive indicative of harpazo) up together with them in clouds (clouds of believers) to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. First Thessalonians 4:15-17 Goliath is roaring today. The Homosexual and lesbian, those crying for so-called Women’s rights, the abortion crowd, the cloning, the stem-cell group seem to be winning today but thank God when He comes and we are with him…NONE of that will be in our home over there.

I thank God that Wana and I grew up in an old-fashioned, Bible loving and believing home. Friend, this is not egotism, but Wana and I have promised to keep Old-fashion, heart-felt, salvation—Alive!

I don’t go with this so-called ‘contemporary religious style’ that is so prominent today. There is nothing wrong with Bible preaching, praying, seeking God, and holy living. Real worship is not what you see on T.V. People being moved by some man in a white suite, and the music is loud, and a lot of so-called miracles, swinging and swaying people, led by a charismatic personality, who tells you that God spoke to him about this or that—is not true worship.

John 14-26, ‘to pneuma to agion.’ Romans 8-9 ‘pneuma Theou.’ The Greek word ‘pneuma’ is found on page 593 ( # 4151) in W.E. Vine, Merrill R. Unger and William White, editors, ‘An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.’ A study of Greek Words is very interesting.

I am recommending a book that will challenge your heart and life. THE FORBIDDEN ZONE, by Dr. Matthew Skariah. It is a paperback, 202 pages. The price is $10.50, shipping charge, $1.50.. I have known Dr. Skariah for many years. He and his wife, Susie, are two of the godliest Christians I have ever known. I have never known a man who prays as much as he does. He honored me by asking me to write the introduction. The address: World Prayer Band Publishing House, P.O., Box 686, Roswell, NM 88202-0686. Rev. Pete Ruble, Festus, MO. told me that he would stop while reading and pray.

DR. WILLIAM MELLOR, age 98, went home to be with His Lord. Dr. Tolbert Moore, Dr. Harris, and I conducted the funeral. He was a friend of Dr. Brad Davis, Dr Ronnie Healan, and Rev. Pete Ruble, and hundreds of others. He was one of the nation’s greatest preachers. Pray for his lovely wife, Mrs. Edith, age 94. Wana and I sent them a check each month and will continue to send her a check.

Mr. DOUGLAS SAMPLES went home to be with our Lord. Dr. Gary Hedrick, President of The Christian Jew Foundation, and I conducted the funeral. Pray for his lovely wife, FAYE. Doug was Treasurer of The Christian Jew Foundation. Doug and Faye were our very dear friends.

During May, Wana and I heard two ‘great messages.’ Dr. Ken Martin and Dr. Ralph Easterwood preached messages that would compare with ‘Pay Day Some Day,’ or ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.’ Grace Baptist Church, Powder Springs, GA. and Glen Haven Baptist Church, McDonough, GA, two of the most exciting Churches that you will ever visit. Both of these great Churches have been so good to Wana and I. (Neither used an alliterated outline.)

Wana and I thank our friends who support THE WINFREY EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION. Because of your faithful giving we are able to help support 20 missionaries and mission causes. Those we support are reaching so many places on earth: Philippines, Cuba, Mexico, Africa, Haiti, and many other places on earth. Dr. Matthew Skariah had a series of meeting in Nigeria, more than 2500 people accepted Jesus Christ. Your gifts are tax deductible. Miss Sandy Edwards, President of the Carver Tax and Accounting, Inc. takes care of our records. Sandy has done so much for us. If you choose to send a check—make it payable to ‘WEA.’

We help some widows who lost their preacher husbands. We help one widow with two children; guerrilla forces killed her husband. We send a check each month to Penfield Christian Home. They are reaching alcoholics and addicts. They are reaching people every month. The GPA has missionaries across the world. Macedonia World Baptist Missions has over 200 missionaries. The Piet family in the Philippines, husband and wife and 4 children, sold their home and all they owned to go to the Mission field. The World Dental Relief, under the direction of Dr. Ron Lamb (a Dentist), is reaching most of the nations of the world. I have known Ron since a young boy. He is a great Dentist, a godly husband and father, and one of the greatest soul-winners you ever met. He takes hundreds of Medical Doctors, Nurses, and other health professionals, to all parts of the world. They help Missionaries across the world and take medicine to thousands. It is a joy to send a check each month to Intercession For Israel. Dr. George and Mrs. Sally Lauderdale do work across the world, especially in Israel. You meet very few people like George and Sally. Only eternity will reveal what they have done. Rev. Tom Hicks is establishing an A&O AIR RESCUE mission in Mexico. I have never seen a young man do as much as quickly as Tom. The list goes on and on—all because of those who support the WEA.

Wana is 80 and I am 82 and there is much we would like to do but are unable. Because of your gifts we are able to help others do what we cannot do. Thank you for allowing us to do this. We pray God will bless you for your effort.

We are able to visit many that are sick or in need. I get to go to prisons and minister. We sent out hundreds of letters and e-mails. We are on the road so much preaching across the eastern half of our nation. We drive thousands of miles each year. We could not do this without your help.

SOME SEEDS take longer to grow than others. Dr. Don and Mrs. Kathryn Richards just moved. He told the story of a neighbor that wept as they moved. The person said, ‘I will visit your Church.’ Don did know what an influence he had on that neighbor. I was drafted in 1942. I went to Ft. Still and on to Camp Houze, Texas where I met Master Sgt. Robert C. Norman. He needed some help in the office. I offered my help. He took a deep interest in me. He was an old army man. He would curse, drink, and do or say about anything. Soon I was Supply Sgt. of the 86th Reconnaissance Troop. We spent a lot of time together. While in Europe I helped him in so many ways. He would hide his whiskey under my bunk. They never inspected my bunk. He hid his drinks in my bedroll, I did not know it, and threw our bed rolls down and broke his bottles of whiskey. He ‘cussed’, not just swearing, but real ‘cussing.’ At times he would be so drunk that I would cover for him and made decisions that not many in the troop knew. I liked him and prayed for him and he knew it. In spite of his drinking and ‘cussing’ and ‘chewing me out’, I never crossed him. He knew I prayed for him. He left us after the war was over in Germany. Some five or six years later I received a call from Nashville, TN. The voice on the other phone said, “Preach, this is Sgt. Norman.’ My reply, ‘Sgt. it is so good to hear from you, how are you?’ His answer, “Preach I have been saved and I had to call you and let you know that your life was such a blessing to me. I ‘cussed’ you, said things I should not have said, hid my whiskey in and under you bunk and you were always a Christian man. You never were hateful to me. I don’t see how you stood me or would even talk to me now. Preach I am saved and the first thing I wanted to and had to do was call you. I told my wife, ‘I must call Preach.’” What a visit by phone. I have never seen Sgt. Norman since I left the army, but I sure will look for him when we all get to heaven.

I could give you other experiences just like the one above. LIVE FOR GOD—it will pay off.