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Becoming all things to all men
that I might by all means save some!
Adam Shook
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul writes a profound passage that is important to our outlook on evangelism. Unfortunately, this passage has been abused in order to grant people a liberty they do not actually have. This is predominantly seen among the seeker-friendly church movement to justify becoming like the world to win the world. It’s clearly illustrated in the area of music. We now have Christian Rock, Rap, Pop, etc. While there are a few bands that have put out some biblical lyrics that you can understand, many of them sound so much like the world you can only occasionally catch the word Jesus or God now and then. For the most part the song is vague about its purpose and the words could easily apply to your girlfriend or something else about life. I use to listen to this stuff. One album I had I never could tell what they were saying; I had to read the inside cover for the lyrics. Even while examining the lyrics in front of me I couldn’t understand what the songs had to do with God. I also had an unsaved friend who had no regard for God and he could listen to Christian rock on the radio too. He also listened to rock bands that served Satan and commented to me that they sound the same. Well, that was their purpose, to reach those who ordinarily would go to church. It worked, he listen to the music, but never learned thing about God. The church has made a Christian counter part to everything the world puts out, and is on the tails of the world trying to copy them in everything they do. In their effort to stay relevant in a changing world they have lost sight of the real gospel and become irrelevant.
The church forgets several very important things when they use this passage to try and justify their actions. Foremost, the Bible makes it clear we are to win the person to Christ not win Christ to them. Meaning the person’s unconverted lifestyle should change to that of a Christian. Instead, the church has changed the Christian lifestyle to that of the unconverted. I had wonderful opportunity to witness to a former boss, who wrestled with the Christian concept of salvation by faith. In the conversation he mentioned, “I don’t even have to change my life, just simply believe and accept Jesus”. I said, ”Oh really” and we talked about repentance and what it really meant to follow Jesus. He thanked me and said it was the best conversation he’s had with a Christian about God. He wasn’t a big church go-er, only the holiday type, but this is the message he had gotten from today’s church and his other professing Christian friends he was around. Pray for John, he is still not saved and did not want to give up his pride.
“Now what is it to believe in Christ, to accept Christ? Well, let me give it to you. It is the foraminate attachment to the person of Christ that is revolutionary that reverses the life that transforms the life and completely changes the whole character. Brother and sister that’s not the way we’re doing it these days. We’re doing it these days, we’re running around telling everybody accept Jesus and keep on living the way you’ve been living. And it’s deadly as Sinai. No, no, no, the prodigal son had to leave that dirty smelly mess and come home and get cleaned up, and so does every sinner. Except a man repent he shall surly perish. Now Jesus Christ was very clear about it all. Clear as daylight. With Jesus Christ there were never any shadows, never any wavy lines that you didn’t know where you were. Never any shadows. Everything was either black as night or clear as white. It was an either or with Jesus, you’re either saved or lost, you’re on the road to heaven or you’re on the road to hell. You are God’s child or you’re not. You repented or you haven’t. You’re forgiven or you aren’t. Always there was a clear line of demarcation. But it’s the desire to make converts that let the Bride down. It’s the desire to build up a bigger church and get a bigger crowd that let the Bride down. People can get in now; almost anybody can get into heaven.” [A. W. Towzer]
By choosing the worldly method of entertainment to attract sinners to the congregation, churches have had a huge success and are able to build huge mega churches. Missionaries from China came to America and said, It’s amazing the great thing the Americans can accomplish without God. And it really is, just follow Rick Warren’s purpose driven church book to a “t” and you’ll have your self a big congregation in no time.
“We’re in grave danger when we let our accomplishments be grounds for our confidence.” [Leonard Ravenhill]
However, in all their efforts they have only brought people into the church and have not brought them to the Lord Jesus. In order to use worldly methods to attract people you must present another gospel. The real gospel is at enmity with the world and calls for repentance and a complete change of life. The gospel does not entice people to Christ through their lusts of the flesh, it require the crucifixion of it. Jesus said:
Luke 9:23-24
23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
This statement is more than believe and accept Jesus. This verse says to follow Jesus you must become His slave and make Him your Lord over your life. Without Lordship there is no salvation and you will utterly perish.
“After God had killed me, He came and resurrected me. The cross that slew Him slays me. The cross which He was raised up I’m raised up. Then this means His life is my life, I accept His life as my life. That’s resurrection. Don’t you think it over about yourself? Are you sure that when you accepted Christ anything really happened, that you really got in. You say I feel good. Yes, Yes. They feel good when they’re be-bopping down here at the hottest nightspot in Pittsburg. You can work yourself up into a wonderful time; a lot religious people have a wonderful time. It’s just psychic, it’s flesh it isn’t spiritual. When you accepted Christ did you accept His friends forever as your friend, His enemies forever as your enemies, His ways as your ways, His rejection as your rejection, His cross as your cross, His life as your life, His future as your future? Well, if you didn’t, I don’t think you’re saved at all, you’ve been diluted, deceived. God almighty help us. Moral sanity requires we settle this first, don’t take it for granted, but make your calling and election sure.”
It is the foraminate attachment to the person of Christ that is not only revolutionary, but complete, and it leaves no part of the life unaffected. Jesus Christ doesn’t save people by chucks. You can’t save a man from Hell in pieces anymore than you can pull a man out of the sea in pieces. If a man is perishing drowning in the sea, you don’t pull him out in chucks you pull the whole man out in one whole piece. So Jesus Christ saves the whole man, the whole personality, all the man. And when I accept Christ truly, I have a foraminate attachment to Christ that is so complete that it leaves no part of my life unaffected. It exempts no area of my total being from His control. And is not only revolutionary and complete, but it’s exclusive. Christ is not one in several interests; Christ is the supreme interest. And every other interest has it owning and takes its significance only from the fact that I had settled that supreme interest. A really saved man has found Jesus Christ as his supreme interest in his life. Now let me say here that I got a nasty letter one time from fellow for saying this in print. I picked it up and I wrote back and told him that he was a nice fellow to write me the article. But I don’t believe in savior hood without Lordship. This is a modern heresy. That Jesus can save you by pieces and you can accept Him in pieces. You can talk about your delayed payment, you can buy automobiles and CD’s that way, but you can’t get saved that way. Nobody was ever saved yet, whom deliberately said, I will take Christ as my savior and latter I will figure out whether I want Him as my Lord. Jesus Christ is savior and Lord, and the Bible says we are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, not on the savior, but on the Lord Jesus Christ. And apart from the Lordship of Christ there is no savior hood.” [A. W. Towzer]
This other gospel is the backbone that all other misconceptions about how to follow 1 Corinthians 9 lie upon. Today’s evangelism has brought people to try and relate to others on a secular level. They make the world’s hobbies their hobbies, the world’s interests their interests, the world’s music their music, the world’s games their games, and the world’s entertainment their entertainment. This way they can now relate together and have some kind of common interest to talk over. Somewhere along the line they hope to invite the poor lost sinner to church and get them plugged in so someone can lead them in sinner’s prayer. This type of appeal by secular entertainment is no more than an appeal to idols.
“Anything you love more than Jesus Christ is and idol, I don’t care what it is.” [Leonard Ravenhill]
America worships idols! They have entertainment, music, movies, sports, etc. as idols. What the church has done is brought the idols of the world into the church. They have super bowl parties, movie nights, outdoors adventures and fun activates as their evangelism programs and times for people to bond into community. Instead of sending the missionaries out into the world they attract the world to them. In effort to become like all men they have become idolaters with them. They attract people with how much fun they have and say look you need to accept Jesus too. No, no, no, the Lord Jesus turned away the rich you ruler when he wouldn’t forsake his idols.
“We cry out you know, “Come to Christ and all will be well.” “Come to Christ and everything will go well.” That’s a Lie! No wonder they run away faster than they come these days, when they find you’ve lied. “Come to Christ and you’ll prosper”. Can you believe it? Where do you see that brother? Give me one verse I’ll give you twenty for every verse you give to explain how you’ve taken the wrong context. You don’t come to Christ to prosper, no wonder they come to Christ. Who wouldn’t? You don’t come to Christ for prosperity and finances. You come to Christ for mercy and brokenness no matter what God does there after. You just want eternal life and want forgiveness, “there’s no conditions attached”, don’t put things out that aren’t true! Coming to Christ doesn’t make you prosper, that’s a lie form the devil! He does prosper in times, but watch Job how fast he can take it away. Where’s your theologian then? Accusing you of sin, that’s the only reason the theologians of Job standing around him, no mercy, just couldn’t be anything else but sin that God doesn’t prosper you, you know. What trash, what trash we preach today. Stop it! Stop it preacher! No wonder so many millions are bitter against God and against the church, we’re lying! “ [Keith Daniel]
Not too long ago I was disputing with some men in my former church revealing to them the heretical nature of the popular book “Wild at Heart”. <Click Here for Expose' on Wild at Heart>. One gentleman persuaded that he could see why the elders would endorse such a book because they live a “wild -adventures” lifestyle and how people would be attracted to that and in return it would attract them to Christ. However, this is a false and unbiblical motive to come to Christ!
“Would I be out of line if I were to talk to you for a little while about utilitarian religion and expedient Christianity? And the question you’re going to ask yourself is, “is God an end or is He a means”. And you have to decide for yourself very yearly in your Christian life whether you’re viewing God as an end or a means. The philosophy of the day became Humanism and you can define Humanism this way: Humanism is a philosophical statement that declares the end of all being is the happiness of man; the reason for existence is man’s happiness. Now according to humanism salvation is simply a matter getting all the happiness out of life. This group of fundamentalist would say, we believe in the inspiration of the Bible, we believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, we believe in Hell, we believe in heaven, we believe in the death burial and resurrection of Christ. Remember, the atmosphere is that of humanism and humanism says the chief end of being is the happiness of man. So it wasn’t long that we had this and the fundamentalist knew each other because they said we believe these things. They were men for the most part that had met God. But, you see it wasn’t long until they said, these are the things that establish us as fundamentalism and the second generation said this is how you become a fundamentalist, believe in the inspiration of the Bible, believe in the deity of Christ, believe in the death burial and resurrection and thereby become a fundamentalist. And so it wasn’t long until it got to our generation that the whole plan of salvation was to give intellectual accent to a few statements of doctrine. And someone was considered a Christian because he could say “uuhu” at four or five places he was ask to. And if he knew where to say “uuhu” someone would pat him on the back, shake his hand, smile broadly, and say brother you’re saved. And so it had gotten down to where salvation was nothing more than a central scheme or a formula and the end of this salvation was the happiness of man, because humanism has penetrated. And so if you were to analysis the fundamentalism in contrast to liberalism of a hundred year ago as it’s developed it would be like this: The liberal says the end of religion is to make man happy while he’s alive. The fundamentalist says the end of religion is to make man happy when he dies. Then we find something like this, accept Jesus so you can go to heaven, you don’t want to go to that old fifthly nasty burning hell when there’s a beautiful heaven up there, now come to Jesus so you can go to heaven. The appeal could be as much to selfishness as a couple of men sitting in a coffee shop deciding to go rob a bank to get something for nothing. What is it? In essence it’s this, that this philosophical postulate that the end of all being is the happiness of man has been sort of trumped over with evangelical terms and biblical doctrine until God raised heaven for the happiness of man, Jesus Christ was incarnate for the happiness of man, all the angels exist everything is for the happiness of man and I submit to you this is unchristian! Christianity says: the end of all being is the glory of God. Humanism says: the end of all being is the happiness of man. This is the betrayal of the ages and it’s the betrayal in which we live!” [Paris Reidhead]
Luke 14:26
26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
The seeker friendly church has appealed to the life of self as much as the devil himself makes an appeal to the covetousness of the wicked flesh, and it is another Jesus and another Gospel! And they have forgotten the call of repentance, and forgotten the cross that we are to carry. They cried out how God will help them, how he can give them peace, how he has a wonderful plan for their life, and they taken the person to the cross but they don’t get them on the cross.
“Why should a person come to the cross, why should a person embrace death with Christ? Why should a person be willing to go in identification down to the cross? I’ll tell you why. Because it’s the only way God can get glory out of a human being!” [Paris Reidhead]
1 Timothy 1:17
17Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Until you are given a divine revelation of the Holiness and Glory of God you can never exercise biblical repentance!
2 Corinthians 7:10
10For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
“I’ve talked to people that have no assurance of sin forgive. They want to feel saved before they actually commit themselves to Christ. But I believe the only ones God actually witness to by His Spirit that are born of Him are the people whether they say it or not they come to Jesus Christ and say something like this: Lord Jesus I’m going to obey You, and love You, and serve You, and do what You want me to do as long as I live even if I go to Hell at the end of the road simply because You are worth to be loved and obeyed and served, and I’m not trying to make a deal with You” [Paris Reidhead]
“If I were to ask you tonight are you saved, would you say, “yes I’m saved”? When? “Oh so and so a time.” What are you saved from? Hell? Are you saved from bitterness? Are you saved from lust? Are you saved from cheating? Are you saved from lying? Are you saved from bad manners? Are you saved from rebellion against your parents? Come on, what are you saved from?” [Leonard Ravenhill]
Have you been saved from a life of self? Have you been saved form being Lord over your own life?
“To be part of the Bride you have to be divorced from everything that is in the world.” [Leonard Ravenhill]
James 4:4-5
4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
In light of this, how did Paul mean he became all things to all men, and how has the church abused Paul’s statement? Look at verse 19 again:
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
The seeker friendly church has a strange conception of a servant. However, instead of spending money on stage lights, fancy props for skits, and entertainment, perhaps it should have invested in paying people’s bills, fixing their cars, feeding the hunger, strengthening the hands of the needy, providing medical needs, and using our time for prayer other than play. How does entertainment and fancy buildings really serve people? Entertainment does not reflect the glory of Christ but servant hood does.
Matthew 20:27-28
27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
In becoming a servant to those without Christ Paul said something else, let’s recall verse 21:
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
21To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
I’d like you to make special note of the parentheses. The church has taken this too lightly. People have followed after the lost in becoming like them far beyond where they should have. Becoming all things to all men does not mean we follow them into sin! While claiming to reach the lost as justification, professing Christians have embraced the worlds idols. They have also partaken in sinful activities such as Yoga and other sinful entertainment. They have not set themselves apart to God.
“You know if we can’t live as a different bread of people on this earth we have no right to live here. We shouldn’t be affected by changing customs or changing styles, or changing opinions or whether the stock market goes up and down. We ought to live everyday as though we’ve come out of another world into this world with the power of that world upon us. To live and speak and move and have our being in Jesus Christ.” [Leonard Ravenhill]
“Written across your life, if you’re going to truly ask God to save you, written across your life from this moment to the day you die, if you’re truly going to get saved will be written by God these words for the whole world to see, “Finished with the world - Finished with the world”. By the way you dress, by the way you speak, by the company you keep, by the places you choose to go to, written across your life by the places you go everyone will see “Finished with the world - Finished with the world”. Otherwise, you’re wasting my time, you’re wasting your time, you’re wasting God’s time to come here saying you want to be become a child of God. Count the cost! I won’t be guilty of praying with a man and letting him walk out this door with a testimony when all he has is a testimony but he goes to the same places the world goes. I won’t be guilt of letting a man have a testimony when he thinks he can go where the world goes and dress like the world and be like the world. No, you’re in the world but you’re not of the world when you come to God. When you come to God written across your life will be these words and every single person that ever knows you will see these words written across your life, otherwise your lying when you say your saved. You’re lying! Now go and count the cost.” [Keith Daniel]
Hebrews 11:13
13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
A former pastor of mine would say, “if putting a stud through my nose and piercing my nipple helped bring people to God I would do it.” [Paraphrase]. In effect the seeker-friendly churches have rewritten Corinthians to say:
“And to the drunk I had a drink that I might gain the drunk. To the partier, I threw a party that I might gain the partier. To the slothful I became an entertainer that I might win the slothful. I made all of it fun for all men that I might by any means save some.” [Heresy]
While I don’t think anyone in the seeker-friendly movement would verbally agree with this, their actions speak louder than words.
“How is it that the world couldn’t get along with the holiest man that ever lived, but it can get along with you can me? Are we compromised? Are we no spiritual stature? Are we no righteousness that reflects on their corruption?” [Leonard Ravenhill]
John 7:7
7The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
John 15:19
19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
If you come to Christ as a lost sinner because of fun and excitement you’ve been diluted, you’ve been tricked, and you’ve been lied to about the character of God. God doesn’t look upon the sinner until he’s been broken of sin and fears God.
Psalm 85:9
9Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Isaiah 66:2
…but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Matthew 5:3-4
3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
James 4:9-10
9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
In the parable sewer, it says those who received God with joy are those that fell away. It says same thing for those who still care about the things of this world.
Matthew 13:20-22
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
This other gospel presented today is a complete and utter denial of the Lordship of Christ! Because of the acceptance of another gospel the seeker friendly church has embraced 1 Corinthians 9 to become like to world.
So what else does becoming all things to all men mean? Mostly, it is taking away anything that could be of offense. Do not provoke people to anger or give them any cause to find fault in you.
“You have not been given the right to offend when you got saved, because people are going to hell. You have no right to offend. And if you do offend, it has to be only people who are so evil they will be offended by anybody righteous. But, you’ve been given the right to become a gentleman sir; for the first time, a real gentleman. Christians are gentleman, Christians are gentlewomen. No offense is required. You have no right to offend. You’ve been given common sense by God quickened by the Holy Ghost. And I’ve learned by gracious godly people that the more of a gentleman you are the more you are Christ-like.” [Keith Daniel]
It was said that when Paul saw a Jew coming he would hide his ham sandwich behind his back. In other words he would not do anything the Jews saw as ungodly in their presence. A specific example of this is in the Acts chapter 15, where Paul is irate that the church does not burden the Gentiles with the practice of circumcision. However, in the very next chapter Paul circumcises Timothy.
Acts 16
1Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 2Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 3Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
Why? Paul didn’t want to cause any dissention between him and his fellow brethren. Paul knew we are not justified by circumcision of the flesh; he didn’t have to do this. But he avoided the conflict. Don’t give anyone any reason to bring accusation against you. Paul gives another example of this to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 9:9-12
9For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:9
9And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
Paul had the right to take his material needs from the Corinthians, but chose not to do so. He did not want to burden others with his presence but serve them, lest at anytime anybody accuse him of seeking his own gain. He did not want his burden upon someone in case it may hinder the gospel.
Looking back on my life I really had a bad attitude about this outlook. A clear example was the way I would dress. I like to dress real casual everywhere I go, even on fancy occasions. Growing up we would have an occasion where my parents would ask me to dress up. I would whine, fuss, and argue. They would be embarrassed at times and I really frustrated them. Later in life my grandmother died and at her funeral I wore sneakers. My mother was appalled, and there was a dissention between us. A funeral was a time to dress up and sneakers were simply unacceptable. While I couldn’t get over the superficiality in dressing up, it was I who was more of a grief to God than any misconception of outward appearance as being reverence.
It is readily known that when you go oversees you are likely to get a warm welcome by the natives if you can greet them in their own tongue. You do not have to able to speak their language, but to give a simple greeting can totally change the way you are received.
I’d like to close with the following story by Paris Reidheed:
“Now I ask you what is the philosophy of missions? What is the philosophy of evangelism? What is the philosophy of a Christian? If you ask me why I went to Africa, I’ll tell you I went primarily to improve upon the justice of God. I didn’t think it was right for anybody to go to Hell without a chance to be saved. So, I went to give poor sinners a chance to go to heaven. Now I haven’t put it so many words but if you analyze what I just told do you know what it is? It’s humanism; that I was simply using the provision of Jesus Christ as the means to improve upon human conditions of suffering and misery. And when I got to Africa I discovered they weren’t poor ignorant little heathen running around in the woods looking for someone to tell them how to go to heaven. They were monsters of iniquity! They were living in total defiance in far more knowledge of God than I ever dreamed they had. They deserved Hell, because they utterly refused to walk in the light of their conscience, and the light of the law written upon their heart, and the testimony of nature, and the truth they knew! And when I found that out I assure you I was so angry with God that on one occasion in prayer I told Him it was a mighty little thing He’d done in sending me out there to reach these people that were waiting to be told how to go to heaven, but when I got there I found out they knew about heaven but didn’t want to go there. That they loved there sin and wanted to stay in it. I went out there motivated by humanism. I’d seen pictures of lepers, I’d seen pictures of ulcers, I’d seen pictures of native funerals and I didn’t want my fellow human beings to suffer in Hell eternally after have such a miserable existence on earth. But it was there in Africa that God began to tear through the overlay of this humanism. And it was that day in my bedroom with door locked that I wrestled with God. For here was I coming to grips with the fact that the people I thought were ignorant and wanted to know how to go to heaven and were saying someone come and teach us actually didn’t want to take time to talk with me or anybody else, they had no interest in the Bible, no interest in Christ, and they loved their sin and wanted to continue in it. And I was to the place at that time where I felt the whole thing was a sham and a mockery and no bit of good and I wanted to come home. And there alone in my bedroom as I faced God honestly with what my heart felt, it seemed to me I herd him say: Yes, will not the judge of all the earth do right. The heathen are lost. They’re going to Hell not because they haven’t herd the gospel, they’re going to go to Hell because they are sinners who love their sin and because they deserve Hell. But I didn’t send you out there for them; I didn’t send you out there for their sakes. And I herd as clearly as I ever herd, though it wasn’t with physical breath, but it was the echo of truth of the ages finding it way into an open heart. I heard God say to my heart that day something like this: I didn’t send you to Africa for the sake of the heathen, I sent you to Africa for my sake. They deserve Hell, but I love them, and I endured the agonies of Hell for them. I didn’t send you out there for their sake, I sent you out there for me. Do I not deserve the reward of my suffering, don’t I deserve those for whom I died. And it reversed it all, and changed it all, and rewrited it all, and I wasn’t any longer working for my cut and ten shekels and a shirt, but I was serving the living God.” [Paris Reidhead]
UNUSED QUOTES:
“Is the world crucified unto you tonight or does it fascinate you?” [Leonard Ravenhill]
“For God has not merely given us Jesus Christ, He’s given us all things. And because there’s not enough joy in the house of God we need entertainment, because entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy. Because there isn’t enough power in the house of God, people are always looking for the last signs of development and their hair stands up when they see some fancy show on TV. When I see the church in the New Testament, they didn’t have stately building, they didn’t have paid evangelist, they didn’t have a lot of money, they didn’t have organizations, they couldn’t get on TV and beg, but I’ll tell you what they did, they turned the world upside down and I’m embarrassed to be apart of the church of Jesus today, because I believe it’s an embarrassment to a Holy God. Most of our joy is clapping our hands and having a good time and then afterwards we’re talking all the dribble of the world” [Leonard Ravenhill]
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