COMPASSION Hearttalk

JUST THINK ABOUT IT!

Another Heart Talk by Dr. Jerry A. Jones

PARSON TO PERSON MINISTRIES

P. O. Box 6986Burbank, California 91510-6986

COMPASSION

COMPASSION

COMPASSiON

When Jesus saw the multitudes and knew that they had been with Him for three days, without food, the Bible tells us that JESUS WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION. He then proceeded to bless, break, and distribute food to them…a miracle which He worked on two different occasions (at least that we have a biblical record of). On another occasion we are told that he looked upon the multitude and was moved with compassion for he saw them as sheep not having a shepherd. COMPASSION was truly…and still is…the trademark of Christ’s ministry, His mandate, His mission…and ours.

All genuine compassion will be administered with PASSION…deep feeling, genuine concern, and a determination to perform as Jesus did. The word COMPASS has been highlighted. A compass is used to find direction. Truly, COMPASSION should be the compass by which our Christian life is guided. COMPASS also means to surround. Jesus seemed to always surround people with arms of love and genuine caring. He put on no airs. He never hid behind a false pretense. Dare we follow His example?

The third line in this message has to do with the idea that we are to PASS it ON…give it to others as Jesus gave it to people. HIS BLESSINGS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE KEPT TO OURSELVES. Every Christian is on the receiving end of God’s grace, God’s mercy, God’s blessings, etc., and it is expected that each Christian will be nothing more than a conduit through which God’s blessings flow out to others. THINK ABOUT IT! May the Holy Spirit cause this matter to light up the dark corners of your spiritual life. Pray until it happens! After all, we ARE lights in this dark world.

HE IS ENOUGH! HE IS ALL WE NEED!

NOT ONE PROMISE OF GOD HAS EVER FAILED!

HIS EYES ARE OVER THE RIGHTEOUS!

THE EYES OF THE LORD RUN TO AND FRO IN THE EARTH

BEHOLDING THEM THAT ARE HIS!

This is great news. Get hold of it and don’t let go! Embrace it! Let us sing the old hymn “though the tempest rages, I shall not be moved. Anchored in Jehovah, I shall not be moved.” And how about another one? “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Church in a Coma - HEART TALK


CHURCH IN A COMA

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5:14 KJV)

“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.” (Mark 13:35, 36 KJV)

Recently, when visiting with a colleague for mentoring and prayer, I was struck with the fact that THE CHURCH…GENERALLY…IS IN A SPIRITUAL COMA. As I have thought on this unexpected description of His Church, I am reminded that the church has a history of doing this, with sudden, but brief, bursts of renewal, revival fire, and altars where sinners come to repent of their sins and receive Christ. But then, she drifts back into her spiritual coma.

I said to my colleague, “when I walk in here I do not feel anything…it feels like a morgue.” He agreed! Why is this brother reaching out to me? He freely admits that for ten years his payer life has been almost non-existent, that he isn’t motivated, is undisciplined, etc. Thankfully, he is concerned enough to meet on a regular basis for counsel and prayer. We are united in prayer and counsel, believing GOD to set a blaze in this pastor’s heart and to let that fire spread to every member of his congregation.

Nothing in the way of the supernatural is happening in far too many churches today. Church services are predictable. The message is about as dry as corn shucks in August. The altars are empty and sinners – at least the ones that will admit it – are nowhere to be found. They would not come under conviction anyway if they were there. In line with what I just said about sinners, I am reminded of Herbert Lockyer’s book, The Sins of the Saints, in which he outlines a very long list of them.

This old-timer has been concerned for a very long time. Mrs. Jones and I knew that it would be difficult to find a church where the moment you walk in the door you know that you have walked into the presence of Almighty God. We found it on a Sunday morning a few years ago when we walked into the Assembly of God Church in Gulfport, Mississippi. We knew that we were on holy ground. God bless Pastor Norwood Seymour and his fabulous group of people. Further back than the Gulfport experience, while on vacation, we dropped into the First Church of the Nazarene in Danville, Illinois. We knew that we were on holy ground when we stepped inside a church we knew nothing about and had never been to before (or since).

You see, in these two instances, it was clear that GOD WAS IN HIS CHURCH! It is not possible to come into His presence and not know it, not feel it, or not respond to it.

We knew that it would be difficult to find a church where the pastor’s sermons were prayed down, red hot coals from off the altar of God, where God’s power was on display in every service. We knew it would be difficult, we just didn’t know that it would be this close to impossible.

Are we discouraged? Indeed we are. Is our heart crying out to God for divine intervention? It is…with passionate pleading to God. This preacher is reminded of something that the Cornish miner, Billy Bray, said. He said, “I was born in the fire and I cannot live in the smoke.” He also said, “if they should put me a barrel and nail the lid shut, I would yell ‘glory’ through the bung hole.” Please, I’m not talking about a bunch of screaming, falling out in the floor, running the aisles and jumping over pews. I am talking about people living a life that clearly and powerfully exhibits the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, lives that truly reveal a good prayer life, a life lived in the presence of God, lives that frequently visit the bush that the God of fire dwells in. Indeed, there are many bushes in the desert called life, but there is only one bush that the God of heaven dwells in. When we get there, it will be holy ground and we will gladly remove our sandals and prostrate ourselves in His awesome presence.

People who are in a coma do not respond. They just lie there motionless, as if dead, yet their heart is still beating and their vital signs are still acceptable. They are simply unresponsive. For loved ones and friends, it must be very difficult to stand by the bedside of someone in a coma, talking to the person, holding their hand, yet getting no response. Try, if you will, to see today’s church in that condition. God speaks…they do not respond. It is as if His voice is not being heard. People in a coma are often asked to “squeeze my hand if you are hearing me,” or “move your foot,” or some other instruction. Nothing happens! It is no wonder that so much discouragement prevails and loved ones and friends leave wondering if there is any hope. It is no wonder that this aged preacher leaves church wondering if there is any hope.

THERE IS HOPE! Now and then the news breaks the story of a person who has mysteriously, and suddenly, come out of a coma. Some say that they could hear what people were saying but could not respond at the time. Each is always very thankful for family and friends that came, talked to them, and prayed for them. They came out of their coma!

This doesn’t happen very often. Neither has real, heaven-sent, Holy Ghost, Hell-shaking, revival come very often…BUT…it has happened. When revival has come, it has come because of people whose heart yearned to be in His presence. When it has come, it has come because of people who were extremely burdened for lost loved one and friends, who really didn’t want to see these be eternally lost when they leave this world. When real revival has come it has come because preachers walked into the pulpit with fear and trembling, unafraid to preach the unadulterated Word of God and then open the altars for people to seek HIM. It was not uncommon to hear messages on the Second Coming of Christ, messages on being eternally lost in the fires of Hell, and certainly messages that challenged people to walk in holiness before the Lord.

How near the end of the age are we? We don’t know, but what we do know is that we live in “perilous times” and this is what Paul prophesied in his second letter to the young preacher Timothy (A. D. 66, just before his death at the hands of Nero) saying, “This know also, that in the last days perilous (m. dangerous) times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (m. without self control), fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 KJV). Paul goes on in Verse 8 to speak of two people whose names were Jannes and Jambres “who withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds (m. without good sense), reprobate concerning the faith”.

Is it not fair that I ask if these verses paint a clear picture of conditions as they are at this time in our world? It is a fair challenge. Which one of the conditions that Paul predicted is not blatantly obvious in our world today?

It is also true that this preacher has an obligation – since the blood of the people will be required at my hands if I do not sound the warning – to speak the truth in love, caring for the souls of men and women, teens and young children, realizing that eternity is a long time to either be saved…or lost. It is still a matter of choice…HEAVEN or HELL. The destination that people reach at the end of life’s journey is clearly a matter of choice. The road to Heaven is the straight path, the narrow way. The road to Hell is the broad way, the way described by Paul to Timothy.

The message that God’s Word gives us – in my textural reading – is WAKE UP…COME OUT OF YOUR COMA, and the message is to individuals and to the church at large. To the Church at Ephesus, Paul wrote: “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5:14). The word light probably has a twofold meaning: LIFE and UNDERSTANDING. Look at the word REVIVAL. Let’s break it down – revival. Viva is the Spanish word for life. The re has to do with restoring, reviving, or bringing back to the original position. Thus, REVIVAL is an awakening, a return from a dead condition to a living condition. REVIVAL IS THE RESTORATION OF LIFE TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR TO THE CHURCH AS A WHOLE.

In closing, I would call your attention to the two verses noted in Mark’s gospel. The opening instructions are WATCH. Why? The answer: “for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning” (Mark 13:35). Clearly, this is a reference to the return of our Lord Jesus to receive His Bride…the Church.

The message is clearly…WAKE UP…COME OUT OF YOUR SPIRITUAL COMA. Why? Again, the answer is given in Verse 36: “lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping”.

This is a serious matter. I do not know where Mrs. Jones and I could go and hear a sermon that addresses just how serious the problems are in these perilous times. It is heart-breaking to go to church week in and week out and watch the people come in and go out…the same. They come with sin in their life and leave the same. They come with sickness and disease and leave the same way. They come befuddled, confused, and depressed and leave the same way. This is NOT the church that Christ died to establish.

I am strongly impressed to share a vision that the Lord gave me some years ago in one of my early morning prayer sessions. I saw the church full of well-dressed people. The preacher was in the pulpit well-dressed in his black suit and white shirt. As I surveyed the auditorium filled with people, I noticed that a seat was empty here and there, and elsewhere a couple of people’s seats were empty. The preacher was in the pulpit delivering his sermon, apparently oblivious to the fact that there were empty seats. The scene changed and I saw myself with a small group of people suspended in the air above this church. I had counted the empty seats in the otherwise full church. I then counted the small group that was hovering above the church. The number was the same. As I sought the Lord for an explanation, I was made to realize that many are called but few are chosen, that, percentage-wise, there are few that be saved (the words of Jesus).

It was amazing to me that nobody seemed to know what had happened. It didn’t seem to matter. The Lord had come and the remnant had been saved. It is true that the Lord “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). It is true that multitudes will, as Paul told Timothy, “have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof” and, like the five foolish virgins will be locked out when the Bridegroom cometh. The Christian life should never be taken lightly. Apart from faith in Jesus we have no life. Such persons are still dead in their trespasses and sins. Sadly, millions do not know it. These ARE dangerous times in which we live. The church should be sounding the alarm, opening the altars, and calling people to repentance. How much is a soul worth? I reminded my colleague, as we talked, that the blood of those to whom we speak each time we step into the pulpit will be on our hands and their souls required of us when we stand before the Great Judge of all the earth. I choose not to stand before my Lord with bloody hands. I have also had a vision of Hell many years ago, early in my evangelistic ministry, and this very day, as I write, I can hear the screams coming out of the place of fire and brimstone, where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. WAKE UP SAINTS! COME OUT OF YOUR COMA! The Lord is coming!

Just in case some further biblical evidence of the church being in a coma…for all practical purposes and intents…spiritually dead, let me end (it is true) by calling your attention to the final book in our Bible…The Revelation of Jesus Christ…Chapter 3. In chapters two and three of this ending book in our Bible, seven churches are listed by name. Jesus, speaking to John on the Isle of Patmos, reveals the condition of each of these churches. Five of the seven are told to repent…or else. These churches are truly reflective of the degeneration in the church world through the two millennia since Jesus left earth for heaven. The fifth church in the list is Sardis. I will share verse 1 of chapter 3 with you: “And unto the angel (pastor) of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” That there was (is) hope for that church in a coma is reflected in verse 2: “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect (m. as they should be) before God.”

Church number seven in the list is Laodicea and this church is also very reflective of today’s comatose church…a living corpse. Please note: “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: AND KNOWEST NOT that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked…Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” (3:17, 201 KJV). How sad that the Head over the Church, the Foundation and Chief Cornerstone, is on the outside, knocking, trying to regain entrance into His church. Locked out!

Please do not argue with this preacher. Ask yourself if the Word of God is true. And, I would ask you to ask yourself, very candidly and honestly, “when I walk into my church am I walking into the awesome presence of God, feeling as if I should take off my shoes and fall prostrate at the altar, or am I walking into a church that has a name that it is alive, but if God’s verdict is to be accepted, is not alive but in a spiritual coma. And, bring it even closer to home. Ask yourself if you are really alive spiritually or personally in a spiritually comatose condition. Go ahead…this is a dare! If you feel “not so good about things” seek the Lord until HE comes back in and does His work. The message today is still the same…REPENT!

Is there hope? Let the word of God spoken by Ezekiel the prophet answer: “Dry bones, listen to what the Lord is saying to you. I, the Lord God, will put breath into you, and once again you will live. I will wrap you with muscles and skin and breathe life into you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:4-6 CEV) This will not happen against our will. We must hear the Word of the LORD and do what He says. “If my people will humble themselves and pray, and confess their sin, and turn from their wicked way…THEN WILL I HEAR FROM HEAVEN…and forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). The question is, “do we want to awake from this spiritual coma?” God is able to restore that which the locust, and the canker worm, and the palmer worms have destroyed (the prophet Joel).

Strike When The Iron Is Hot - HEART TALK


This preacher does a lot of thinking. My wheels are always turning. I have had more nights when sleep eluded me for hours because my mind was churning than I can remember. I’m always thinking…even when I sit in church. I can’t help it. I’m a preacher and obsessed with wanting to hear from God, to have the Spirit reveal truth to me. Such is the case with this HEART BEAT.

You have probably heard this saying before, just as I have. I have the idea that this saying came out of a blacksmith’s shop. I have watched as red hot metal has come out of the fire and the blacksmith has taken his hammer and started the process of shaping the red hot iron into exactly what he needs to make. The iron must be red hot, making it malleable, submissive to the blacksmith’s hammer. The iron will go back in the fire several times before the process is complete. The ultimate result of this process will be what the blacksmith set out to create. It could be a shoe for a horse (or a mule) used on the farm. It could be a part for a piece of machinery. The list is long.

The lesson is that the iron, until it has been put in the fire, cannot be molded and shaped into the needed and useable product. No amount of beating on the iron will be effective until the iron has been prepared for the hammer by the furnace. Our life is like the piece of raw iron…hard and unyielding. The furnace (fire) represents life and the challenges that we, as Christians, are bound to face. The apostle Peter addresses the subject in 1 Peter 1:7: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” In chapter 4 he speaks of the fiery trials of life once more – “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial (m. severe testing) which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (4:12).

One can only wonder what the iron (or any other metal requiring the softening process before it can be shaped) would say when thrust into the fire, placed in the vice, and then hammered on until the craftsman can create what he desires to create. The fire, the vice, and the hammer are vital to the craftsman being able to perform. So it is with our life. God, the craftsman, works to create in us the likeness of His Son. The fire, the vice, and the hammer are all vital to the process. We don’t like it, but this is the way it is if God is going to be able to bring us to “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (m. mature) man, unto the measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). We do not like it, but the process is necessary if God is to create out of our fallen nature the vessel unto honor that He desires. Until we have been in the fire the dross will not be purged out. Until our stubborn will can be softened God’s hammer will not be able to effectively design that which will be pleasing to the Father. Therefore, let’s not fight the process. The finished product will be both beautiful and useful.

KNOW WHEN TO SET THE HOOK, OR WHEN TO DRAW IN THE NET

Any good fisherman will understand this statement. A good fisherman can tell what the fish is doing deep under water by “the feel”. He knows when the fish is just playing with the bait. He can tell when the fish is getting more serious about “taking the bait.” He knows when to “set the hook” and bring the fish to the boat where it can be “netted” and brought on board.

Knowing when to draw in the net is another term that is not familiar to what is known as “cane pole fishermen” or “rod and reel fishermen”. I have watched my brothers on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi toss the round net into the water. There is an art to it. I have tried it a number of times and simply have not caught on to how to effectively toss that net, getting it to open up in a near perfect circle. My brothers seem to know where to throw it.

It is exciting to watch that net settle down in the water, hopefully over a school of fish, and then to watch as Herschel and Chuck “work the net” allowing it to settle down and close at the bottom (around the fish) and then slowly work the net back to the boat. What a sight it is to behold fish thrashing around inside the net…caught because someone knew (1) how to cast the net, and (2) how and when to draw it in.

WHY IS THIS HEART TALK SO IMPORTANT?

It has been motivated because, once again, I have watched the Holy Spirit move in a service and the moment for striking the iron and drawing in the net was missed. RECOGNIZING THE MOMENT WHEN THE SPIRIT IS MOVING AND KNOWING WHAT HE WANTS TO DO IN A SERVICE…OR AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE…IS CRITICAL TO GOD BEING ABLE TO DO HIS WORK IN A LIFE, OR IN THE LIVES OF THOSE PRESENT IN A SERVICE. If I am grieved over these missed opportunities as I sit in church, waiting for the waters to be troubled, waiting for God to have the freedom to work HIS works of mercy, waiting for Jesus to be allowed to do what He does best…change lives, heal bodies and deliver His people, how much more is the heart of God and of Christ broken and grieved?

I have watched preachers totally miss it…talking on when it was time to shut up and call for a response. I have watched preachers totally miss it by singing on and on when it was time to call for a response. Sadly, too many just do not have the ability to discern when the iron is hot or the fish is ready to be caught. Being sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit should be at the top of every preacher’s list of what is most important in terms of his/her calling. I believe that many times just “getting on with the program” gets in the way of God being able to sovereignly invade a service. We tend to forget that it is HIS CHURCH and that we are to be nothing less than HIS BLACKSMITH…HIS FISHERMAN…eager to do His will, eager to rejoice in seeing the Spirit perfect that which God desires in terms of character development…eager to see the net drawn in with fish (souls) thrashing around in God’s net, caught by His love, ready to be saved by His grace.

Is this subject of value? It definitely is! Have I touched on a problem that needs to be solved? I have! Does this need to be fixed? Absolutely! Otherwise, why waste our time calling ourselves Christians…and especially those called of God to ministry? Why bother to open the church doors, turn on the lights, or heat and/or cool the building? Why bother? As preachers, our job is to always be sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit. That means that we will discern exactly what God is desirous of doing in the lives of the people and we will tread softly, yet resolutely, in calling the people forward and allowing God to miraculously intervene in their life. The preacher is God’s blacksmith. The preacher is God’s fisherman. We are not showmen. We are not to be actors.

In closing, I can only wonder how wounded the Savior’s heart is when His preachers fail to discern the moment when the iron is ready to come out of the furnace to be molded and shapen? I wonder how many tears have splattered on the steps to His throne as He weeps over the “ones that got away”? And, I wonder how many souls have gone into eternity…lost…because the moment was missed through a lack of discernment or being bound by the “order of service”? May God help us! May God forgive us! God help us to understand that God has a purpose for our going to church and the preaching of the Gospel. Somehow, or so it seems to me – as I have done some deep thinking – that His disciples today, like the twelve Jesus had to deal with – JUST DON’T GET IT! And, look at the great loss. Now, it is your turn to do some thinking. Now, it is your turn to make some changes. Just musing, that’s all.

As a final thought, it occurs to me that many preachers simply do not walk in the Spirit to the degree that they can discern when it is God’s time to sovereignly move in meeting the needs of the people. One cannot give what one does not have. Still musing, that’s all. Dr. Jerry A. Jones

New Gospel of Mark Commentary


Happy to announce a new commentary by Pastor Jerry Jones. Contact us to receive one and to inquire about many other available materials.

Light in the Church

Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision. He decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was finished. At its grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of the new church. Everything had been thought of and included.

It was a masterpiece. But then someone said, “Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really dark in here. How will the church be lighted?” The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls and then he gave each family a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. “Each time you are here,” the nobleman said, “the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to church some part of God’s house will be dark.”

That’s a poignant story, isn’t it? And it makes a very significant point about the importance of our commitment and loyalty to the church. The poet Edward Everett Hale put it like this:

I am only one,

But still I am one.

I cannot do everything,

But still I can do something.

And because I cannot do everything

I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

What if every member of your church supported the church just as you do? What kind of church would you have? What if every single member served the church, attended the church, loved the church, shared the church, and gave to the church exactly as you do? What kind of church would you be? Think about it! Pray about it! Do something about it.

Do I Still Believe?

With all of the craziness – craziness at least to this old preacher (about to reach age 75), that has grown up believing that worship should be pure and emanate from a heart that is pure and directed in absolute humility to Creator God, I openly confess that my belief system has been severely attacked and seriously questioned.

As I sat in a church service (not that long ago) with a lot of the contemporary kind of so-called worship blaring in my ears, I asked myself the question, “Do I still believe?” I took the church bulletin and on the back scribbled my response to the question. I am driven to share my response with you. By the way, from my attendance in a number of churches since retiring from full-time pastoring, Mrs. Jones and I have come to believe that senior citizens really don’t matter to church leadership very much anymore. Our worship preferences really don’t matter, or so it seems. It is no wonder that so many just drop out of church and go to church from their couch in front of the television set. Here is what I wrote down as I sat in that service with the keyboard and drums blaring and the praise leader with her microphone driving her shrill voice through my head like sharp arrows.


In spite of the “whoop and holler” – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the slamming and jamming – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the noise and lack of poise – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the casual attire, coffee drinking in the sanctuary, and general slouch in God’s house – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the absence of the hymns, replaced with 7/11 music…seven words

sung eleven times – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the monotonous and repetitive music – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the dance and drama – I STILL BELIEVE!

In spite of the tobacco using, social drinking, movie going, one hour a week in church people that make up most congregations today – I STILL BELIEVE!


What do I believe? I believe that GOD is still on the throne and that HE will ultimately have a people that understands what true worship is. I must remain true to my old-fashioned belief in this God.

What do I believe? I believe that there is a famine in the land, not of food and drink, but of the Word of God. I must continue to keep my faith resolute in the promises of His Word for it will not return void.

What do I believe? I believe that my old-fashioned convictions are all that will work for me and if I have to seek GOD alone and in a lonely place in order to maintain my “up close” relationship with HIM, that is what I will do.

What do I believe? I believe that it is not the whistle that pulls the train, but rather the power in the locomotive that pulls the train down the tracks, up the mountains and around the curves. Noise is not the answer! Singing louder and longer is not the answer! Wriggling and dancing, strutting and prancing, are not the signs of a penitent heart. A meek and quiet spirit God will not despise. I believe – and I know – that this is what will work for this preacher. These are some of the reasons why I STILL BELIEVE.

When will this craziness end? I do not know, but I do know that I have settled the question in my heart – I STILL BELIEVE, and I will forever believe that GOD is in control – grieved, I believe – but still in control and HE will have the final say on Judgment Day.

What do I believe? I not only believe, but I know, that most will criticize me for holding to this unwavering position, but this is quite all right. I WILL FOREVER BELIEVE IN THE GOD THAT DECLARES, “I AM THE LORD…I CHANGE NOT!” I must stay the course! I must always hold to “what thus saith the Lord” – to me personally! Yes, after more than 56 years of preaching, my faith was, is, and I believe, will continue to be attacked. I must not allow the contemporary so-called style of worship to destroy my faith. I have come too far and eternity is too long for me to lost. For myself and Mrs. Jones, we feel so out of place and rather lost as we try to find traditional music and “rock solid,” “revelation preaching” – messages direct from the heart of God, Spirit-revealed and Spirit-anointed. It hurts! But, I have settled the matter for me personally – I STILL BELIEVE! I WILL FOREVER BELIEVE! Though my faith be tested and I battle with my frustration over the carnival atmosphere in today’s praise and worship format – I WILL KEEP ON BELIEVING! Maybe, just maybe, things will turn around. Maybe we can once again find the “old paths wherein is the good way” (Jeremiah 6:16) and “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).